Saturday, October 22, 2016 Volume 118 | Number 33 8 Pages www.herefordbrand.com $1
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Hereford BR ND Early voting opens Monday By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor
With debates over and the 2016 elections barreling down the homestretch to the Nov. 8 finish line, the time has come for decisions to be made and the switch pulled for favorites. Rubber meets the road in Deaf Smith County come Monday as early voting opens. Set to run from Monday, Oct. 24 through Friday, Nov. 4, local early voting will take place Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., outside the clerk’s office on the second floor of Deaf Smith County Courthouse. “It is something that has prov-
What is Main's future?
en extremely popular since it began,” said Deaf Smith County Clerk of Court Imelda DeLaCerda, who oversees a vast majority of local elections. “People seem to like it because they have the opportunity to vote at their convenience. “Most people like it because it allows them to avoid a lot of the electionday crowds at polls.” DeLaCerda expects about a 50-50 ratio between early and poll voting this cycle. In addition, the offices up for grabs has officials predicting more voters taking part than in recent elec-
tions. “There is always more voter interest in Presidential
election years,” DeLaCerda said. In the 2012 Presidential run, some 3,500 of the county’s then-8,465 registered voters cast ballots – 41.3 percent – according to DeLaCerda. She contrasted that number to the 2014 election, where Texans voted for governor and county residents elected a new county judge, that saw 2,856 ballots cast – 33.7 percent. In terms of how voting might break down across the county’s four precincts and now 8,642 registered voters, DeLaCerda did not hesitate to note that Precinct 3 usually sees the
PLEASE SEE MAIN | 3A
PLEASE SEE ELECTION | 3A
Schools plan for May bond
Pumpkin perfect
By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor There are a few who have voiced opposition, but a vast majority of Hereford residents are more than pleased with the recent paving of the north portion of Main Street. That was apparent when city officials twice made specific note of it during separate meetings last week. “The Main Street paving has been well received,” Hereford Mayor Tom Simons said at the quarterly Deaf Smith County Joint Entities meeting. “Things in that area are going smoothly.” His pun highlighted the physical distinction of the recovered roadway from Seventh Street to Park Avenue – as opposed to the former washboard surface of the brick road. The new surface further accentuates that difference when traveling south from Sixth Street – where much of the brick roadway remains. “There has really been nothing but good in response to the repaving,” Hereford City Manager Rick Hanna said. Admitting there was opposition to the project and continued protests against covering more brick roads, Hanna added that amounted to a miniscule percentage of the overall city population. The covering of brick roads became a renewed issue last year before parts of it became reality in late summer. From the outset, officials have been cognizant of potential historical-backed objections and have attempted to address the situation with that in mind. During the comment portion of the Hereford City Commission meeting last week, Place 4 Commission Linda Compton reiterated personal – and constituent – comment on the repaving. “People have told me, and I agree, the paving of Main Street was the best thing ever done for the city,” she said. “It has improved the
largest voter turnout. “Those people get out and vote,” she said. As an example, DeLaCerda again cited the 2012 election – where Precinct 3 saw 500 voters at the poll on election day, while the other three county precincts had a combined total of 700 election-day voters. She added that more than 300 requests had been made for absentee/mail-in ballots for this election. Of that, some 250 have already been completed and returned. While early voting in some states began as much as three
By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor
BRAND/John Carson
From left, sisters Bridget, 7, and Alishia Osterkamp, 8, pick out the pumpkins they like best at First United Methodist Church’s Pumpkin Patch. Open daily from 1-7 p.m., through Oct. 31, the patch has a variety of pumpkins and gourds for Halloween and other holiday decorations. Items are priced from $1-$8, and the event is a fundraiser for the church’s children’s department. First United Methodist and First Baptist Church will team up on Halloween for Trunk-or-Treat in their respective parking lots.
Although still in the formulation stages, a second run at a school bond is being planned for May, according to information revealed during Monday’s Deaf Smith County Joint Entities luncheon at city hall. Representatives from the City of Hereford, Deaf Smith County, Hereford Independent School District (HISD), Deaf Smith County Hospital District (DSCHD), Amarillo College and Hereford Economic Development Corporation (HEDC) meet quarterly to provide updates to other county entities. “We are planning on a May bond,” HISD Board of Trustees member Mike Bryant said. “We have meetings going on to determine the costs and needs. We’re still not sure of the overall costs, but it is nearing $40 million. “We hope to get [costs and needs] straight in the near future for a May vote.” Voters overwhelmingly rejected a $42.6 million school bond issue in May 2015 after a number of people voiced opposition to items included in the bond – most notably extensive work at Stanton Learning Center and on the fieldhouse at Whiteface Stadium. HISD board vice president Carolyn Waters said both were sticking points in last year’s rejection and added that Stanton proposals have been removed from current considerations – although the fieldhouse project has remained. “We hope to provide better understanding of why we need what we do,” she said. School officials lamented over last year’s bond defeat and placed most of the blame on a lack of communication between HISD and voters. Having kept the bond issue alive, trustees voted earlier this year to cap any potential future bond at $30 million. While all other officials reported a variety of “big things” and “transitions” being experienced, Deaf Smith County PLEASE SEE BOND | 3A
dilemma By John Carson BRAND Managing Editor While business on the agenda was largely mundane and uneventful, the Hereford City Commission ventured into the fouler side of the job when it came time for comment from board members. The foul was a query by Place 4 Commissioner Linda Compton in reference to a constituent concerning skunks in a specific neighborhood. As it turned out, the problem is pretty
much citywide. “We have lots of skunks now,” Hereford City Manager Rick Hanna said. “They are all over town in virtually every neighborhood. No one is specially blessed. “There is a substantial increase in the number of skunks that animal control has had to deal with this year.” Both Hanna and assistant city manager Steve Bartels attributed part of the problem to weather in 2015. PLEASE SEE SKUNKS | 3A
OPEN to the PUBLIC!! “Medicare & You” Seminar November 2nd 10am - 11am Hereford Senior Citizens Center Refreshments will be provided