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Election results are in, reflect low voter turnout

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By Emily Banks Wooten
Special to the News-Standard

One thousand seven hundred eighty-one people, or 15.06% of the 11,823 registered voters in Trinity County, voted in Tuesday’s constitutional amendment election. Statewide, voters had the opportunity to vote on 14 proposed amendments to the state constitution. Statewide results were not known at press time, but the local results are listed below:

Proposition 1 – HJR 126 “The constitutional amendment protecting the right to engage in farming, ranching, timber production, horticulture and wildlife management.”

FOR 1,591

AGAINST 190

Proposition 2 – SJR 64 “The constitutional amendment authorizing a local option exemption from ad valorem taxation by a county or municipality of all or part of the appraised value of real property used to operate a child-care facility.”

FOR 1,064

AGAINST 658

Proposition 3 – HJR 132 “The constitutional amendment prohibiting the imposition of an individual wealth or net worth tax, including a tax on the difference between the assets and liabilities of an individual or family.”

FOR 1,383

AGAINST 371

Proposition 4 – HJR 2 from the second special session “The constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to establish a temporary limit on the maximum appraised value of real property other than a residence homestead for ad valorem tax purposes; to increase the amount of the exemption from ad valorem taxation by a school district applicable to residence homesteads from $40,000 to $100,000; to adjust the amount of the limitation on school district ad valorem taxes imposed on the residence homesteads of the elderly or disabled to reflect increases in certain exemption amounts; to except certain appropriations to pay for ad valorem tax relief from the constitutional limitation on the rate of growth of appropriations; and to authorize the legislature to provide for a four-year term of office for a member of the board of directors of certain appraisal districts.”

FOR………1,542

AGAINST……………208

Proposition 5 – HJR 3 “The constitutional amendment relating to the Texas University Fund, which provides funding to certain institutions of higher education to achieve national prominence as major research universities and drive the state economy.”

FOR……………1,001

AGAINST……708

Proposition 6 – SJR 75 “The constitutional amendment creating the Texas water fund to assist in financing water projects in this state.”

FOR…………1,347

AGAINST…401

Proposition 7 – SJR 93 “The constitutional amendment providing for the creation of the Texas energy fund to support the construction, maintenance, modernization and operation of electric generating facilities.”

FOR……1,220

AGAINST………519

Proposition 8 – HJR 125 “The constitutional amendment creating the broadband infrastructure fund to expand high-speed broadband access and assist in the financing of connectivity projects.”

FOR……………1,281

AGAINST……461

Proposition 9 – HJR 2, regular session “The constitutional amendment authorizing the 88th Legislature to provide a cost-of-living adjustment to certain annuitants of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.”

FOR…………1,471

AGAINST………310

Proposition 10 – SJR 87 “The constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation equipment or inventory held by a manufacturer of medical or biomedical products to protect the Texas healthcare network and strengthen our medical supply chain.”

FOR…………1,021

AGAINST…708

Proposition 11 – SJR 32 “The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to permit conservation and reclamation districts in El Paso County to issue bonds supported by ad valorem taxes to fund the development and maintenance of parks and recreational facilities.”

FOR…………917

AGAINST………706

Proposition 12 – HJR 134 “The constitutional amendment providing for the abolition of the office of county treasurer in Galveston County.”

FOR………………748

AGAINST…………799

Proposition 13 – HJR 107 “The constitutional amendment to increase the mandatory age of retirement for state justices and judges.”

FOR………………672

AGAINST………1,065

Proposition 14 – SJR 74 “The constitutional amendment providing for the creation of the centennial parks conservation fund to be used for the creation and improvement of state parks.”

FOR…………1,256

AGAINST……492

 

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City temporarily ends police enforcement

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groveton texas city limits 250By Tony Farkas
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GROVETON — The city of Groveton will rely on the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement after Mayor Ralph Bennett dismissed the force on Oct. 30.

Bennett said the city decided last week to do something different for law enforcement in the city, as he felt Chief Justin Cowart and another officer were not fitting Groveton’s needs.

“We decided to go in a different direction,” he said. “The department still exists, and won’t be disbanded.”

Bennett said he would not comment on any specific reasons.

He said the city will bring in other officers to fill the positions, but there was no timeline on refilling positions.

Meanwhile, the Sheriff’s Department will provide police protection until further notice. Residents can contact the Sheriff’s Department at (936) 642-1424 for police services and 911 for emergencies.

•On Oct. 23, the Groveton City Council held its regular meeting, and infrastructure projects were the main focus.

The city discussed an proposal from IMR Systems for treatment of sludge in the city’s wastewater lagoons, which was said to decrease sludge levels by around 65 percent. Cost for the treatment would amount to $1,090 a month.

The council took no action, but will review the proposal.

Additionally, the city applied for a $510,000 Community Development Block Grant, initially for street improvements, but was changed to the construction of a new ground storage tank for water, as the old one is deteriorating.

In other business, the council:

•approved payment of the $8,829.91 bill from Inframark for services on the city’s water and wastewater operations;

•approved an interlocal agreement with Trinity County for participation in a Community Wildfire Protection Plan grant application and committee;

•approved a proclamation recognizing Baldwin Chapel Baptist Church’s 140th anniversary;

•discussed progress on an ordinance regarding dilapidated and unsafe buildings; and

•discussed the Police Department productivity report for October, with 63 calls for service, 14 traffic stops, 11 warnings and 2 citations issued, and 11 reports taken.

Courtesy photo by Garry Brown

Groveton Mayor Ralph Bennett presents Pastor Curtis Owens Jr. of Baldwin Chapel Baptist Church with a proclamation recognizing the church for its 140th anniversary celebration during the church service on Oct. 29.

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Board discusses scholarships

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Band01jpgThe Trinity Tiger Marching Band was honored for receiving straight Division 2 scores at the Region 9 Marching Contest on Oct. 17. The band is under the direction of Jose Morales, assistant Julie Patrick, and flags Keri Dobbs. COURTESY PHOTO

By Tony Farkas
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TRINITY — Trinity ISD students will have a new scholarship opportunity after the Board of Trustees approved an agreement regarding the Floyd C “Buddy” Drake Memorial Scholarship.

At its regular meeting on Oct. 23, the board approved an agreement with the Trinity Ex-Students Association, which will manage the endowment.

Superintendent Dr. John Kaufman said the board doesn’t give out scholarships, and the plan is the result of about a year of work.

Drake provided around $158,000 in his will for the fund.

Kaufman said the funds will be invested, and scholarships will be handed out based on the interest earned.

“(The scholarships) will be given out to students in need,” he said. “The amount hasn’t been determined but will be based on the interest earned. The association may give one scholarship this year.”

Kaufman said information about the scholarship will be put out at a later date by the association.

In other business, the board:

•approved dividing the 1,675 votes it has toward the board of the Trinity County Appraisal District between Kevin Searcy and Monte Huffmann, and spread the 27 votes for the Walker County Appraisal District among all its candidates;

•set Dec. 11 as the staff Christmas party;

•discussed setting dates for Capturing Kids Hearts training; and

•discussed the last week being the first week for the district’s new 4-day schedule.

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County apportions half of remaining ARPA funds

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Trinity Countyseal 200By Tony Farkas
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GROVETON — The Trinity County Commissioners Court set aside half of its remaining ARPA funds for the individual road precincts for repairs and will poll department heads to discuss their needs for the remaining money.

At its regular meeting on Oct. 24, the court discussed what to do with the second half of the American Rescue Plan Act funds, which comes to $1.23 million.

Commissioner Steven Truss said the county has put its needs off while other needs, such as water systems around the county; Commissioner Tommy Park agreed, saying the county helped out those departments, but roads throughout the county are bad.

County Attorney Colton Hay advocated refurbishing the community center at the Y, while Commissioner Neal Smith said a new center should be built. Smith also said the fire department in Friday needed a building, as firefighters are using their own drives to park engines.

The court did approve allocating $150,000 to each of the four road departments, and at the urging of County Judge Danny Martin, will ask all county department heads to submit requests and then prioritize those for funding.

In other business, the commissioners:

•tabled again a request from Justice of the Peace Richard Steptoe to add a copier to the county’s lease, as it was seeking costs for smaller models. Steptoe told the court that the request actually would save money, as it would cost only $828 a year to lease, while he was paying $1,400 per year on ink alone;

•approved only one of two personnel action forms after discussion of the necessity of another employee in the maintenance department;

•approved necessary budget amendments;

•approved changes to the jury selection plan;

•tabled a decision on a new case management system for the county and District Clerk’s Office;

•approved the selection of Langford Community Management Services as grant administrator for the USDA wildfire grant, and approved agreements with the cities of Groveton and Trinity for participation in the plan;

•approved the donation of $1,000 from Shanon and Jolynn Wars for cameras to be used for litter abatement;

•approved replacing the dash cams systems for the Sheriff’s Office; and

•approved accepting the TxDOT surplus material allocation for the coming fiscal year.

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Carson to run for Legislature

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AdobeStock 86968186

Special to the News-Standard

APPLE SPRINGS — Many East Texans are seeking a true conservative candidate who will be their voice in the 89th session of the Texas Legislature in 2025, and Paulette Carson looks to fill that role.

Carson has been listening to you and is taking on incumbent House Rep. Trent Ashby, who has not had a primary challenger since entering the Republican political scene a decade ago. The primary election is March 5, 2024.

After witnessing the debacle in the Texas State House earlier this year, it became clear that the risk of losing Texas is higher than ever before. During the Legislative session the conservative voice was diminished, and many strong and important bills to help Texans gain ground were systematically blocked.

The impeachment process of our Attorney General exposed the lack of principles in our current “conservative” leadership. This was the final straw to bring Carson to drive a stake in the ground for House District 9. Carson believes the power of our conservative voice has never been more crucial.

“The Texas House is in dire need of leaders who are both principled and courageous,” Carson said. “True conservative leaders must dare to act in opposition to the current Republican House leadership. They have been persuaded for decades to align with liberal forces in the House for political gain and influence. Follow the money that supports our legislators and the alliances become clear. Our Great State of Texas is losing its way. This mission is paramount to saving Texas, and thus saving America.”

As a life-long Republican coming from a military family, Carson understands the importance of defending our state and nation from both foreign and domestic terrorists. She is a strong champion for protecting our Second Amendment rights against all federal overreaches.

The foundation of her campaign is to Take Your Voice to Austin and work to Revive Texas Values.

Carson has a long history of leadership in the Republican Party across the state of Texas. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Stephen F. Austin State University with an emphasis in Management and Economics. With her broad experience in corporate management, along with sound fiscal oversight, she promises to be your reliable financial conservative voice for HD9.

Carson is a dedicated wife, mother, businesswoman, and founder of two non-profit organizations. She and her husband Charlie have three sons: Kyle is a small business owner, and his wife Debbie is a public school educator; David is serving as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Space Force, and his wife Stephanie is a Christian family counselor.

For 25 years, Paulette and Charlie, with their special-ability son Caleb, have enjoyed life on their ranch amidst the Davy Crockett National Forest. They attend Harmony Hill Baptist Church in Lufkin.

“Faith, Family and Freedom are what make Texas great,” Carson said. “I will Take Your Voice to Austin as we work together to Revive Texas Values.”

Learn more at carsonfortexas.com.

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