howeenterprise.com
Monday, July 6, 2015
Fire Department cutting budget
The Howe Fire Department was presented with a budget from the city of $24,000. Mary Jones of the department addressed the council concerning the budget. Jones told the council that she has taken over the budget at the end of April and are going to lower the fuel bill and utility bill.
follow up on what they're going to say they're going to do. If they can show some better fiscal responsibility to the council, then the council can consider then some additional funds for the fire department. In other words, show us what you're going to do as much as we've done the past several years"
As well as receiving funds from the city, "I'm going to have to be in and out more Grayson County also funds the department with watching to see who's around." said Jones. $22,000. The only other source of income for "They (volunteers) are not going to be hanging Howe Fire Department comes from fundraising out there as much as in the past. They're going such as the fireworks show, where the to run calls, but they're going to have to do it department sells hamburgers, hot dogs, glow from home. Sometimes it's four or five days bracelets. between calls, so I think we can cut our utilities back that way." Howe Fire Chief Robert Maniet told the council that they do have some other ideas to bring in The department has three or four volunteers that some additional revenue by getting rid of excess are currently unemployed. vehicles. He said that the city money covers the day-to-day expenses such as utilities, fuel, The budget doesn't affect the city due to the building, insurance. The county money goes consistent $24,000 that the city funds for the towards training, gear, equipment and volunteer unit, but the department wanted to equipment repairs. address to the city that the budget would be fiscally responsible in 2015-16. Howe Fire Councilman Bill French wanted to know Department has not gone over budget as of yet whether the $15,000 debt on a vehicle that the for 2014-15, but Jones told the council that they department owes the city is one of the excess were getting close. The new budget will start in vehicles to be liquidated. Jones said that the October. debt for that vehicle has not been paid, hence the reason for gaining control of the budget in "The bottom line with the fire department is that order to pay back a minimum of $5,000 I told them how much they can have and they annually on the debt, with an attempt to pay think, according to their budget that they need more. more." said City Administrator Joe Shephard. "I would recommend to the council, since Maniet said in Tuesday's council meeting that they've taken over the expenditure, is to wait he hoped the fireworks show would bring in two or three months and see how well they some donation money.
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The 7th Annual Kids Entertaining Kids
Early Childhood Intervention staff, Betty Karrie Snow, Jamie Reasoner, and Karen Bardwell pose with a quilt made and donated by Jerrie Faulkner to raise money for Early Childhood Intervention. The 7th Annual Kids Entertaining Kids Fundraiser will be held Saturday, August 15, 2015, 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. at the Sherman Municipal Ballroom, 405 North Rusk. The event will feature children’s acts including Musical Hands, Cooke County 4-H Share the Fun, Bonham High War Dancers, Maci Vickers and Chloe Walker of Jill Brown Studios, and the Denison Dance Academy. Winx the Clown will be there to tie animal balloons. Face painting, refreshments, a silent auction, a raffle drawing, and other activities will also be part of the fun. The quilt for the raffle was made and donated by Jerrie Faulkner of Lequire, OK. Faulkner has donated 2 other quilts in past years. Tickets for the quilt drawing will be available soon and can be purchased by calling 903-957-4865. Other items on the ticket are $500 cash, $200 Shell gasoline gift card, $200 Wal-Mart gift card, and a box of Tyson’s ribeye steaks. The drawing will be held the day of the event, and you do not have to be present to win. Tickets are available for a donation of $5 for 1 or $20 for five. ECI’s mission is to support families of children birth to thirty-six months of age with developmental needs by providing or helping access services that support family choice and promote independence within the context of the family’s natural environment and daily routines. The program is designed to encourage and assist parents with an infant or a child who appears to be slow in development or who has organic deficiency and/or medical conditions that usually result in developmental delay. Early intervention is the most effective strategy to enable the child to live as a functional adult and is the most cost-effective time. This intervention helps avoid more extensive and expensive intervention as the child progresses through the school system and later in life.
