Commissioners approved a lease agreement Monday with Canadian ISD for use of the softball field, opening the door to school-funded upgrades and changes to the facility. Superintendent Lynn Pulliam agreed that some clarification should be made to language in the document regarding the removal of any improvements at the end of the lease term.

“If you have a bathroom that you’ve built out there, are you going to tear it out?” asked Judge Briant, citing one example.

Dr. Pulliam agreed that the document should distinguish more clearly between temporary and permanent additions, fixtures or structures, explaining that it had really been written to favor the county, should it require the removal of any improvements. “I would hope that any permanent improvements we made be left.”

County Attorney Kyle Miller said the clarification would be a simple one to make. “Typically, in a lease like this, it comes under the definition of a fixture, which does remain with the property,” he said. “It’s easy to change the terms and avoid ambiguity.”

Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the contract, with the stipulated changes.

Pulliam also said there was ample room within the boundaries shown in the survey made of the property to make any improvements the school district is considering, including new seating, locker rooms, dugouts, and a pressbox. He also noted that the board, with input from the softball coach, Cay Parnell, had agreed that the first priority was to install a safe playing surface, using either natural or artificial turf, and that other improvements would come next.

Pulliam also made it clear that the district would make the property available for other groups to use for tournaments. “They would just have to go through the school,” he said. “It is something I assume we would be agreeable to...similar to our policy for using our gymnasiums.”

The initial term of the lease is for 120 months, rent-free, with a provision for its renewal up to 100 years.

County health

insurance

The court eagerly accepted the Texas Association of Counties proposal for this year’s county health-insurance benefits. Acting as the TAC’s agent in this area, Perryton’s Clint Allred pointed out that the county’s health coverage has dropped 2 percent this year. The claims-loss ratio, he said, was 54 percent this year, adding, “That’s pretty stinking good.” Allred also noted that the dental plan had increased 3 percent, and would be available for open enrollment starting this year, just like medical.

FPC Intercollegiate

Rodeo

Following up on Canadian’s successful bid to host the Frank Phillips Intercollegiate Rodeo here Oct. 11-13, Chamber Events Coordinator Jackie McPherson received the court’s approval for use of the parking area near the softball field for a dance that will be held in conjunction with the threeday event. “We met with Frank Phillips this past week,” McPherson reported. “They know for sure that 640 contestants will be attending, probably more. This is going to be a really good thing for Canadian. There is hardly anybody that will be unaffected by the economic push we will see...” The dance will be public, she said, but is primarily for contestants and their coaches, and will be held from 9 pm to midnight on Friday, Oct.

11. Panels and fencing will be erected to stop thru-traffic in the area.

County adopts FY

2019-20 budget, tax rate

Following a public hearing that elicited no comments, commissioners unanimously adopted their 2019-20 fiscal year budget and set the county tax rate at $0.4433—$0.3310 for the general fund and $0.1123 for the road and bridge fund. The rate is the same as last year’s tax rate, and nearly 4-cents lower than this year’s effective tax rate—which is the rate of taxation needed to raise the same amount of revenue from the same properties as last year’s rate. The court also unanimously approved 5 percent across-the-board salary increases for all elected officials, as reflected in the budget.