Published: September 08, 2009 09:45 pm      

Orange council adopts budget

Orange city council members conducted a final reading adopting the budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct.1 and ending Sept. 30, 2010.

The motion passed with one vote against the budget by council member Jeff Holland.

The proposed tax rate will remain the same as last year at .7450/per $100. Council members passed the motion ratifying that this budget will raise more total property taxes than last year’s budget by $329,204,a 6.28 percent increase; of that amount, $89,284 is tax revenue to be raised from new property added to the tax roll this year.

Mayor Brown Claybar said it was “good news and bad news” for the citizens of Orange. The good news, he said, was that it reflects growth in Orange and to the tax base despite damages from Hurricane Ike. The bad news was the 19 percent of devalued property of the industrial district because of Ike.

Other final readings of ordinances pertained to utility service rates and charges. The council also approved a motion to increase the water and sewer rates by 10 percent each. In addition, garbage and trash collection rates will increase 4.5 percent.

Claybar said city officials have spent months getting the budget to the final stages.

Council members also approved the final reading to adopt a provision of the Texas Transportation Code which prohibits cell phone use in school zones.

Although the Texas Legislature recently made a change to the transportation code, it is up to cities to adopt the provision of the code.

The state of Texas will place the signs on school zones that are state highways. As a result, the city will request state officials to post the signs at West Orange-Stark Intermediate Campus on Green Avenue, Orangefield schools on FM 105, Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School on Highway 87, Little Cypress Jr. High School on FM 1130 and Community Christian School on FM 3247.

Locally funded signs to be posted will include school zones such as Anderson Elementary, North Early Learning Center, St. Mary’s and Little Cypress Intermediate.

Violators could face up to a $200 fine. To avoid being given a citation, cell phone users may want to invest in a “hands free” device.

According to HB155, a “handsfree device means a speakerphone capability or telephone attachment or other piece of equipment, regardless of whether permanently installed in the motor vehicle, that allows use of the wireless communication device without use of either of the operator’s hands.”



Debby Schamber is a reporter for the Orange Leader. She can be reached at 409-883-3571 ext. 2609 or at dschamber@orangeleader.com.