Published For Orange Countians By Orange Countians
County Record
TheRecordLive.com
Vol. 58 No. 10
The Community Newspaper of Orange, Texas
Week of Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Pay matrix discussion will lead to workshop Debby Schamber For The Record
A lengthy discussion on the elimination of a pay matrix system for elected officials will lead to an eventual workshop session for numerous elected officials and commissioners court. Orange County Commissioners met in its regularly Tuesday afternoon session and an enthusiastic discussion occurred once the topic of abolishing the current elected officials pay matrix system was reached. This topic was originally brought up briefly during prebudget talks in the summer of 2015 and even touched on at a recent commissioners court meeting when the topic of Orange County Commissioners taking a pay cut was mentioned by a county commissioner. Orange County Judge Stephen Brint Carlton presented
the topic and stated he was searching for a way to bring the pay scale for Orange County elected officials into line with one another Carlton and not have such disparity in salary between people doing the same job, such as Constables, Justices of the Peace, and County Commissioners. This would also potentially impact the Sheriff and County Judge. “I’m not a fan of having an elected official pay matrix,” Carlton said. “I think it should be the job of commissioners court to set the salary and have all JP’s (Justices of the Peace) make the same amount, Constables make the same amount and not have such disparities.” Carlton was seeking to get commissioners court to agree
to abolish the elected officials pay matrix system and then hold workshops to determine what those salaries might be for each position. “We can use the first term pay scale (for each position) as the base to decide on what the salary should be,” Carlton explained. “We’re not setting the salary, we will just build it from that first term base.”
John Banken, Orange County Commissioner of Precinct 3, voiced his displeasure with the order of the process. “Let’s set the salaries first and then vote to abolish the (elected officials) pay matrix,” Banken said. “I think we are putting the cart before the horse by doing it this way. When these people ran for office, they knew what they
would earn going in.” David Dubose, Orange County Commissioner of Precinct 1, agreed. “Let’s not rush it,” he stated. “I think we need to have a workshop on it. I don’t have a problem taking a pay cut, but I think this is wrong.” Judge Derry Dunn, Orange County Justice of the Peace in Precinct 2, who will soon be-
gin serving a fourth term as Justice of the Peace, asked if his salary could potentially be “bumped back” to what a first term Justice of the Peace, such as Joy Dubose Simonton in Precinct 3, earns. He was told it could happen, although none of the salaries were set at this time. He also asked if any
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Orange celebrates Independence Day
Grants alocated to assist local agencies Tommy Mann Jr. For The Record
Several local agencies will be receiving some much needed funds to continue providing vital services to the community. The City of Orange approved the dispersal of funds through community development block grants to several local agencies at one of its June council meetings, which will allow the agencies to continue providing services to members of the community who depend on these various programs for a variety of services. Approximately $46,000 in grant funding was approved to
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” Galatians 5:13
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be distributed to seven local agencies, which includes the Orange County Action Association, Greater Orange Area Literacy Services, the Julie Rogers Gift of Life, Southeast Texas Hospice, Jackson Community Center, Samaritan Counseling Center and Stable Spirit. Southeast Texas Hospice is located in Orange and received $7,000 through the community development block grant funding to be able to continue better serving its clients. Incorporated in 1976, Southeast Texas Hospice was the first hospice in the State of Texas and one of the first 20 to open in the United States. It began serving patients and their families in 1979 and continues its mission of improving end of life care for individual patients and their families. “These kind of grants are very important to us,” said Mary McKenna, director of Southeast Texas Hospice. “This money is going to be used for our ‘adopt-a-family’ program, which lets us take care of patients who have no way to pay. In 2015, we provided over $100,000 in indigent care and we couldn’t do that without grants and the support of the community.” The agency holds events such as the Toilet Paper Tea during the holiday season, and the mystery dinner theater each spring to raise additional funds in order to utilize every budget dollar on providing care to those in need. “These events go a long way in helping (Southeast Texas Hospice) serve those who need it,” she added. “So far the community has been very supportive of us and these events. We couldn’t do it without that support.” The Orange County Action Association, which is located in downtown Orange, received
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The Orange Riverfront Pavilion and Boardwalk was packed with hundreds upon hundreds of guests this past Monday to enjoy the annual Fourth of July concert and fireworks display over the Sabine River. The fireworks extravaganza, shown with Old Glory flying in the midst of the display, delighted all ages and could be seen for miles from the pavilion grounds. RECORD PHOTO: Tommy Mann Jr.
Citizens vote ‘FOR’ to become city Dave Rogers
For The Record
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s one of its “founding fathers,” H.D. Pate remembers well July 7, 1970, the day citizens voted to incorporate Bridge City as a legal entity under the laws of Texas. The move staved off any chance of the community of 6,000 being gobbled up by its larger neighbors in Southeast Texas, Orange and Port Arthur. “It was mostly a matter of pride,” said Pate, who, with fellow attorney Feagin Windham, filed the lawsuit that led the way. “We had to keep our identity, keep the pride of ‘You’re in your hometown,’” Pate said. “And we were in our hometown, and we’re still in our hometown.” The 46th anniversary of that vote – decided by a count of 677 for, 446 against – finds a city that, according to mayor David Rutledge, has changed its outward appearance but not its core. He recalls when Texas Avenue, “the drag” between the Rainbow Bridge and the Cow Bayou Bridge was punctuated
On Sept. 22, 1970, Bridge City held it’s first city election. Preston M. “Red” Wood narrowly edged out Jay Eshbach by three votes to become Bridge City’s first mayor. Seen with the new mayor are Jo Bernard, Gay Bell and Christy Heath.
on each end by Burger Town and Tenney’s Drive-In, with hot spots like The Caboose and Dip-O Drive-In other high-traffic stops along the route. The road itself was a “twolane” back then, said the mayor, an incoming senior at
Bridge City High School in the summer of 1970. “Then it went to four lanes and it’s seven lanes now,” he said. “Businesses have come and gone over the years, or they’ve evolved,” Rutledge said. “But we’ve always been kind of a bedroom community. A lot of
people work in the refineries and chemical plants in the area. “Our citizens want the same as why my parents moved us there: a safe place to raise a family, and our schools are
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