News

The city of Graham is working through its budget discussions to restructure the general fund budget, with four departments being moved into separate funds.

The Graham Municipal Airport, Young County Arena, Library of Graham and Convention and Visitors Bureau will be transferred into separate special purpose funds, accounting for a $1.7 million shift in the proposed budget and an inevitable decrease in the general fund.

City Manager Eric Garretty said when he saw a restructuring was required, he requested it be done all in one year.

Two Graham ISD teachers and one Newcastle ISD teacher have been named Region 9 Education Service Center Teacher of the Year nominees. The area teachers are three of 34 teachers from 17 school districts which will be honored at an event in August.

GISD nominees are Graham High School teacher Sarah Curd and Crestview Elementary School teacher Ashlee McDougal. The NISD nominee is Newcastle High School teacher Courtney Bozeman.

The Library of Graham’s summer reading program ended this week with 80 participants reading for a total of 900 minutes. The annual program looks to bridge the gap for children which occurs in the summer into the following school year.

The program ran from the beginning of June and ended Wednesday, July 26 with a finale party at the library for those who read for six weeks.
Outgoing Library Director Kelly LaFarge said the program is different from school-assigned reading due to participants having a choice in their reading material.

Young County Dispatch will be receiving upgrades after commissioners voted this week to provide needed replacements for their aging equipment. The county also discussed the dispatch agreement with the city of Graham and which entity could fund the upgrades.

The Young County Commissioners Court approved to expend $137,098.20 using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for the upgrades during their Monday, July 24 meeting.

An Olney couple arrested in March on four counts of animal cruelty was sentenced to 120 days confinement in the Young County Jail after a plea deal was reached last Wednesday. A search warrant on the home led to law enforcement finding 26 dogs, some in emaciated and neglected conditions.

Jerry Wayne York, 55, and Tracy Lynn York, 45, were booked Sunday, July 23 into the Young County Jail to begin their sentence. The two were placed on an announce docket for Wednesday, July 19 in county court and waived a jury trial and took a plea deal the same day.

Young County Treasurer Kathy Mishler announced Monday that she would be stepping down from her position, effective immediately.

According to the Texas Association of Counties, the treasurer receives and deposits all county revenues, acts as a chief liaison between the county and banks, disburses funds upon the order of the commissioners court, can prepare payroll and have other various roles.

Through her devotion to her staff and patients at Twelve Oaks Dental Clinic and her dedication to coordinating Spivey Hill Challenge since 2015, Dr. Jamie Epperson has made a community impact that will remain untarnished.

Epperson passed away Friday, July 14 in Wichita Falls after a long struggle with cancer.

She was born in Amarillo in November 1968 and graduated Salutatorian from Lamesa High School. She made the decision to become a dentist in high school after working for one in her hometown.

The city of Graham is proposing a tax rate increase of 3 cents and an over $700,000 general fund decrease as part of its upcoming fiscal year.

The Graham City Council this week set a public hearing for the proposed Fiscal Year 2023-2024 annual budget and tax rate for August. The first of three readings for the proposed budget and tax rate was also accepted by the council.

The public hearing for the budget and tax rate will be held in the council chambers at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 17 at 608 Elm St.

Proposed budget

The Possum Kingdom Storage Fire, which was contained, but rekindled a few days later, has been 100% contained. The fire burned for almost 22 days.

A final update was released by Texas A&M Forest Service (TAMFS) shortly before 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 19 stating that all state resources had been released and the fire had been transitioned back to local units.

The nonprofit organization 2INgage has a goal of meeting the needs of Texas children and families by providing case management, foster care placement and support services in a 30-county area, including Young County.

The organization was selected by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and is led by the Texas Family Initiative and supported by local providers in North Texas. Through a contract with the state, the organization is the Community-Based Care (CBC) contractor in Region 2.