City & County Briefs
Crawfish & Cannons set for April 12 County Commissioners on Feb. 24 approved a permit for the upcoming Crawfish & Cannons festival set for April 12 at Fort Belknap. Festival organizers told the Commissioners they have added 500 additional tickets this year, and are expecting at least 3,000 attendees.
The 9th annual Crawfish & Cannons event will kick off with the 5th Annual Goodnight-Loving 5K, 10K and half-marathon down State Highway 61, comemorating the famous cattle trail that began at Fort Belknap. The gates open at 10:30 a.m. for a crawfish boil, wine tasting, Armadillo races and the firing of historic cannons by historical re-enactors. Attendees also will enjoy a concert by Shenandoah and The Wilder Blue.
Sub-Courthouse to be finished March 31 Construction at the Old City Hall/ Sub-Courthouse on South Grand Avenue should be completed by the end of March, Olney Economic Development Corporation executive director Tom Parker told the Olney City Council at its Feb. 24 meeting.
Upgrades to the interior, including new paint, lighting, and carpet, as well as a new heating and cooling system and new windows, were completed ahead of schedule and under budget, Mr. Parker said. Crews now will turn to recreating the columns on the front of the century- old building, he said. “We should be done by March 31,” he said.
The OEDC has set aside about $480,000 to upgrade the building, including a second-floor ballroom and gymnasium shuttered for decades due to water damage. The OEDC spent a little less than half that amount on fixes to the first floor, which houses county offices, and now is looking at trying to repair the sidewalks surrounding the building, Mr. Parker said.
OEDC changes meeting time
The Olney Economic Development Corporation changed its regular meeting time from the first Wednedsay of each month to the second Wednesday of each month to accommodate Mr. Parker’s meetings with the Texas Water Development Board, he said. The meetings will take place at noon in the Olney Chamber of Commerce offices at 108 E. Main Street.
City, OHH cancel elections
The Olney City Council and the Olney Hamilton Hospital board of directors canceled the May 3 races and certified the incumbents who did not draw opponents by the filing deadline. Mayor Pro Tem Chuck Stennett, Councilmember Thea Sullivan, and Councilmember Steven Nurre were declared “elected to office,” Mayor Rue Rogers said. All three will serve two-year terms that begin in May.
The OHH board certified Dale Lovett, Dave Lund, Lonnie Rue and Jeremy Johnson for new board terms.
City collects record sales tax, water revenue The City has collected nearly all the revenue it expected for fiscal year 2025 but the reason for the flush conditions is unclear, City Administrator Simon Dwyer told the City Council on Feb. 24. “We are still collecting more in revenue than I expected or calculated for this point in the fiscal year. We are in the green in almost every category,” Mr. Dwyer said.
Revenue from sales tax and water sales has topped 91 percent of what the City expected to collect for the entire fiscal year, which ends in October, Mr. Dwyer said. The water sales account for about 69 percent of that total, or $1.28 million, compared to $1.73 million for all of the 2024 fiscal year, he said.
Public Works director Michael Jacoba said his crews are aggressively checking water meters if they see anomalies in the billing system.
Olney’s February sales tax payment from the state comptroller totaled a record $57,513. 07, compared to $48,317.82 in January 2024, city records show. The City’s sales tax revenues have risen 25.7 percent between 2021 and 2024, city records show. In just two months, the city has collected 19 percent of the revenue it collected in all of 2024.
Council members wondered whether the new liquor store, Raven’s Roost, and restaurants Hudson’s on Main, Big Luv’s BBQ and Sonny’s BBQ, could account for the sales tax boost.
“It’s been a good fiscal year … in town there is momentum,” Mayor Rue Rogers said.
The allocation from the state is based on sales made in December by businesses that report tax monthly, sales from October through December from quarterly filers and annual business filers.
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced Wednesday, Feb. 12 he would be sending cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose districts $1.5 billion in local sales tax allocation for February, 9.4% more than February 2024.
The city of Olney imposes a 1.5% rate on sales tax, which is placed in the general fund and a portion is also allocated to the Olney Economic Improvement Corporation for economic development.
OISD hires Abilene firm to build storm shelters The Olney Independent School District Board school board approved a bid from general contractors Teinert Construction of Abilene to build the storm shelters and classrooms approved by voters in a $8.3 million bond issue last year.
Teinert was selected from among seven bidders, OISD Superintendent Dr. Greg Roach said.
“Teinert’s proposal checked all of the required stipulations as set out in the request for bids,” Dr. Roach said. “As well, the company has extensive experience with storm safe construction, received the highest ranking with references, and their base pricing was one of the three lowest bids submitted.”
The school board expects to finalize the contract by April 1. The company estimated that construction would take 365 days.
The bonds will pay for a storm shelter and seven new classrooms at Olney Junior High School, and a secure corridors between the junior high and the elementary school and between the high school and the Career and Technology Education Center. It also covers renovations to the elementary school and the existing shelter at the daycare.
The chief architect is Chip Whitlock of Parkhill Smith & Cooper. Before construction begins, the contractor and the school district will meet to lay out the phases of construction, as well as a schedule for the rest of the school year that will not disrupt classes or testing, he said.
OHH wins Chartis award
Olney Hamilton Hospital was recognized by healthcare advisory firm Chartis as one of the 100 top-performing critical access hospitals in its 2025 rankings of U.S. hospitals. It is the fifth time since 2016 that OHH has received that honor, OHH Administrator Michael Huff said..