Published: May 15, 2008 04:55 pm            

Bond proposal passes, Throgmorton elected mayor

The voters of Commerce approved a $3 million bond package for street improvements Saturday, along with electing a new mayor and two Council representatives.

Quay Throgmorton was elected the city’s new mayor, while Billie Biggerstaff and Bob Monday were elected to the Place 2 and Place 4 positions on the Council.

The bond package passed with 285 votes for (57.69 percent) to 209 votes against (42.31 percent).

Throgmorton, who received 276 votes (55.09 percent), defeated John Sands who got 203 votes (40.62 percent) and Tim Johnson who received 22 votes (4.39 percent).

Throgmorton said he was pleased with the results of the election and was ready to get to work.

“I’m anxious to have Tuesday come around and be sworn in and jump in feet first and let’s get rolling with it,” Throgmorton said.

He said he was concerned with the amount of debt the city had taken on in the last several years and the Council needs to watch expenses.

“I think during our budget meetings this summer, we’re going to have to go through the budget and see where we can save anything on any possible expenses this coming year,” he said.

Throgmorton also wants to look at increasing revenues for the city.

“I don’t believe in just increasing revenues through property taxes,” he said. “We need to look at how we can attract businesses into town to contribute to our sales tax revenues. When a new home is built here in town, we get additional franchise fees from the utilities. We need to look at decreasing expenses where we can and doing all we can to increase our sales tax and franchise fee revenues.”

Billie Biggerstaff won the Council Place 2 seat with 291 votes (60 percent). She defeated Elmer Hall, who received 152 votes (31.34 percent), and Chris Ellason, who got 42 votes (8.66 percent).

Biggerstaff pointed out that all of the people elected on Saturday have served on the Council before, but none at the same time. She thinks the group will work well together.

“I think we can all work well together,” Biggerstaff said. “Just like any Council we’re going to have differences of opinion, but always before, no matter what, we were always able to work out something.”

Biggerstaff does believe the Council will have a “hard row to hoe” stretching the budget to do everything. But she believes it can be done.

She also believes that many in the city will be upset with the Council, but it will not be for anything the city has done. The Hunt County Appraisal District is raising appraised values on property throughout the county.

“The tax estimates are going to be mailed out the middle of this month,” Biggerstaff said. “We may start getting phone calls then, but it’s not because we raised the taxes or the county raised the taxes. The appraisal people were told to get out and reappraise and bring it up to comparable appraisal values with the rest of the state. So, we may have some unhappy people.”

Bob Monday won the Place 4 seat, receiving 362 votes (74.64 percent) to Russell Lutes’ 96 votes (19.79 percent) and Billy Taylor’s 27 votes (5.57 percent).

Monday said he was thrilled to be back, but there was lots and lots of work to do.

“We’re heavily in debt and the bond issue passed,” Monday said. “People are hungry for some street work to be done. Unfortunately, we have to pay back $4.9 million when we borrow 3 (million).”

Monday was wanting to take the payments the city would have made on the bond package and turn it into a sustainable street program.

“The will of the people spoke and we will be the best steward of the money we possibly can,” he said.

Monday was also worried about the increase in the appraisal values and the effect it would have on the citizens of Commerce.

“We will have to lower our rate and not use any more money than we absolutely need,” he said. “But we do need a street program and somewhere, we’re going to have to set it up where we have the money to operate and do that.”

        

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