Tax Assessors Office closed next week for renovations
The office will close on Thursday, Sept. 3rd at noon and will re-open on Tuesday, Sept. 8th at 1 p.m.
Courthouse will be closed for the Labor Day holiday on Monday September 7th
Online renewals can be processed at txdmv.gov
The Parmer County Commissioners Court met in regular session on Monday, August 24, 2020 at 10 a.m. in the County Courtroom of the Parmer County Courthouse in Farwell, Texas. The meeting began with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag and Texas Flag.
There were no public comments and no comments regarding the proposed tax rate. Minutes from the August 10th meeting were read and approved. Commissioners approved the payment of the accounts payables as presented by County Treasurer Sharon May. The Treasurer's Report was also approved. Bank account name changes for the Parmer County Clerk and Parmer County District Clark were also approved. The 2021 Parmer County budget of $6,524,362.17 was adopted by an unanimous vote.
Commissioners also unanimously adopted a tax rate of $0.5337 per $100 for tax year 2020. The 3% lower tax rate will generate the same revenue that was available for tax year 2019 because of higher property valuations and new assets added to the tax roll. The breakdown of the 2020 tax rate is: County M&0 at $0.4019; County I&S at $0.0254; and County FM at $0.1064, for a total rate of $0.5337 per $100 for tax year 2020.
In other business, the county burn ban was extended for another 90 days. Also, precinct presiding and alternate judges for the November 3, 2020 election were approved. Early voting ballot board and central counting station personnel were also approved. Sheriff Randy Geries reported that a total of five employees in the Sheriff's office have tested positive for Covid-19 since March. Three have recovered and two are currently under quarantine. No inmates have test positive for the virus. There are currently 20 inmates at the Law Enforcement Center. Five other inmates were sent to TDC last week.
All meetings are open to the public. The Commissioner's Court reserves the right to go into Executive Session at any time. The agenda may be found on the Parmer County website. Information in this article is only a summary. Any questions concerning specific actions should be directed to the Commissioners Court.
The City of Friona has received 2 collection trailers from the City of Dalhart to help in its recycling efforts scheduled to begin sometime after October 2020. The trailers come at no cost to the city and collections will begin slowly with magazines/paper items and may expand to plastic or glass at a later date. The trailers will be located at the City Barn at 8th and Jackson. Hours of operation have not yet been established. Pictured next to the collection trailers is the City's Park Superintendent Javier Huerta. If you wish to volunteer to help with the City's recycling efforts, please call 806-250-2761 and give your name and contact information.
Friona City Manager Lee Davila was selected to serve as the Region 1 Representative to the Texas City Management Association's (TCMA) Allies Across Texas Task Force. This task force consists of city managers from across the state of Texas whose ultimate goal is to intentionally recruit, develop, and retain young professionals, women, African- Americans, Hispanics, and other underrepresented populations in the city management field.
Davila will be joining city managers from Brownsville, Coppell, Buda, Grand Prairie, Irving and other Texas cities. "I was surprised to get a call from task force chair and Brownsville City Manager Noel Bernal," says Davila. "I'm honored to represent the 32-county area in the Texas panhandle." Davila will attend his first (virtual) meeting on August 28, 2020.
The TCMA is an organization of local government professionals dedicated to promoting the highest standards of governance, service, leadership, ethics, and education while embracing individual and regional diversity for the benefit of its membership and the cities of Texas.
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75th Anniversary of V-J Day. Victory over Japan Day (also known as V-J Day) is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war to an end. The term has been applied to both of the days on which the initial announcement of Japan's surrender was made - August 15, 1945 - as well as to September 2, 1945, when the surrender document was signed, officially ending World War II. The official U.S. commemoration is September 2nd. The name, V-J Day, had been selected by the Allies after they named V-E Day for the victory in Europe. On September 2, 1945, formal surrender occurred aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
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The Friona Volunteer Fire Department responded to a fire alarm last Sunday afternoon at the Friona High School Events Center. Fortunately, there was no fire on the property. Apparently there was a glitch in the newly installed alarm system. FISD Superintendent Jimmy Burns said that the new system utilizes lasers and that there will have to be "tweaks" made to adjust the sensitivity levels. It is possible that a bird got into the building during the recent renovations. Mr. Burns also praised the fire department for their timely response.
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Word on the street is that several businesses are looking to locate in Friona. Bring it on! Also, new home construction on Ashland is on schedule and the FISD construction project is showing progress.
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Instead of "sailors delight "or "sailors take warning", the red sky at night and morning is actually smoke from a distant fire. Colorado and California fires are contributing to the smoky vistas. As if Covid, drought, and extreme heat wasn't enough to deal with. We might have to add smoke filters to our masks.
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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic there will be no Friona Star football contest this year. A lot of the college football teams are not playing and there is no guarantee that the NFL will finish the season.
FHS & Texas Tech grad Jared Boyd will be returning to Lubbock as part of Krista Gerlich's coaching staff as she begins her new job as Lady Raider Head Basketball Coach. Jared has been the Director of Operations for Coach Gerlich at the University of Texas at Arlington for the past two years. Guns up, stay tuned!
Health Protocols for Voters and Elections (English)
County Disaster Declaration (English)
March 16 FISD Letter (English) (Spanish)
March 31 FISD Letter (English) (Spanish)
Letter from City Manager (English) (Spanish)
Friona Community Helpline (English)
2-1-1 Texas Social Services Hotline (English)
Share The Facts about COVID-19 (English) (Spanish)
What You Need To Know (English) (Spanish)
What To Do If You Are Sick (English) (Spanish)
County Clerk PSA (English)
Chamber of Commerce Letter to Businesses (English)
FISD Emergency Resolution (English)
Covid Risk Chart (English)
