Granite Shoals approve bonds, kills ban on deer feeding
Glynis Crawford Smith/The Highlander
Granite Shoals Mayor Carl Brugger, left, presents a proclamation of Municipal Court Week to the city's municipal judge Frank Reilly Tuesday night, Nov. 8.
By Glynis Crawford Smith
The Highlander
Citizens of Granite Shoals said “yes” Tuesday, Nov. 8, to a $3 million bond issue for major roadway refurbishment but defeated a No Deer Feed Ordinance by a scant seven votes.
The vote of 1,170 citizens was 66.92 percent in favor of the road bond—783, “yes” to 387, “no.”
It is the strong possibility of qualifying for a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant in a 45-55 match, boosting the project from a single road to all three north-south arteries in a $6.8 million project.
“I will be meeting with the USDA next week to develop a road map to move forward,” said City Manager Ken Nickel on Wednesday.
Curiously, 11 of the road bond voters took no stand on a deer feeding ban, a question that failed with 583 voting, “no,” to the ordinance and 576, “yes” votes. Although the council had approved the ordinance, a petition to go to the ballot intervened its implementation and it will not go into effect.
The results were not yet in as the Granite Shoals City Council met Tuesday night, but council members did hear a report from Wildlife Committee Chairman Jason Brady on the pilot program.
His committee strongly recommended banning the feeding, on the recommendation of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD). The department approved the pilot program to harvest antlerless deer inside the city limits by certified bow hunters, but TPWD biologists said the program would be hamstrung if people continued to bait deer into the city.
“As of Nov. 3, we had been in operation a full month and harvested 44 deer,” said Brady. “That is 930 pounds of edible meat (going to charities and individuals able to pick up and have the deer processed). “The certified volunteers have donated 348 hours of time, not counting organizers time to set up and manage the program.”
The hunters had to travel the state to become certified for the program, but Council Member Todd Holland expressed willingness to become certified as an instructor if the program and interest continue.
“We anticipate taking 120 deer by the end of this year's program (mid-January).
Municipal Judge Frank Reilly was at the meeting for a regular report on court activity and Mayor Carl Brugger recognized his work with a proclamation.
He proclaimed the week of Nov. 7-11 Municipal Court Week “in recognition of the fair and impartial justice offered to our citizens by the Municipal Court of Granite Shoals.”
Reilly said the 570 open cases in October represented 25 fewer cases than the month previous. Reilly succeeded Edward Cutchin in his post in July 2015, and as Cutchin had frequently done, Reilly outlined meticulous efforts to help citizens resolve legal issues, even to allowing community service to act as compensation for fines or fees.
“About 10 percent are dismissed by our prosecutor (Eddie Arredondo),” said Reilly. “The state average is 30 percent. The conviction rate is 73 percent, compared to 30 percent statewide. It is not only a good job of prosecution, but also that the Granite Shoals Police Department does a good job accurately and fairly writing tickets.”
The fact that 62 percent of outstanding Granite Shoals cases are in some form of collection, compared to the state average of 54 percent is in part due to the many non-residents who own property and visit the city, Reilly said.
