The Schleicher County ISD board of trustees met Monday evening, August 29th and voted to adopt a budget for the 2023 fiscal year. They also voted to set a tax rate of 94.3 cents per $100 valuation. That represents a 1.7 cent reduction from last year and a 10.7 cent reduction in the past two years.

Eldorado City Council met Monday, August 29th and unanimously passed ordinance #101-11 that raises the base rate for residential and commercial water customers by $12 per month. The base rate will increase from $27 to $39 beginning with the September billing which reflects water used in August.

Schleicher County Commissioners met Monday, August 22nd and voted 4-1 in favor of a motion to deny pay raises to all elected county officials and to keep their pay the same in 2023 as it is in 2022.

The Schleicher County Hospital District board of trustees met Monday, August 23, 2022 and received an application for a tax abatement agreement from the Mittel Rockerfeller solar project that is proposed for construction in the northern portion of the county.

The Schleicher County Sheriff’s Office unveiled its “CodeRED” alert system this week. The system allows county residents and other interested individuals to receive alerts and updates on their phone during emergency events

Students are accustomed to receiving report cards, but schools also get them and, on Monday, August 15th, Schleicher County ISD’s report card came in with an “A” on the Texas Education Agency’s A-F scale. The news was made public during the monthly meeting of the SCISD board of trustees.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in Schleicher County will be hosting a Hunter Education Class on September 17th from 8am - 1pm.

The Plateau Underground Water Conservation & Supply District board of directors met Thursday, August 11th with Board President Johnny Powell presiding. The board approved a request from Doyle Schaefer of Garden City for permits for two irrigation wells

The City of Eldorado plans to raise water rates by $12 per month for its residential and commercial customers. The move became necessary, City Secretary Karla Reyes said, when revenue from water sales fell short of making debt service payments on the new water tower and water main upgrades.

Schleicher County Commissioners met Monday, August 8th and heard from a group of 11 volunteers representing the Schleicher County Emergency Medical Service (EMS). The group was on hand to urge the commissioners for additional funding in the county’s upcoming budget. Among their number was Shelia Prater, the ambulance service’s treasurer. Prater explained some of the reasons why the EMS needs more money.

The electric transmission line connecting Eldorado to Fort McKavett will be getting an upgrade, according to information the company released this week.

BY PAUL SCHATTENBERG TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE Monarch butterflies have long graced the skies of Texas during their annual migration. However, their population has been in steady decline, and recently the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, IUCN, placed the monarch butterfly on its Red List of threatened species, classifying it as endangered.

The Texas Department of Transportation will soon begin seal coating operations on U.S. 277 extending south from the Schleicher/Tom Green county line to Interstate Highway 10 in Sonora, including a stretch of about 1.75 miles that passes through Eldorado.

BY MARK ZOELLER TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE Texas 4-H, part of one of the largest youth organizations in the nation, is once again getting ready to welcome new members as well as existing members through its annual enrollment process starting Aug. 15.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent a letter Monday to New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, inviting the mayors to visit Texas’ southern border to see the humanitarian crisis firsthand.

Schleicher County Commissioners met Monday, July 25th and voted to issue a disaster declaration due to the ongoing crisis on the southern border. The move came as many local jurisdictions, including Texas cities and counties, are doing the same. They say the federal government’s lack of control on the border has prompted an overwhelming influx of illegal immigrants that constitute a foreign invasion.

The Schleicher County Rodeo Association held its 53rd annual Top of the Divide Rodeo on Friday and Saturday, July 22nd & 23rd at the rodeo area south of town.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar is reminding shoppers they can save money on clothes and school supplies during the state’s sales tax holiday on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 5-7.

The Schleicher County Rodeo Association will entertain rodeo fans for the 53rd consecutive year as the Top of the Divide Rodeo returns to Eldorado on Friday and Saturday, July 22nd & 23rd at the rodeo area south of town. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the gate with children 12 and under being admitted for free.

Bob Buchholz of Eldorado received the Earwood Award during the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers’ 107th annual convention on Friday, July 15th in Kerrville. The award is the association’s most prestigious and coveted award.