The Shopper, Issue 25 - July 27, 2017 Page 19

Saint Jo's 15th annual ice cream contest was alot of fun for all. The varieties of ﬂavors added to all of the excitement and showed the creativity of all the participants. The winners of the awards this year were First place, Laurie and Emma Martin, " Creamy Lemon Raspberry Sherbert" they will receive the $100 dollar prize. Second place and a $50 dollar prize went to Kat McComb with "Malted Milk Madness". Third place was "Star Spangled Strawberry" entered by Camille Crist. The Chamber wold like to thank all of the generous participants of this years contest: Donna Sickles, Tere Stool, Dick Crist, Jodi, Ellie, and Lexie Miller, Bayli Miller and Ainsley, Denise Chamberlain, Randie Burton and Maloree Woodyard.If it wasn't for these creative and generous people the tasting would not be available. The Chamber also thanks our judges, Bill Harris, Justin Hansard, and Hunter Garrett for donating their time for this "diﬃcult " task. Thanks also goes to the Millers and Smiths for all their help. Couldn't do it with out them. Saint Jo’s 15th Annual Ice Cream Contest The Shopper Thursday, July 27, 2017 19 We Offer Installment Loans Loans Up To $1336 Midwest Finance • 217 N. Smythe • Bowie, TX 76230 DALE WHITE Residential Commercial Industrial FREE Estimates COMING SOON! Water Well Drilling PROVIDING FOR ALL YOUR WATER WELL NEEDS PUMP INSTALLATION & MAINTENANCE PROMPT SERVICE | FORESTBURG, TX Dustin Hachtel PO Box 1436 Bowie, TX 76230 CELL: 817-925-7275 • HOME: 940-964-2975 TX Lic #56073WP 940-867-3314 TECL# 26493 “Extreme Quality without Extreme Prices” I am writing to explain why I have started a petition for recall of the mayor and ﬁve council members. I have recently been ﬁghting the council on water/sewer rate increases that they have been trying to impose upon the citizens of Bowie. The council has abandoned two proposals that were being voted on. However, it is still their intention to pass an ordinance increasing the utility rates. Unfortunately, we, as citizens, are not given a lot of options. I feel that we need a strong leader in the position of city manager who will lead us in the direction the citizens want to go. We as citizens have no say over who is hired as city manager. Our only option, if our current council will not act, is to remove them and put in place people who will. I believe that all of the things that the current city manager says we need can be provided for without a rate increase. Our current city manager does not. He believes that a rate increase is needed to accomplish his objectives. However the budget he presented at the last council meeting came out in the black without increasing the amount of revenue received from the citizens. His own numbers do not support his actions. True we need to set aside money for an infrastructure fund but we can accomplish that by slightly cutting a few more expenses. Or even if need be cutting back on something. But a rate increase should not be an option when we are exceeding by far industry standards for a reasonable proﬁt. Therefore as a last resort, we are presenting this petition, not in the hopes of trashing the current council members personally, or in an attempt to see the city bankrupt but in an eﬀort to save our city from the hands of people who will not listen. If you are of the same mind, please encourage the current council members to act. It is my sincere wish that we not need this petition. I hope that we have members on the council now who will step up and recognize that we no longer are able to ask our citizens to pay more. We have many citizens who are unable to pay more. I beg of them to replace our city manager and ﬁnd one who will ﬁnd a way to spend only what we are able to give and not ask the citizens pay more. I have been approached by too many citizens to count, saying they were hurting with the utilities they are paying now. I talked to a young couple yesterday. The mother stayed home with young children because she couldn't make enough to pay for daycare. The father worked and brought home $1,000 every two weeks. Take home pay for the month is $2,000. Her utility bill this month was right at $500. A fourth of their income. That is the equivalent of a 25% tax placed on them. They don't even pay that much to the IRS. We have old people on social security who can't aﬀord an increase. Their income hasn't increased this year. Why should they have to pay more to the city? We have single mothers and fathers saying prayers during the summer that their kids don't get sick because they can't aﬀord to take them to the doctor and pay the utility bill. How is that right? The city has put itself in the position of making people pay ridiculous prices for a necessity in life. It is time to right the wrong. Council members stand up and take a stand for what is right! Replace our city manager, ﬁnance director and anyone else who is not willing to work with us to ﬁx this problem. I am not asking you to devastate our city. Only to ﬁnd another way. We need people who will roll up their sleeves and start digging. We need strong leadership. Please be that for your citizens. I started this journey not in an attempt to lower my bill but in an attempt to keep the council from raising the bill any further. I have talked with council members numerous times in an attempt to make and keep them aware of how the citizens feel and have encouraged others to do the same. I have no other options left. Our petition is located at my oﬃce at 704 Hwy 59 N, Ritzy Rags (600 E Wise on the end closer to the rodeo grounds), Shear Madness (103 E Wise St down on the other end), and the Rack (downtown). I thank you for taking a stand. It is time! Political Ad Paid for by Tami Buckmaster To the Citizens of Bowie: