Queen's Court 2021: (l-r) Audrianna Trevino, Anahi Gonzalez, 2021 Homecoming Queen JJ Rios, Magdalena Licerio, and Noelia Bautista. (Eric Gonzalez photo)
The Friona City Council met in a special called session on Wednesday, September 15, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at 619 Main in Friona, Texas. The meeting began with a roll call, an invocation, and the Pledge of Allegiance.
There were no public comments regarding the proposed city budget for fiscal year 2021-22 or the proposed 2021 tax rate.
The City of Friona budget for fiscal year October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022 was approved by an unanimous 5-0 vote. The Council also voted 5-0 to approve the proposed 2021 tax rate of $0.6626/$100 for the General Fund and the Interest & Sinking Fund for the same 2021-22 fiscal year.
The proposed 2021-22 budget of $130,000 for the Friona Economic Development Corporation (FEDC) was also approved.
The City Council voted 5-0 to approve a 10-year freshwater management automation contract with SITEPRO Automation Software Solutions of Lubbock. The agreement includes a lump sum payment not to exceed $147,125.19 and a $3,200 monthly subscription fee. The agreement will provide 24/7 service, real-time analytics, apps for mobile devices, and remote control capabilities. Installation of the new system will be complete in approximately 30 days. The current system is past end-of-life and there are few replacement parts if any and no companies left to repair the equipment. Also, mandates and regulations from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) could result in hefty fines if changes are not made.
In other business, the Minutes of the August 9, 2021 regular meeting, the August 31st public tax rate hearing, and the August 31st special budget workshop meeting were reviewed and approved. The Accounts Payable for August 2021 and the Financial Statement for August 2021 were also approved. The agricultural lease with Wade Schueler was approved.
All meetings are open to the public. The City Council reserves the right to go into Executive session at any time. Visit cityoffriona.com to find agendas and minutes from previous meetings. Information in this article is only a summary. Any questions concerning specific actions should be directed to the City Council.
FHS students Victoria Rojas, Janet Coronado, and Karla Chavez presented Chieftain Yearbooks to the FISD Board of Trustees on Monday evening. The 2021 Edition marks the 100th anniversary of "The Chieftain" which is a yearly publication highlighting the students and events of the school year. The cost of the yearbook is $45 and if you would like to purchase one contact Benjamin Monk at 250-2788 or email bmonk@frionaisd.com
Turkey Dinner — St. Teresa Catholic Church Ladies are sponsoring a Turkey Dinner on Sunday October 3rd from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parish hall. The menu will consist of turkey, cream potatoes, dressing, green beans, giblet gravy, cranberry sauce, rolls, coffee, tea, and dessert. Donations $12.00 for adults and $6.00 for children under 10. Take outs will be available. For information call Susan Gonzales at 806-626-8602.
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Build a Bed — Gary Johnson, maintenance director at Prairie Acres said that the "Build a Bed" event last Saturday morning was highly successful and that all beds were completed. He wanted to thank the members of FCCLA and Student Council who volunteered their time to help build beds at the nursing home.
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Validation News — Sheep and Lamb Validation will be held on Tuesday, October 19th. This year the event will begin at 4:00 p.m. in the Friona Community Center.
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FISD By The Numbers — the current enrollment number for FISD is 1064 students. Primary School has 240 students, Elementary School has 320 students, Junior High has 220 students, and High School has 284 students.
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National Punctuation Day — What the h#!; is punctuation day you ask? It's a day for you to pull your head out of your asterisk and learn to embrace the use of those characters on the keyboard that you never could type without looking. Exclamation points, commas, and semicolons are not just for the elite. Even an idiot can use a question mark. See? They actually have a purpose. Knowing how and when to use them is the tricky part. Remembering how and when to use them is even tougher. There's nothing like the feeling of a well placed apostrophe.
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Cowboy Bible Study — All cowboys are invited to a new Bible Study at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday evenings at 1705 FM 1731 (1705 W. 11th). Please tell your buddies and help spread the word. It is BYOB - bring your own Bible.
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