News

A public budget workshop with a presentation on the proposed property tax, water and sewer rates will be held for the Graham City Council this week.

The budget workshop will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 22 at the city council chambers located at 608 Elm St. in Graham. 

During the meeting will be a presentation by City Manager Eric Garretty regarding an overview of the proposed fiscal year 2025-2026 budget with information regarding each fund. The city manager will also present a proposed property tax rate, water rate and sewer rate.

A Fort Worth man died in a two-vehicle wreck on FM 209, approximately 1.5 miles east of Murray.   

A preliminary investigation from the Texas Department of Public Safety stated the wreck occurred at approximately 12:54 p.m. Saturday, May 17.  

The investigation revealed that a 1996 Harley-Davidson motorcycle driven by Joshua Logan Hoffman, 27, of Fort Worth, was traveled north on FM 209.  

A 2019 Chevrolet Silverado, driven by Alex Dean Cortez, 34, of Saginaw, was traveling south on FM 209 with a passenger in the vehicle.  

Audra Barrett will be making the move from Woodland Elementary School to Graham Junior High School after the Graham ISD Board of Trustees approved her appointment.

Former GJHS Principal Sam Perry closed out six years with the district Friday, April 25 and moved onto a new role as assistant superintendent of Eustace ISD. 

The school board came out of executive session Wednesday, May 14 and approved the hiring of Barrett for the principal position. 

As Graham heads toward the summer season people in the community will be looking for daily activities to partake in. The Cowboy Church of Young County is throwing their hat in the mix with their second annual Cowboys and Hotrods car show. 

The event starts at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 17 and will run to 3 p.m. Families from across the community can come to the show to see the various hotrods displayed where entrants will be competing for a $1,000 grand prize. 

After approval from the Young County Commissioners Court, an inmate housing agreement was established with Liberty County.

The commissioners met Monday, May 12 to consider the housing agreement following another inmate housing agreement with Bell County no longer being in place.

Following 10 years of service as principal of Graham High School, Joe Gordy will be moving into a role to continue serving students across the district as the Graham ISD Chief of Student Services.

Gordy will be filling a role which is held by Natalie Husen who is serving as the GISD Director of Special Populations and Federal Programs. 

The school board came out of executive session Wednesday, May 14 and approved the hiring of Gordy for the position. He will exit his former post as GHS principal as he looks to the future of GISD.

After months of planning and development, the final phases of the Graham Regional Medical Center construction project are complete. The hospital showcased their new improvements to the facilities in a grand opening event. 

The project, which has been in the making for over a year, looked into underutilized and overlooked areas of the medical center and looked to repurpose them to create a more efficient and multifaceted workplace. 

Graham High School seniors were recognized this week for taking the next step and committing to further their education at a trade school, college, university or branch of the military.

The celebration was held Monday, May 12 with seniors being called by GHS Principal Joe Gordy along with their committed institution.

“It is a pleasure to recognize so many seniors who have committed themselves to furthering their education next fall,” Graham High School principal Joe Gordy said. “We are proud to be a part of our students’ journeys.”

After an approved budget amendment, Graham ISD and the state will provide an additional $556,710 in funds for teachers locally through the Teacher Incentive Allotment Program.

The board of trustees met Wednesday, May 14 and approved 42 teachers across district campuses to receive payments this month. 

Graham ISD Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Gary Browning spoke to the board about the agenda item.

The budgeting season for the Young County Commissioners Court is approaching in June with commissioners approving the schedule for the upcoming planning process.

The commissioners court released key workshop dates with various departments in the county for the remainder of the fiscal year.

The list of dates for budget discussions was released by the court in the agenda of their latest public meeting Monday, May 12. 

This budgeting workshop schedule spans the entirety of the summer season from June to September.