County Record Vol. 56 No. 10
The Community Newspaper of Orange, Texas
Week of Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Appraisals, tax rates, budgets- a symbiotic relationship David Ball
For The Record
Before governmental entities make their budgets, before the tax rate is set, there must be an appraisal of properties within the county. Notices were sent out in April and residents were given to the end of May to file, according to Michael Cedars, chief appraiser of the Orange County Appraisal District. The protest period is winding down. Property rolls will be certified on July 25. Residential properties have been finalized and industrial property appraisals will take a little longer. Cedars said in addition to formal protests this year and also informal hearings in which residents could speak with an appraiser and get the issue fixed than and there. The Appraisal Review Board con-
LC Elem teachers treat good readers to special dinner Staff Report For The Record Vicky Holland and Brenda Jones, third grade teachers at Little Cypress Elementary, took their top Accelerated Reading winners for the second semester out to eat recently. The students chose Pinehurst Barbecue as the restaurant. Accelerated Reader is a program that strengthens reading skills, encourages reading, and assesses comprehension. Altogether, the four students who won dinner out with the teacher amassed just under 170 points. Ali Colello and Mason Burke won from Ms. Jones’ class. According to Jones, “Ali just won first place at our first annual Third Grade Spelling Bee. She said that when she grows up she wants to be a teacher and a movie star. Mason said that he wants to be a singer when he grows up.” Angelina Mulvaney from Holland’s homeroom and Hayleigh Dockins from Mrs. Theriot’s homeroom were the winners for dinner with Ms. Holland. “Angelina says that she is going to be a lawyer when she grows up and Hayleigh wants to be a doctor, said Holland. Dinner with the teacher is not the only reward given for accumulating AR points. When a child reaches milestones, he or she gets to select one of the prizes that are provided through grants and donations by individuals and business partnerships.
sists of five citizens from various regions of the county. They are not part of the Orange County Appraisal District. “They’re a quasi-judicial system. They do an extremely good job,” Cedars said. “We keep (proceedings) as informal as possible. We want the value to be correct. We don’t get paid extra to over-evaluate property.” Cedars said though the OCAD doesn’t collect or sets the tax rate, if property values go up or down, it affects the tax rate and governmental entities budgets. For instance, school district budgets are affected by property values. “Entities go through the budget process- schools, cities and counties. The tax assessor-collector sends out the tax bill the first part of October and residents have until January 31 to pay taxes in a timely manner,” he said. Cedars first began working in the OCAD when it was created in 1979 and he has seen many changes over the years. In 2004, for example, there were 500 protests in Orange County. Following Hurricane Rita in 2005 there were 8,000 protests in the county. “Eighty percent of properties were significantly damaged. We mailed out questionnaires and made judgments based upon them. People made repairs and we were back to square one,” he said. “In 2008, Hurricane Ike hits and now people couldn’t live in their homes. It was worse devastation.” Bridge City, which was hit particularly hard by Ike, saw an influx of Mid-County residents buying homes for cheap and repairing them. Cedars said as a result, Bridge City and Orangefield had the most revenue in the county coming in. Other portions of the county also saw an increase. The last five years, however, has seen static values in the county. On a positive note, real estate agents are becoming more optimistic about the housing market than in the last few
Allen Nation is the only “sole man” left in Orange. At one time there were four or five shoe repairs shops in town. Ramano’s Shoe Shop is one of the oldest continuous businesses in Orange, open since 1915. Nation bought the shop 26 years ago. RECORD PHOTO: Mark Dunn
He’s a sole-man Merchant makes living from fixing shoes and boots
David Ball
For The Record
Allen Nation, owner of Romano’s Shoe Shop in Orange, said his craft is halfway a craft and halfway an art. “It’s not rocket science, but there’s a method to do it. I’m not an artsy kind of guy, but the craft part is putting on the sole or heel. The art side is making the shoes look as it has never been worked on,” Nation said. Nation bought the business 26 years ago and he has been repairing shoes and boots for the past 26 years. Romano’s first opened its doors for business in 1915 and it’s one of the oldest continuous businesses in Orange. It has been housed in the current location at
1307 1/2 Green Avenue since 1945. Many customers tell him they attended school across the street from the shop. He started off by manning the cash register, helping out and watching then-owner, Autrey Beatty, and how he did repairs until there was an opportunity to purchase the business. He also attended shoe repair conferences and conventions to increase his skill and knowledge. Some of the services offered at the shop include resoling cowboy boots and dress shoes, replacing ladies’ heel tips, men’s heel caps, stretching boots and shoes, shining them, build-ups for
SOLE-MAN Page 3A
Allen Nation repairs a boot by replacing its sole. Besides boots and shoes, Nation also repairs and cleans purses, leather jackets and makes cell phone holders from exotic skins. RECORD PHOTO: Mark Dunn
APPRAISAL, TAXES Page 3A
Ammunition scarce for gun enthusiasts David Ball
For The Record
Those of a certain age who grew up in the South remember nearly everyone owned a .22 caliber rifle. But what good is a rifle if you can’t find ammunition? That’s a quandary many are facing who can’t find ammunition for certain firearms. In fact, these hard to find ammo are immediately snatched up by customers when they do arrive or sold on the Internet for many times the original price. David Scott of Four Seasons Guns in Orange said ammunition for .22 magnums, .380s, 300 black-outs, .32s, .25s and .30-30s are also difficult to obtain. “We have plenty of hollow rounds. It’s target ammo that’s hard to get,” Scott said. Since supplies is running short, thousands of gun owners
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are buying and hoarding ammunition. It may be another six or seven months before things return to normal. John Troquille, of Ray’s Pawn Shop in Bridge City, is beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. He said his store has been receiving in the past two weeks more .22 caliber rounds than they have the last year-and-ahalf and .357 ammunition. However, .380 target rounds are also hard for him to get. “Nine millimeter was hard to get and now we have it,” Troquille said. “It (supplies) could change in a week. It’s hard for everybody to get .22 caliber ammo. It’s (low supplies) is fizzling out and we’re getting it in stock.” Toquille also said some are purchasing the ammunition in stores and selling it on the Internet at three to four times the price. While the practice is legal, he said he wouldn’t buy
John Troquille of Ray’s Pawn Shop in Bridge City with his son, Allen, said his store is beginning to see more .22 caliber ammunition after being scarce for nearly two years. RECORD PHOTO: David Ball
ammo sold on the Internet. “Someone purchased 1,600 rounds of long rifle ammo at $70 from Academy and they sold it on the Internet for $140,” he cited as an example. As with the other two previous shops, Mark Daniels, manager at Gary’s Guns in Vidor, said .22 long rifle, .22 magnum and 17 HMR ammunition is scarce in his shop. Hunting ammo was also hard to find this season. He added he had no idea why there is a shortage. “People are buying it up as quickly as they can or the manufacturers are not making enough,” Daniels said. “The price is not up from the distributors. They’re not trying to gouge us on the price. They go quickly when they come in.” Daniels said it’s been difficult to find the ammunition for a year-and-a-half. “As long as people are hoarding it and buying it up, they’ll never catch up.
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