Ben Estlack

Council votes to discipline secretary

The Clarendon City Council approved moving forward with a project to replace aging water lines on north side of town during its regular meeting last Thursday, December 11.

Former alderman Mandy Smith spoke in support of the project during public comments at the opening of the meeting.

“I’ve asked for two and half years for clean water, and we’re so excited,” Smith said. “We hope you all vote ‘yes.’”

City Administrator Brian Barboza told the council the city’s engineers estimate the project will cost about $107,000 to replace several blocks of cast iron water pipes. The city would look at funding the project with tax notes, which could be paid off in seven years with an annual note payment of about $30,000.

The project would not replace all of the cast iron supply pipes on the north side of town, but it would reach a large number of households.

The council voted unanimously to approve the project.

In other city business, the council met in closed session for almost an hour and half to consider disciplinary action on City Secretary Machiel Covey following citizens’ complaints aired at the November meeting. Returning to open session, the council approved placing written employee disciplinary note in Covey’s file.

The city’s procedures for cutting off water service due to non-payment were discussed. The council express their desire for notices not be placed on the outside of meter boxes in public view, and aldermen also encouraged more to be done to educate the public about e-billing and other options to help possibly mitigate cut-offs.

Also last week, the council approved amending the waste management agreement with Republic Services to add complimentary service to Prospect Park and to adjust rates for Greenbelt Water Authority following a meeting between city, Republic, and Greenbelt officials.

A resolution was approved for the city’s participation in a Panhandle Regional Mutual Aid Agreement.

The council approved appointing Brandon Frausto, Bob Weiss, Nathan Floyd, and Earl Hartman to the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors.

A proposed ordinance to add new stop signs in the city was discussed but no action was taken.

A quote for lighting in Prospect Park was also discussed, but the council directed Barbosa to talk with AEP / SWEPCO first.

An ordinance was approved to set $150 as the radio tower rental rate, and a tower rental agreement was approved with AW Wireless.

By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo

LAS VEGAS – It’s been a whirlwind 365 days for bareback rider Cole Franks. He left Nevada last December with more than $155,000 in earnings and a plan to be back.

He set out on a plan to do that, but there were other aspects to his life that were also a priority. Franks was married in May to the former Dustie Warr, then set off on the rodeo trail that kept him on the road for much of the summer. He kept winning, and the result was a fourth qualification to the National Finals Rodeo.

He and his bride are also expecting their first child in February, so he arrived in Las Vegas two weeks ago with gold on his mind and a goal of buying diapers and baby food for months to come. This is the world’s richest rodeo, where a disappointing 10 nights still resulted in a payday of $107,781.

“It’s still a good payday, but it’s definitely not what I wanted to get done or anywhere close to what I had envisioned,” said Franks, 24, of Clarendon. “Nothing felt right the last four rounds. I don’t know necessarily if it was equipment or my body. A lot of stuff is hurting right now, my hips, my neck, everything.”

The business of bareback riding is brutal on one’s body. Cowboys wear specially designed gloves with binds on the ring and pinky fingers to lock their hands into the riggings, which are strapped tightly to the horse’s back. They then try to spur from the front of the animal’s shoulders back to the rigging before surging the feet back to the front before the bronc’s front feet hit the ground again.

All the while, 1,200 pounds of bucking dynamite is exploding beneath them.

It’s time.

“I finally committed to just saying getting my hip,” said Franks, the 2021 intercollegiate champion at Clarendon College in both the all-around, bareback riding and as part of the men’s title team. “I’ve got a torn labrum and bone spurs growing in my hip. I feel like it’s probably the best time to do it, get it done before the new year and come back in mid-April.

“That’ll give me two months at home with a new baby. I won’t have to worry about being gone and missing the baby or missing him being born because his due date is in the heat of winter rodeo.”

Rodeo is how Cole Franks makes a living, and it’s a pretty good one. He finished the year with $308,143 riding bucking horses, and his consistency at the NFR came through despite his ailments. He rode 10 broncs for a cumulative score of 846 points, placing fourth in the aggregate, which was worth $44,356.

It’s time to get things fixed and heal so he can continue to support his growing family. That’s the priority, after all.

The Clarendon Chamber of Commerce named Jo Burns as its second $100 Chamber Cash winner last Friday, December 12, as Small Town Christmas shopping promotions continue.

The Chamber will hold its third drawing for $100 in Chamber Cash as well as the bonus drawing for $250 in Chamber Cash this Friday, December 19.

The fourth annual “Shop Small” promotion from the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce will put a grand total of $550 in Chamber Christmas Cash in the hands of lucky winners who shop with local merchants.

Shoppers can sign-up at participating merchants for Friday’s regular drawing. To enter, shoppers will fill out an entry at local participating merchants. Enter as many times as you shop locally, so shop often. Entries stay in the hopper each week, so those who enter will have multiple chances of winning.

To sign up for this week’s $250 bonus drawing, shoppers must take their receipts from participating merchants to the Clarendon Visitor Center where they will receive one entry for every $25 spent since December 1.

This year’s participating merchants are: Amanda’s Country Soaps, Broiller’s Auto Parts, Clarendon Outpost, Cornell’s Country Store, Country Bloomers Flowers, Every Nook & Cranny, Floatin’ T, Floyd’s Automotive, Henson’s, Garrison’s, J&W Lumber, Lowe’s Family Center, Monroe’s Peach Ranch, Mulkey Theatre, Mike’s Pharmancy, Ramblin’ Ranch Boutique, REFZ Sports Bar & Grill, Sully Suds Laundromat, and the Whistle Stop.

Shop at home this holiday season and remember the important role your local merchants play in keeping your community strong. Support the businesses who support your town!

Two Donley County cities will finish the calendar year with larger sales tax revenues than in 2024 after Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock distributed November sales tax allocations to local governments last week.

The City of Clarendon was up 1.71 percent for December at $47,947.77, but the city’s yearly total of $567,899.88 was 9.17 percent above the 2024 total of $520,180.51.

Howardwick was down 24.39 percent for December, at $1,562.87, but the lakeside city was up 6.81 percent for the year at $22,901.18.

Hedley was up 1.62 percent for December with an allocation of $15,406.95 but finished the year down 16.85 percent at $15,406.95.

Donley County Assistance District 1 in the City of Howardwick was up 16.68 percent for December at $1,191.35 and finished its first full year of collecting sales taxes to help fund county law enforcement with a total $15,283.77. Donley County Assistance District 2 collected $4,081.25 in the unincorporated areas of the county.

Across the state, Hancock delivered $1.2 billion in local sales tax allocations for December, 7.5 percent more than in December 2024. These allocations are based on sales made in October by businesses that report tax monthly.

Nearby, Claude was up 81.37 percent for the month at $36,967.86 and finished the year up 28.71 percent at $321,635.06. Memphis was up 15.66 percent for December at $33,133.70 and finished 2025 up 7.94 percent at $426,395.33.