Working their way through a lengthy agenda, the Bonham City Council addressed a long list of concerns of residents who were there to listen or join in the dialogue, but first the city council took a moment to recognize someone who wasn't there in her usual seat Monday evening. 

The Bonham City Council presented a Certificate of Public Recognition to the family of Mrs. Betty Campbell.

(l-r) Bonham Mayor Roy Floyd, Judy Baker (Betty Campbell's daughter), Judy's son, Zach Baker, and husband, Stan Baker.

"We will miss her sense of fairness and her sense of humor," Bonham Mayor Roy Floyd said.

Mrs. Campbell passed away January 26, 2010 at her residence.  While her family will have their own treasured memories, anyone who regularly attended Bonham City Council meetings will remember Betty Campbell as someone who cared deeply about her community.

The city council then launched into a lengthy agenda that included street repair, the proposed construction of a countywide animal control facility and the upcoming City Council election.

The condition of Bonham streets has been a hot topic of late and an agenda item that would have called for an interlocal agreement with the Fannin County Multipurpose Complex Board for parking lot pavement drew the ire of several residents in attendance.  The interlocal agreement would have called for the city to supply the manpower to pave the parking lot, while the Multipurpose Complex Board of Directors would have covered the cost of the project.

Bob Self addressed the Bonham City Council and said he had supported the Multipurpose Complex with his time and resources, but he asked the city council to focus on paving and repairing streets in Bonham.

"When I can't drive a straight line home, I get upset," Bob Self said in regard to navigating torn-up streets in Bonham.  "I am totally opposed to the city entering into an agreement with any party until our own streets are repaired."

"How we could even contemplate doing work somewhere else is deplorable!" Rusty Deets remarked.

"I'm certainly not comfortable, given the condition of our streets, to be paving somewhere else," councilman Wayne Moore remarked. "We need to finish our own business and then come back and take a look at the Multipurpose Complex."

Margaret Bradshaw asked if the Multipurpose Complex was solvent and, if not, could taxpayers be held accountable?

"The city has no liability and the county has no liability," Bonham City Councilman and Multipurpose Complex board treasurer John Burnett replied.  "There is no concern whatsoever."

Mr. Burnett was asked how the Complex fared with rentals and he stated that the revenue from rentals was $40,000, while the expenses were $49,000, in particular because last year's electricity bill was approximately $25,000.  While operation of the complex involved a $9,000 deficit, $16,000 in interest from an endowment fund that originated from a B.B. Owens Trust grant actually meant that the Multipurpose Complex wrapped up the year with a $7,000 net gain. 

B.B. Owens Trust has given $1.1 million over the past three or four years, Burnett explained, and the Multipurpose Complex Board felt it necessary to retain a portion of those funds in order to be fiscally responsible for the facility.

MR. Barnett was asked if the fee paid to the Bonham Chamber of Commerce was figured into the expenses and he answered that the agreement with the Bonham Chamber includes a 15% management fee for rentals and that percentage was included in the $49,000 expense total.

Another agenda item that attracted several people to the Monday night regular meeting of the Bonham City Council was an update on the countywide animal control facility. 

"Everybody in the county is on board," Fannin County Commissioner Dewayne Stickland told the Bonham City Council.

Fannin County Commissioner Dewayne Strickland, flanded by members of Friends of Fannin County Critters

Commissioner Strickland has helped coordinate the county's interest as well as enlist support from all the cities in Fannin County to build a state-of-the-art animal control facility that would have one full-time employee and one part-time employee.

This issue has triggered strong emotions and yet lingered for years. In fact, partly out of compassion and in part due to frustration at the pace of this project, several sizeable donations have been pledged.  Two residents have each vowed to give $60,000 to get a proper animal control facility built and another former resident that recently died instructed that $50,000 from her estate be used for this project.  The City of Bonham secured a $40,000 grant and the Friends of Fannin County Critters have pledged $20,000 for a spay/neuter fund at the new animal control facility.

"If we don't do this now," Gilda Spiller of Friends of Fannin County Critters said, "I don't know that we will ever get this kind of money again.  We can't let this die."

Construction of the animal control facility is estimated to cost between $200,000 and $300,000.

Commissioner Strickland implied that he had the expressed support of Fannin County officials and cities across the county and, although this wasn't an action item on the agenda, he was in attendance to ask if the City of Bonham was ready to verbally commit to shouldering their considerable share of the cost of operating the proposed facility.

Strickland said that cities with less than 1,000 residents would be expected to contribute only $1 per capita because of their extremely limited revenue, while cities with more than 1,000 residents would be asked to contribute $3 per capita.  The county's share of operational costs would be just over $41,000 annually and Bonham's annual share would be slightly less than $10,000.

Bonham Mayor Roy Floyd stated that he felt the city council would support a modern animal control facility.

"Lets get this on the agenda," Councilman Moore remarked. "It's time we had a decent animal control facility."

Penny Pearson, another member of Friends of Fannin County Critters, addressed the Bonham City Council and called the current facility "a blight" on the community. Ms. Pearson said that perhaps an open house at the current facility would silence opposition that elected officials are almost certainly getting now in regard to building a modern, humane animal control facility.

"Let them see what you've got now," Pearson suggested. 

And, speaking of elected officials, the Bonham City Council ordered a municipal election to be held May 8, 2010 to elect city council members from Ward #2, Ward #3 and Ward #4.  Ruth Ann Thomas currently represents Ward #2, Brad Underwood currently represents Ward #3 and Glenn Taylor currently represents Ward #4.

The filing period for these three City of Bonham Wards began Saturday, February 6 and will extend through March 8.  

May 3 and May 4 are designated as days for extended hours early voting, with Janell Jamieson, City Secretary, to be the Early Voting Clerk.  Fannin County Courthouse will be the polling place. 

In other business, Clifford Shaw spoke to the Bonham City Council concerning unsatisfactory tap water on Sunday at his home on Lipscomb Avenue and the city's slow response to his call. 

Public Works Supervisor Ronnie Ford said instances such as this were almost certain to occur sporadically during periods of heavy construction and he urged residents to call city hall and log a complaint so that workers, on a priority basis, could correct the problem.  Mr. Ford said the delayed response time in this instance was most likely due to a variety of problems brought on by heavy rain and extremely cold weather.

The Bonham Tourism Committee reported plans and recent activities to the Bonham City Council.

"We are in the Visitors Center," Emily Porter told the city council, "and it has worked out very well."

Mrs. Porter asked the community to be on the lookout for antique furniture that might be donated to furnish the historical building.

Emily Porter

May is Preservation Month and the Bonham Tourism Committee will be discussing ways to make displays more vibrant and visible this year.  The committee is also looking into the possibility of making large static displays of local attractions to be housed at the Visitors Center, as well as building traveling displays that could be set up at events all across North Texas.

The Hwy 82/287 Yard Sale will be held June 4-5, 2010 and the Bonham Tourism Committee is studying the option of allowing sales in historic downtown Bonham to attract bargain hunters.

"It's a trial balloon," Porter said. "We'll see how much participation we get."

The Bonham City Council also listened to an analysis of the city's audits and financial statement by Andy Reich of McClanahan & Holmes, LLP for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009.

"The city staff was very cooperative," Mr. Reich said in opening. "It really does make a difference. Basically, you got a clean opinion on the audit."

Reich said the General Fund broke even and added the city has also been successful at maintaining an excessive balance equal to 18% of the budget.

"The do a super job for us," Mayor Floyd said of McClanahan & Holmes.