Roger Estlack

An audit committee of the Clarendon College Board of Regents did not follow the Texas Open Meetings Act when it met last month, according to college officials.

Board Chairman Tommy Waldrop said the committee, which was appointed at the September 19 board meeting and consisted of Jerry Woodard and Edwin Campbell, did not follow the law’s requirement to post an agenda of its meeting 72 hours ahead of time or keep minutes of its meeting because it was formed just to present items they wanted investigated to the college auditor and report back to the board.

As reported by Mr. Woodard at the October 17 meeting of the board, the committee did meet with the auditor on October 10, 2019, and presented a list of things to be addressed for the board.

However, on October 25, 2018, the same regents were appointed as an audit committee for similar purpose and were directed at the time of their appointment that they would have to follow the Open Meetings Act, including posting an agenda and meeting in public. Waldrop said during that 2018 meeting the college’s attorney had made that determination and also said that college policy required the committees of the board to follow the Open Meetings Act as well, and CC President Robert Riza reiterated that as well.

“That was what we were told by Dr. Riza on behalf of the attorney,” Waldrop said this week.

Mr. Woodard questioned that determination at the time of the 2018 appointment, and Regent Darlene Spier looked up the matter in the college policy manual and read aloud in the meeting the requirement that committees of the board must follow the open meetings act.

Waldrop said following that, the 2018 audit committee never met.

This year, Waldrop said no one brought up the open meetings requirement at the time of the appointment, and plans were then later made for the committee to meet.

“The [committee] meeting was set up,” Waldrop said. “It was going to meet in about 24 hours when I was informed by Dr. Riza that it would be in violation.”

Waldrop said he let the committee know of the problem and then he called the attorney.

“I don’t know for sure that we got advice from an attorney last year,” Waldrop said. “This year I called the attorney. I was told they could meet and report to the board and that afterward the committee existed no more.”

Waldrop said the advice he received came from the same law firm that represented the college in 2018, but he did not know whether it was the same attorney who had advised the president in 2018. Asked if the attorney he talked to was Chase Hales, who had conducted Open Meetings training for the board in 2018, he said no. He talked to attorney Christine Vizcaino, he said.

Ms. Vizcaino specializes in labor and employment law, according to the Sprouse Shrader Smith law firm’s website.

Asked about the college policy requiring board committees to follow the open meetings law, Waldrop admitted that the policy could set a higher standard for committees than the law does, but he said he felt like the committee’s action was within the law.

The college board has previously had issues with a committee in terms of policy and following the open meetings act. In 2017, a motion creating a committee to oversee the remodeling of the college president’s house was rescinded at a subsequent board of regents meeting after it was determined the committee had not followed the open meetings act.

Asked why, if the following the requirements of the law was a known issue, the committee did not simply post an agenda and wait 72 hours to meet, Mr. Waldrop responded, “I don’t know.”

As part of a national day known as GivingTuesday, the local Donley County Community Fund (DCCF) is participating in The Panhandle Gives campaign.

For nine days from November 25 through December 3, all funds raised locally will be increased through a match from the Amarillo Area Foundation.

“Participating in this campaign is an opportunity for our local fund balance to grow,” DCCF chair Jacob Fangman said.

The DCCF is a local board whose purpose is to raise money for a perpetuating fund while contributing a portion of the money to local organizations.

Over the past three years, the DCCF has been able to give $4,000 to local charities while increasing its own fund balance, thanks to support from county-wide residents.

So that the local DCCF can benefit from the match, anyone wishing to participate will need to give their donation by Monday, December 2, so that the final deposit can be made on GivingTuesday.

Contributions can be mailed to Donley County Community Fund, c/o Jacob Fangman, Box 906, Clarendon, TX 79226. Checks should be made out to The Panhandle Gives, with DonleyCCF written on the memo line.

Other board members are Shauna Herbert, Sherol Johnston, Diane Skelton, and Roger Estlack.

The Big Country Children’s Benefit Hunt, a program of BCFS Health and Human Services, will bring to Donley County an outdoor expedition to provide an opportunity for youth to learn about the responsibilities of hunting safety, the basics of outdoor survival training, and the necessity of teamwork on November 23 and 24, 2019.

Last year, the organization added the Texas Panhandle to its list of outdoor adventures, headed by Randy Bond. Randy and his wife, Sis, have adopted three children from foster care and are currently waiting to foster others. Given his background in Law Enforcement, Randy has an intimate knowledge of the foster care system and values the importance of programs like the Big Country Children’s Benefit Hunt.

To be selected for this expedition, youth are nominated by Child Protective Services (CPS) staff based on records from their case file and consultation with each youth’s case manager and foster family. After a rigorous vetting process, the selected youth from foster care attend a day-long hunting certification and training program held in October, approved by the Texas Parks and Wildlife, administered by a certified instructor. For the two-day hunt, held in November, each youth will be paired with an experienced hunting guide to provide for them throughout their journey.

Marshall Davidson, Special Investigations Program Administrator for Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, and also one of the founders, serves as the hunting certification and training instructor. Marshall is but one of the many BCFS volunteers who will fill the roles necessary to make a hunt such as this one a safe and successful adventure. An experienced outdoorsman who lives by the values, ethics, and ideals of hunting, Marshall believes teens can learn a great deal from the lessons the wilderness has to offer.

There is still a need monetary donations to pay for food, hunting equipment and essentials, for the hunt weekend to be a success. This program is completely funded by sponsors, volunteers, and donations.

Contact Tessie Robinson at 806-220-6222 or Randy Bond at 806-223-9247 for more information.

By Alex Samuels, Texas Tribune
With Additional Reporting by The Clarendon Enterprise

Donley County residents joined the rest of the state in approving nine out of ten proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution last Tuesday, November 5.

Less than 21 percent of registered local voters – 459 out of 2,215 – cast ballots in the election. Most amendments were favored by Donley County voters with local majorities ranging from 54 to 92 percent.

The only item on the ballot that did not pass was Proposition 1, which would permit elected municipal court judges to serve multiple municipalities at the same time. Appointed municipal judges can still serve multiple cities.

Local voters voted against Proposition 1 by a slim margin with 227 in favor and 232 opposed.

Amendments to the state constitution that would make it harder to enact a state income tax, would stabilize funding for state parks and would allow retired law enforcement animals to be adopted by their handlers received widespread support from voters Tuesday.

Supporters of one of the most contentious issues on the ballot — Proposition 4 — proclaimed victory within hours of the polls closing, with about three-fourths of voters supporting the proposal in early voting returns. The proposition authored by state Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, and state Sen. Pat Fallon, R-Prosper, eliminates the possibility of Texas imposing an income tax unless the state changes its Constitution again.

The proposal drew ire from left-leaning groups, including the Center for Public Policy Priorities, which spent thousands to defeat it. On Election Day, the group ran digital ads in “targeted areas of the state” and sent out two mail pieces to tens of thousands of Texas households, according to a spokesman for the group.

Gov. Greg Abbott declared an early victory on the proposition in a statement Tuesday evening.

“Today’s passage of prop 4 is a victory for taxpayers across the Lone Star State,” he said. “I am grateful to Representative Jeff Leach for his bold leadership on this issue, and for the overwhelming majority of Texans who voted to ensure that our great state will always be free of a state income tax. This ban on such a disastrous tax will keep our economy prosperous, protect taxpayers, and ensure that Texas remains the best state to live, work, and raise a family.”

The other propositions were poised to pass easily. Proposition 5, which would stabilize funding for state parks, received overwhelming support. The proposition allows money accumulated from the existing sales tax on sporting goods to be used for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Historical Commission. Current law allows the Legislature to allocate that money however it sees fit.

Proposition 10, which had the highest level of support, amends the state constitution to allow retired service animals, such as dogs or horses, to be adopted by their handlers or other qualified caretakers. These animals are currently classified as surplus property or salvage and can be “auctioned, donated or destroyed.”

Proposition 6, which allows for an increase of bonds allocated to the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas received nearly two-thirds support, according to preliminary results from the Texas Secretary of State.

Voters were also overwhelmingly in favor of Proposition 8, which would set aside $800 million from the state’s rainy day fund for flood mitigation efforts. The Legislature approved the amendment after Hurricane Harvey’s devastation along the Texas coast. The proposition netted about three-fourths of the vote as of Wednesday morning.

Another Harvey-related item, Proposition 3, also passed easily. The ballot initiative allows the Legislature to provide temporary tax breaks for people with property damaged in governor-declared disaster areas. The Legislature approved the resolution unanimously earlier this year.

A majority of Texas voters must approve any changes to the Texas Constitution. Getting a proposed amendment on the ballot requires support from more than two-thirds of both chambers of the Legislature.