WCMessenger.com: Inside Wise

All in all, everything's pretty good

The Decatur Chamber of Commerce polled its members at the end of 2005 about the status of their businesses. Chamber manager Misty Hudson said that 77 percent of the respondents said their business increased and 22 percent said it declined last year.

Hudson said that 33 percent of the businesses said their workforce increased last year while 44 percent remained the same and 22 percent had an employee decrease.

The year 2006 should be great for Decatur businesses, if the survey proves correct. Hudson said that 100 percent of those surveyed expected their business to increase this year.

The biggest challenges for 2006? Employee retention, fuel costs and increasing the overall growth of their businesses.

On the same subject....

Decatur Mayor Joe Lambert said that Decatur's sales tax rebates for the first nine months of 2005 grew a modest 1.3 percent over 2004. However, the last three months of the year were up 9 percent over the same period.

"The January 2006 sales tax rebate was up 22.5 percent over January 2005," hiz honor said. "The last four months reflected a 12.2 percent increase over a similar period in 2004."

The mayor predicts Decatur's sales tax rebates will top $3 million in 2006.

"That is not phenomenal but a good steady growth trend that indicates a strong economy and good employment opportunities especially in the retail industry," he said.

A tip of the "Insider" hat....

The recent fundraiser for Wise County volunteer fire departments was a huge success, but it didn't happen without a lot of hard work.

Naming names is a dangerous business, but some of the folks who deserve special recognition include Dwight Reeves and his fine staff at First Financial Bank in Decatur, Extension agents Gary Clayton, Tanya Davis and Adrian Arredondo and Missy Lane and her staff at the Decatur Civic Center, the fine cooks at Wise Electric Cooperative, Legend Bank, the Oak Grove United Methodist Church and the Greenwood Extension Education Club, Sheriff David Walker, Decatur Police Chief Rex Hoskins, Fire Marshal Paul Cunningham, the good kids of Wise County 4-H clubs who made and served the desserts and, last, but far from least, Decatur Chamber of Commerce manager Misty Hudson whose expertise in running silent auctions is absolutely amazing.

This "Insider" thanks everybody for a job well done.

Frustrated and Mad as Hell...

That's Decatur Mayor Joe Lambert feelings about his dealings with Texas Department of Transportation area engineer Bill Nelson over crossovers on U.S. 380.

"He's doing everything he can to close the crossover where 380 Business and 380 intersect east of Decatur and then he goes and builds himself a crossover right in front of the TxDOT building," Lambert said recently.

Lambert also had Decatur police prepare an 18-year study on accidents along the U.S. 380 bypass and it shows the east side intersection has had few accidents and only one fatality during that period.

Lambert's study shows 29 accidents, three of them involving injuries and one fatality.

By contrast the intersection of U.S. 81/287 and FM 1810 has had 143 accidents with 44 injuries and two fatalities. The intersection of U.S. 380 West and the Business 380 intersection near the Sheriff's Department has been the scene of 30 accidents with 19 injuries and one fatality. There have also been six accidents with one fatality just west of that intersection.

Fred Currie, the owner of the service station at the east side intersection, has also filed complaints about TxDOT plans to close the cross-over with TxDOT officials in Fort Worth and Austin.

"He (Nelson) seems hell bent to close that crossover no matter what we do," said Lambert.

Decatur city and school officials have cited frustration with Nelson over the years on issues ranging from his refusal to install school safety lights in front of Carson Elementary School when it opened to a two-year wait for a traffic signal on FM 51 South at Preskitt Road.

"I see where Justin is getting two traffic signals on FM 156 and I'll bet the traffic on that road in Justin isn't nearly as heavy as it is on FM 51 in Decatur," Lambert said.

This is long, but stick with it ...

The dreaded T word was never uttered, but its presence loomed larger than a 900-pound gorilla during Monday's meeting of Wise County commissioners.

Avoiding it like a campaign scandal confession, the county's five leaders (four commissioners and the county judge) gave lip service to maintaining a balanced budget. From the same lips came talk of adding much-needed personnel (another prosecuting attorney, an assistant fire marshal, five more jailers) ….

It can only be the beginning. So many departments, so many needs and so little money.

Can a higher tax rate (there's that T word!) be far behind?

Well, it might not be spelled out for folks so quickly when the commissioners remember that there is one, two or, maybe, even three elections ahead.

Wait … that's exactly what happened!

Commissioners decided to look at adding the positions (and unbalancing the budget at the same time) at their first meeting in April.

Let's see, that's after the primary election on March 21 … one less election to think about.

And it probably wouldn't matter for the next possible election a month later (a runoff election, which could only affect one of the leaders, Precinct 4 Commissioner Terry Ross).

That leaves only the general election in November …

That gleeful rubbing of hands you hear are the Democrats, waiting in the wings. You know, those out-of-office politicos who are dying to point out that the bigger government, higher taxes have been brought to you by - ta da! - the Republicans in power in Wise County.

Alas, not even a bigger (by necessity) government and higher (taxes) will put the Democrats back in power in Wise County.

Now, the real truth … it doesn't matter who is in charge in the county - Dems or the GOP.

The G word (growth) is going to demand the B word (bigger government), neither of which necessarily means taxes are going up - or down.

From Super Bowl to Northwest?

Tommy Maddox, backup quarterback of the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in Saturday's edition that he would like to pursue coaching once he retires from football and said he would like to coach at Northwest.

Maddox, who played his high school ball at Hurst L.D. Bell, has children who attend Northwest schools.

Should he catch on at Northwest, his first order of business should be to teach quarterbacks how not to fumble or throw interceptions, quipped reporter Don Munsch.

Inside Wise is written by Publisher Roy Eaton, Editor Skip Nichols, assistant Editor Brian Knox, special projects Manager Denny Deady, sports Editor Robert Morgan and reporters Keri Pritchard, Jeremy Martin and Don Munsch. The Messenger welcomes suggestions for Inside Wise.