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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 1975)
Planning and zoning Mayor O. M. Holt and Councilman Gary M. Halter discuss amendments to the ambulance ordinance at C.S. councITineeting. Photo by Jack Holm CS City Council meets Millican Dam opinion delayed By STEVE GRAY Staff Writer The College Station City Council voted Thursday to delay any endorsement of the con troversial proposed Millican Dam project until it can hear recommendations from the local En vironmental Action Council (EAC) on Monday. The council will meet at 5 p.m. at city hall. The council tentatively voted down a resolu tion supporting the funding and construction of the proposed dam, which is to be located southeast of the city on the Navasota River near Millican. The resolution favors appropriation of $700,000 by Congress for continued planning and design of the dam. Congressional hearings on the appropriations will be held April 29 and 30. Councilman Larry Bravenec moved to reject the resolution, saying he wanted to hear the re commendations of the EAC before endorsing the project. Walter J. Wells, general manager of the Brazos River Authority, presented the historical background of the proposed dam to the council and outlined locations of other dams and reservoirs lo cated within the Brazos Basin, which stretches from south of Freeport to north of Lubbock. The EAC has already condemned the project as environmentally unstable. The council voted against implementation of the Texas Department of Agriculture fire ant con trol program in College Station. The measure was tabled April 4 by the council until they could study the situation. The program involves the spraying of granules soaked with the pesticide Mirex. Cornelius Van Bavel, president of the local EAC, told the council that the chemical was called potentially dangerous by the Environmental Pro tection Agency. “Tests have shown that Mirex is a persistent chemical which can accumulate in the flesh of ani mals if it is digested over a period of time,” Van Bavel said. “It is also highly toxic to marine life.” But Councilman Homer Adams disagreed with Van Bavel. “We’ve been using the chemical to treat fire ants in other parts of the county and, so far, we haven’t seen any detrimental results,” Adams said. The program is aimed at eradicating fire ant mounds in the city, particularly near the intersec tion of Highway 6 and the east by-pass. Approval was given by the council for Sherrill Ambulance, Inc. of Bryan to continue operation of its ambulance service in the city for another year. The company will charge $30 for all calls within the city and $10 for each 10-mile radius outside the city limits. The council amended the ambulance ordi nance to provide that an attendant with practical and theoretical knowledge of first aid must render medical attention to victims while in transit to a hospital. The council passed a resolution favoring the county’s choice for a landfill site. The county has applied to the Texas Department of Health for a permit to operate a landfill to be located three and a half miles west of Highway 6 near Turkey Creek Road. The county has estimated the proposed landfill will receive about 200 pounds of solid waste a day. A hearing on the permit application will be held April 29 in the county commissioners courtroom at 10:00 a.m. The council tentatively appointed new mem bers of various city boards during an executive session but were not officially voted upon. Their names will be announced at the council’s next regu lar meeting April 28. Weather Partly cloudy, warm and windy Friday with southerly winds at 15, gusting to 25 mph. Continued partly cloudy and cooler Saturday. High today 85, low tonight 51, high tomorrow 74. Che Battalion Vol. 68 No. 107 College Station, Texas Friday, April 18, 1975 Dunn to propose legislative action on UC spending By WILL ANDERSON Assistant Editor Newly-elected Student Body President Jeff Dunn will have a press conference Tuesday about the possibilities of a legislative investigation of the Texas A&M System Board of Directors. It will be in the MSC conference room at 3:30 p.m. All three candidates for this year’s student body president, Jeff Dunn, Tom Walker and Doc Shroff, said if they were elected they would favor a legislative investigation of the Board of Directors’ spending for the University Center and the Board Annex. A similar investigation was made of the Uni versity of Texas Board of Regents regarding the money it spent on the UT chancellor s home, the Bauer House. The chairman of the Texas Senate Education Committee, Oscar Mauzy, said investigation of university boards could be requested. He said re quests should be sent to him and the lieutenant governor. Bill Hobby. The requests should include a collection of -“pertinent information,” he said. Hobby and- Mauzy would study the information and know within four days if the need for an investigation was suggested. Dunn requested the information The Battal ion has on the University Center’s furnishings, their costs and anything else that might be clas sified “pertinent information in a request for an investigation. The March 28 issue of the Texas Observer ran a story on the University and its costs as its lead story. President Jack Williams was asked about the story by the Texas House of Representatives Ap propriations Committee. He was appearing before the committee to explain TAMU’s budget request. Williams answered by referring to a story the Observer did a few years ago about the TAMU student ship, the Texas Clipper. The story said the ship was unseaworthy and the University went to great expense to have it drydocked and checked. The ship was determined to be very sound. Williams said he mentioned the story to “set the stage for that kind of publication it is. ” When Williams finished, Rep. Dick Slack ’38, speaker pro tern of the house and committee member, was recognized by the chairman. “This (the Observer’s story) is a blatant example of yellow journalism and I don’t think it is worthy of an expla nation.” His remark received a voice of approval from the other representatives. Most of the Observer’s facts came from issues of The Battalion, Gen. Alvin R. Luedecke, execu tive vice-president, said the stories were not inac curate but the general tone of the stories gave a false impression. The story was picked up by the Dallas Mom-- ing News and run in the first section of April 13 edition. Representatives of the Associated Press and United Press International have been on campus to get the story, and The Battalion has been contacted by several other papers from across the state who want the facts for their stories. The original Memorial Student Center, funded by the Former Students Association, as it appeared before recent renovation. i See related story page 3. Constitution Two amendments proposed By JACQUEUNE HAUS Contributor Raising legislators’ salaries and re-organizing laws regarding state-operated retirement systems will be the subject of two constitutional amend ments before Texas voters Tuesday. Proposed Amendment No. 1 revises and con solidates provisions relating to state and local re tirement systems and raises the ceiling on state contributions to state systems. The proposed revision for retirement systems provides for the amount contributed by the indi vidual to be established by Legislature, a minimum of 6 percent of current compensation. The legisla tion permits an increase in the percentage of state matching funds contributed for employees from the I current 6 percent to a maximum of 10 percent of the total compensation paid to participating persons. These provisions apply to persons covered under Employees Retirement System of Texas, Teacher InCfLlirinCJ BBttfllBIl What do you think of the Batt’s coverage of the MSC interior? Interviews by Jerry Geary Interviews gathered behind the Academic Building Photos by Glen Johnson Retirement System of Texas, the Judicial Retire ment System and other local funds at the city and county level. It would allow persons working in more than one system to receive fractional benefits from each based on a service and benefit formula. This pro tects persons who work under two or more systems and are frequently ineligible for benefits under present legislation. Of interest to local system, the proposed amendment would require the legislature to pro vide for creation of systems to benefit officers and employees of cities and counties. They would oper ate locally and statewide. Each statewide benefit system would be ad ministered by a board of trustees which would have a broad authority over the funds while subject to control by legislature. This authority would make it possible for the board to attain greater returns and insure the soundness of the program. The whole retirement program somewhat dis guises the fact that the employee is paying for it, Dr. James Payne, professor of political science at TAMU, said. The money added by the government to the program comes from the general revenue fund, supported by state taxes. Added money also comes from the employers who must match the amount deposited into retirement funds by their em ployees. “If the employer could add the ampjint of his contribution to the employees’ salaries instead of to the fund and the state would tax the entire amount from the employee’s pay, then the working man would realize what he is paying for his retirement, ” Payne said. Proposed Amendment No. 2 raises the salaries of legislators from $4,800 a year to 7,200. In addition to the pay raise, the per diem allowance of legis lators would be raised to $30 for each day of each regular session. The amount is now limited to $12 for the first 120 days of regular session and 30 days of each special session. The mileage allowance of the legislators is cur rently limited to 10 cents a mile for going to and from the seat of government by the most direct route. The proposed amendment would change the allowance to entitle members of legislature to the same rate as that for state employees which is cur rently 16 cents per mile. Judge B. H. Dewey, a justice of the peace and past state representative, said the minimum pay of a state employee is now $6,000 a year “if he just sweeps the floor.” State legislators receive $4,800. “We want all kinds of people in legislature, both rich and poor,” Dewey said. “We want a person with as few commitments as possible.” Senator Bill Moore (D-Bryan), for example, could make three times as much on retirement,” Dewey said. Why do legislators do this kind of work? “They love it,” he said. Edward Chiu, senior, building construction I read about it, but I don’t know. I didn’t do my own research so I don’t know if it’s right or not. John Nash, senior, economics I think it’s been good in that it has focused on a real fiasco. But I think it’s been driven to the ground. Dana Perry, sophomore, microbiology I think it’s pretty good because they’re trying to get the facts and not trying to put anybody down.It’s been pretty informative and fairly objective. Harry Mock, freshman, psychology It’s pretty good. I think the interior decorations are a bunch of crap. It points out all the misuse of the money. I hope something comes out of it. Kim Chastain, freshman, education I thought it was great. I really en joyed it. I think if they bought that stuff they should really use it. Adrien F. Drouilhet, graduate It seems to have been pretty tho rough. I’m pretty impressed with the articles that have appeared in there and seem to be well docu mented. Janice Smith, sophomore, psychology It’s pretty good. I think they’re showing both sides instead of one. That’s what they ought to do in letting people judge for themselves. Things to come Bids on the depository contract for school funds and applications for student transfers to the A&M Consolidated School District for next year will be discussed at Monday’s school board meet ing. The meeting is at 7:00 p.m. in room 7 of the Special Services Building at 1300 Jersey. Other business to be discussed by the board includes new tuition rates for the district and some policy changes. Austin’s own Michael Murphey will perform in G. Rollie White Coliseum Saturday night, cour tesy of MSC Town Hall Committee. Admission is free for students with activity cards and IDs. Poe relived Actor Jerry Rockwood performed a charac terization of Edgar Allen Poe Thursday in an MSC Arts presentation entitled “A Condi tion of Shadow.’’ Photo by Kevin Fotorny