The Odessa American from Odessa, Texas • 17

vrrnrnnnnnnrprar? I II 1 If 1 I I It It 111 II'- torn) Iteifats iiiri uii)yt- tosiial iiifiirfet mmr Bill awaits action from Gov. Clements By Kristi Glissmeyer the indigent people from other counties Kmnlrc AQfYl nt said The bill allowing voters to form a tax-supported hospital district awaits action from Gov. Bill Clements this month. Jte Ugislature approved a maximum beginning tax Fr $10 valtion, which means the district board of directors could not set the starting rate above that limit. By state law, the total tax rate adopted for the district over the years cannot exceed 75 cents per $100 valuation.

If the beginning rate is set at the maximum 15 cents, the owner of a $60,000 house, with homestead exemptions, would pay $96 in yearly hospital district taxes. Temporary board member June Spears, a resident tor 35 years, said Medical Center needs the stability a district can offer. 1 "We have an opportunity in Odessa to become a fine medical facility for the Permian Basin. A district is an important step in achieving that," she said "Maybe we'll have to dig a little deeper into our pockets." West Odessan Robert H. Shelton, 51, 10108 Tuscon Road, said a hospital district would only mean more taxes for overburdened property owners.

"What little I know about it, I don't particularly care for it," said Shelton, an Ector County resident for 35 years. "I think we have enough people down there taxing us as it is." Ector County Judge Jan Fisher said if a district is formed, the 11 cents the county levies for the hospital would be deducted from the total tax rate of 38 cents per $100 valuation. The county-owned hospital 'is limited by law in its ability to recruit doctors, nurses and other employees, Please see HOSPITAL18A ine American If the proposal passed by the Legislature allowing Ector County to form a hospital district arrives at the ballot box, Leroy Spinks won't be voting for the move. Spinks, 75, a county resident for 26 years, said he has kept an eye on the trouble that led Medical Center Hospital to chalk up more than $10 million in deficits the last three years. Creating another taxing entity, however, is no way to cure management ills, he said last week.

"I'm opposed to going into a hospital district. If we do, we are going to be taking care of a lot more of While Spinks registers a vote against the district, Carol G. Uranga, 38, an Ector County resident for five years, said she likely will counter it with a positive one. "We always resent taxes. But without taxes, we'd have nothing," said Uranga, 1340 E.

Seventh St. The hospital is such a necessary element in our supportinS one way or An election is required upon petition of at least 10 percent of the county's registered voters or can be called by a majority of the district's seven-member temporary board of directors. givm offer ti to i i graduates By Maria De Varenne The American As a young boy, Ron Fancher had a job from sunrise to sunset, 365 days a year on his family's farm. But he wanted to do more than toil the earth's surface, so as a teen-ager he earned money driving a truck for a lumber company. was great fun.

It was always 100 degrees in the cab of the truck," Fancher said recently with a heavy helping of sarcasm. "I began looking at the types of businesses that I would enjoy. Today, he's at the helm of Texas Commerce Bank watching residents deposit or borrow. The shift from truck driving to banking took determination, but Fancher said spending long hours on the road gave him the insight he needed to travel up the career ladder. "You need to have exposure to a lot of things and establish your goals.

Then you need to determine the manner in which you're going to achieve those goals," said Fancher, the chief executive officer and president of Texas Commerce. "From time to time, do a self-assessment in relation to those goals. It never hurts to assess yourself, and it's been successful for me," he said. Other Odessa businesses expanded on Fancher's advice to high school and college graduates of 1989 with suggestions of hard work, integrity and eagerness. Some of those recent graduates will be facing stiff job competition as they enter the work force, while others will be determining what to study in college.

A recent nationwide survey by' Michigan State University shows job prospects for college grads to: be on an upswing, with companies: increasing their hiring quotas by: 3.1 percent compared with last: year. The largest hiring demand: comes from electronics and electri-; cal businesses, followed by educa-: tional institutions and government' administrations, according to the' survey. Fields of study in the greatest demand are hotel, restaurant and' institutional management; electrical engineering; marketing and sales; i and financial administration, the survey said. Selecting an upwardly mobile held was important to Ann Pinkerton, chief financial officer of Medical Center Hospital. "I looked at several industries to go into as a woman with children.

This is an area where women Please see GRADUATES18A Km" Disc jockey Valerie Tebitei Orano teSs KKDA Isteners about a sang. Odessa American: scottsha nci mar "I 1 i. i i i KNDA adopts 'Que slogan By Kerry Haglund The American On his business card he 1 IS Ruben Velasauez. resident and general manager of KNDA innn. menting on traditional disc jockey fodder: the weather, the time, contests, local activities.

In a single breath, program director and disc jockey Richard Candelaria, known as Ramon Arroyos off the air, gives listeners the time in English. He then switches to Spanish to wish a listener a happy birthday and announce a song. A common Tex-Mex phrase, "Que Onda!" (in English, "What's has become the station's trademark. It is on business cards and company vehicles and frequently is heard on the air by both listeners and disc jockeys. Please see BILINGUAL18A 4J JLJ LJ 7x O- AM.

But his employees call him dad. Velasquez, 40, is owner of an Odessa bilingual radio station that took to the air April 20. Walking through the radio station, Velasquez is chided by disc jockeys who call greetings to "dad." 6 Velasquez, a short stocky man, responds with a grin. The station's announcers chatter on the air in Spanish and English, playing special birthday and anniversary dedications and com i he Oaitssa American: Scott Shaw ti-rtJ A Htam Gaz Jockey Kike ISiST Keirano watches PeSKes work. ii uw9H American: veasw Niarayni Jerry Suffivan, Odessa's city secretary, attributed her success to an eagerness to learn.

pi Mi Ml toinj lesig ol it Councilman: 'It's just a situation of pay me now or pay me later' 1S33-S3 DESCRIPTION 6 MONTHS 6 MONTHS PROJECTED TTD ACTUAL YTD PERSONAL SERVICES fwj ,896,1 il2 $10,616,330 SUPPLIES MATERIALS! 328359 1 356,659 SERVICES 2,7761371 2,673.235 MAINTENANCE 407,967 391,210 CAPITAL OUTLAY 1 188,884 OTHER TOTAL $13.576,133 $13,197,629 rcHkM. cost from ether funds $27.1 million. While some taxpayers may fear a good thing can't last much longer, Brown is hoping the 1989-90 budget also won't require a greater contribution from city taxpayers even though the Ector County Appraisal District projects the city's $1,758 billion tax base will slip to $1 .75 billion this year. At the city's current tax rate, the dwner of a $60,000 home pays $233.52 with the homestead exemptions, while a senior citizen pays $168.82 with exemptions, according to city figures. "At this point and time our target is not a property tax increase.

That's out," Brown said. Instead, the city manager will continue squeezing more out of the organization. Another option may be to call upon city reserves until Odessa rebounds. "That's a more acceptable way to go while we are witnessing the comeback of the economy," Brown said. However, there are those who Brown's day.

"I think we're right target," he said last week. "There are some soft spots in terms of our revenue generations. But overall, I think generally we're pretty close." Fiscal Services Director Frank Muser also was pleased with the accuracy of the city's projections. "Of course, I'd like to see a stronger performance, but given the economy, we're doing well," he said. Muser attributed the strong showing to a savings in salaries.

The exodus of city employees during 1988-89 saved the city about $300,000 in projected personnel costs, budget figures show. The city also was under budget in the areas of services by $102,896, in maintenance by $16,757 and in capital outlay by $7,374. But it overspent in the area of supplies and materials by $28,300. Brown said he expects the city to continue living within its means, finishing the 1988-89 fiscal year with total general fupd expenses of By Mary Doclar The American When governmental entities sit down each year to chart out financial strategy, Odessa property owner David Stice believes too many taxpayers end up getting sacked in the pocketbook. "The problem is they're not budgeting the way they should," said the 45-year-old advertising company owner.

"They should not be raising taxes and trying to do more when people are hurting like this." Stice, who owns several pieces of property in addition to his own 4615 Applewood St. residence, got a particularly hard punch when the oil bust descended and property taxes began to climb. But he complimented the city of Odessa for selecting the shears and making budget cuts rather than turning to the taxpayer. The city has managed to maintain its current 48.65 cent per $100 property valuation tax rate since the 1985, when the tax rate was raised from 47.4 cents. Instead of continuing to raise taxes, city administrators slimmed down expenses, abolished vacant positions, extended the life on vehicles and equipment and generally did away with budgetary tat.

"As far as the city goes, I don't have any qualms," Stice said. "I think the city really is trying to cut back where it can." The city's financial experts will be the first to agree that the city is trying to spare the taxpayer. A six-month budget report snows that expenditures from the general fund, which is supported by property taxes, were $378,509 less than the Fiscal Services Department had projected. The American: Debn Simpeoa The $13.1 million that actually was expended between October 1988 and March 1989 is $438,935 less than the $13.6 million the city spent during the same period last year, budget figures show. While the numbers show that revenues are down the city projected it would receive $17.7 million; actual revenues were $17.3 million the report was still a bright spot in City Manager Bill Please see TAXESISA ti.