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JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER

GRANITE SHOALS — Granite Shoals voters on Nov. 8 approved a street bond for $3 million to improve the three main arteries of the city — Prairie View, Phillips Ranch Road, and Valley View — but voted against a deer-feeding ban on the Election Day ballot.

Unofficial election results, which are subject to any provisional and overseas military ballots coming in over the next couple of days, showed the road bond was approved 783-287 and the deer-feeding ban fell 583-576.

City Manager Ken Nickel said residents saw the need to improve streets.

“I believe the way we’re working is to get the streets repaired and at a reasonable (figure),” he said.

The bond will be used as a required matching portion for a possible U.S. Department of Agriculture grant.

Now that the results are known, Nickel said the city will begin preparing a grant application. Staff have put things on paper “but not in any great detail.”

He plans to meet with USDA representatives and ask how the city should move forward.

The bond will not be executed for two years, he said, because it will take that long to see if Granite Shoals gets the USDA grant.

USDA officials have looked at the city and determined it is a great candidate for receiving a grant, Nickel said.

“They have really encouraged us to move forward,” he said.

As for the deer-feeding ban, Nickel said the ordinance has been on hold since the Granite Shoals Citizens’ Advisory Group collected 81 signatures in early August on a petition calling for a referendum by voters on the ordinance previously passed by the city council.

The ban called for a verbal warning on the first offense of feeding deer within city limits and monetary fines of $50 on the second offense and $200 on the third, fourth, and fifth offenses. A sixth offense would bring a $1,000 fine.

But since the deer-feeding ban was an ordinance, what will the city council be obligated to do?

“All I can say is we did not talk about it (Nov. 8 during the regular meeting),” Nickel said. “The council will look at our options during the next meeting.”

The deer harvesting program, which tasks 10 chosen bowhunters with culling the deer herd within city limits, has removed more than 40 deer during the first month, which started in October. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the city are conducting the pilot program.

jfierro@thepicayune.com

1 thought on “With voters’ OK on bond, Granite Shoals looks to improve roads

  1. What most of the voters did not know was there has been a USDA requirement for 2 studies to be done. Neither has been done and no funds budgeted for them in the budget despite that requirement having been known long before the budget process. The city spent about 1/2 of the studies cost on their local so-called “Birthday” celebration which ended up offending many vendors and others.

    No city funds budgeted for the required studies then the grant has no chance to be approved. Now the city has $3 million in bonds(also known as “loans”) to play with and the local tax-payers are on the hook to pay it all back with interest for many years raising more city taxes and fees to do so.

    One last note… The city had approved signs put out advertising that the bods were for streets improvement, which was/is a lie. Only 3 arterial roads and no other streets in severe need of repairs have been planned. Once again a ignorant populace has been duped. They rejected the farce of the Sewer bonds but now have been suckered by a much more wiser and crafty city leadership. Note also the CM does not even live in GS and has no intention of ever doing so and suffering under his own regulations and many tax increases. There will be more tax increases as long as he continues to sit n his throne with a council that does not listen to much of the populace and uses subterfuge to get what they want. I know.. I was there at the beginning of the roads issue. I was the only person that stood up for the people and demanded that federal Grant money be sought and provided information that led the way to the bonds. Not one person in the city leadership cared enough about the people to do this. A private citizen had to do it. Meanwhile there are so many previously annexed residential streets that are unpaved, have serious repair needs, and others in badly need of repairs conditions. Sad isn’t it? No wonder it is still called Ghetto Shoals. 19 parks, no recreation facilities for hundreds of youth. No programs nor facilities for the Seniors. Streets and drainage in very poor condition with many families being affected. Then with a $6 million plus budget, can find money for a party but not for their local residents wants and needs and not a dime for a drainage study which is necessary for getting a large road rebuild grant for which the leadership did nothing to get until a solitary citizen stood up. Sad, so sad.

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