The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, August 02, 1979, Image 1

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    crane takes a rest
This crane, one of two being used in construction of the Academic &
Agency Building on campus, stands at rest at the end of a long day of
Work. Battalion photo by Lee Roy Leschper Jr.
Proposed Bryan budget to
increase taxes 13 cents
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By LOUIE ARTHUR
Battalion Staff
I If the proposed 1979-80 budget for the
lity of Bryan becomes a reality, it could
mean a 13 cent increase in the ad valorem
iroperty tax.
In a special meeting of the city council
Wednesday, City Manager Ernest Clark
iresented the proposed city budget for
Jreliminary review by the members of the
:ouncil.
The proposed budget, which Clark de-
cribed as “conservative”, will be dis-
:ussed in several meetings for revision be-
ore it is finalized in September.
Clark outlined the budget which con-
ained total funds available of $7,606,059
md total expenditures of $7,440,136, leav
ing the city of Bryan $165,923 unappropri-
ited for the year.
The new tax rate would be 75 cents per
MOO worth of property based on 80 per-
ent of the assessed value. Thus, if you
)wned property assessed at a value of
MO,000, the taxes would be $60. The same
property would have been taxed $49.60
ast year.
The tax increase will result in $396,604
additional revenue for the city. Requests
from outside agencies use $224,000 of this
evenue in the proposed budget.
Clark said that some of this money could
ome from the hotel-motel tax (a four per
cent tax on hotels and motels charged in
iddition to the sales tax) and might cut out
ome of the proposed property tax in
crease.
The proposed budget also includes a
alary increase for city employees. Salary
ncreases would vary from eight percent to
nore than 20 percent for some employees.
Clark said that they are interested in a
neritpay program, but there are no funds
ivailable. The salary hikes and the possi
bility of merit pay are an attempt to cut
down on the high turnover rate of city
workers.
The current turnover rate for city em
ployees is currently about 30 percent and
s expected to rise to 50 percent later in
he year.
One of the largest expense increases was
ittributed to the cost of fuel for operating
I'ehicles — an increase of $100,000 due to
soaring gasoline prices.
“We are trying to drastically reduce the
use of city vehicles,” Clark said. “We want
b use smaller cars and get rid of the se
dans. We’re starting a conservation pro
gram but were not sure of its impact yet.”
Also included in the new budget is a
request for two more police cars so that
nore maintenance work can be done on
chicles without seriously impairing police
nobility. Clark said he feels this would
give the police cars a longer work life.
The proposed budget also provides for a
pay increase for the fire department, Clark
said, because the firemen’s present salary
is too low compared to other cities.
Councilman Henry Seale said that he
and Mayor Richard Smith will meet “to try
to raise the revenue side of the budget” in
an attempt to lessen the proposed tax in
crease.
The council will meet again Aug. 13,
Smith said, and urged council members to
use this time to study the proposed
budget.
Senator claims Texas
needed another primary
United Press International
AUSTIN — A small group of liberal
Democrats blocked efforts to conduct a
Democratic presidential primary in Texas
in 1980 in an effort to enhance the chances
of Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., winning
the party’s presidential nomination, a
Houston senator said Wednesday.
Sen. Jack Ogg, D-Houston, said the
failure of the State Democratic Executive
Committee to schedule a primary will hurt
the party. Ogg sponsored unsuccessful
legislation that would have established a
Texas presidential primary in March of
next year, separate from the May primary
races for state and local offices.
“It’s unbelievable that hot on the heels
of Governor Clements’ election, the
SDEC has chosen to let the Republicans
stand alone in the limelight next spring,”
Ogg said.
GOP leaders have said they plan to con
duct a presidential primary next year even
if Democrats do not.
SDEC leaders opposed a Democratic
primary, but left open the possibility that a
non-binding primary could be held if vi
able challengers to President Carter
emerge.
Ogg said the SDEC was duped by the
liberal faction he referred to as “Ken-
nedyites.”
“President Carter’s supporters in the
SDEC fell into their Venus’ flytrap, afraid
Windshield
cleaning to
cost more
United Press International
WASHINGTON — New government
regulations took effect Wednesday that
require gasoline stations to charge sepa
rately for such services as checking tires
and cleaning windshields.
Until Wednesday, stations could count
the cost of such “courtesy” services in set
ting their pump prices for gasoline.
Although the new regulations require
separate charges, many service station
operators do not plan to charge extra for
the services that have traditionally been
free.
The rules state, “Retailers are no longer
required to continue to provide custom
ers, at no extra charge, with the same
goods, services, premiums and credit
terms.
“Retailers may offer separately and
charge separately for goods and services
previously included in their (gasoline)
price.”
The regulations are the target of a suit
filed Friday in the District of Columbia by
the Center for Auto Safety, a consumers
group.
The Center for Auto Safety claims the
Energy Department violated a require
ment for 60 days’ public notice, plus a
30-day grace period, before the rules took
effect.
Ditlow said the change also discrimi
nates against full-service stations because
they will be reluctant to charge for serv
ices customers have come to expect, while
“the high-volume, self-service stations will
charge and get a higher profit margin. ”
The old regulations compensated full-
service stations for such courtesy services
as windshield cleaning and tire, battery,
oil and radiator checks by granting them a
higher profit margin than self-service out
lets.
The new regulations also give the na
tion’s governors authority to increase the
15.4-cent profit per gallon by as much as
10 cents in big cities and other locations
where overhead is unusually high.
that the president’s declining popularity
would make a Texas primary embarrassing
for him,” Ogg said.
“But the Kennedyites’ real motive was
not to save the president from embarrass
ment, but to insure that the early
primaries would be held on Ted Ken
nedy’s home turf — New England.
He said the same faction worked during
the 1979 Legislature to defeat his presi
dential primary bill, and applauded the
tactics of the “killer bees,’’ a dozen
senators who hid out for five days to block
a vote on the Ogg bill.
“If and when Senator Kennedy an
nounces his candidacy, the voters of Texas
should watch as the killer bees swarm to
his cause. Already an aide to one of the
killer bee senators who worked to defeat
the primary bill has announced his switch
in allegiance from President Carter to Sen.
Kennedy. He is organizing Kennedy sup
port in Texas,” Ogg said.
He said the SDEC’s promise to hold a
“beauty contest”-type primary if challen
gers to Carter emerge is meaningless and
an effort to pacify the party’s majority.
“The SDEC says it won’t hold a primary
unless candidates emerge. Who are they
kidding? Don’t they read the newspapers
or listen to news reports? Before they met
last week reports of Jerry Brown’s immi
nent announcement were circulating.
Anyone who doesn’t think Senator Ken
nedy is a candidate is politically naive.
There’s a leak every day about his impend
ing candidacy or a statement of support
from one politician or another,” Ogg said.
Ogg said polls show Texans favor a pres
idential primary, and the SDEC’s reluc
tance to have one will hurt the party.
“We have always maintained a strong,
traditional coalition of labor, farmers, sub
urbanites, minorities and young white col
lar workers,” he said. “This small, liberal
group now in control wants to narrow the
party s focus. It is the same group which
supported the fractious Mcgovern candi
dacy. And it is the same group which
called for more party openness, only to
abandon that cause once they gained con
trol.
“This Kennedyite faction is taking the
Democratic party of Texas back into the
smokefilled rooms of yesterday and leav
ing the voters outside where the Republi
cans are waiting with open arms.
Weather
The
temperature.
-Battalion
Partly cloudy with a chance of thunder showers.
Continued warm with a high of 93 and a low of 75.
Winds will be southerly at 10-15 m.p.h. 30%
chance of rain today. Outlook for Friday through
Sunday will be partly cloudy with a chance of
thunder showers, but no significant changes in
Vol. 72 No. 179
8 Pages
Thursday, August 2, 1979
College Station, Texas
USPS 045 360
Phone 845-2611
$20 million apartment fire
Arson investigation ordered
United Press International
HOUSTON — Arson investigators
Wednesday tried to reconstruct the cause
of a seven-alarm, $20 million apartment
fire and at least 600 residents left homeless
by the recordTsetting blaze started to re
build their households.
The fire started about 3 p.m. Tuesday
and 14 mph winds on the 90-degree day
rapidly whipped it through one-third of
1,100-unit, wood-shingle-roofed Wood
way Square before being controlled about
7 p.m.
There were few injuries because most
residents were at work. But Frank W.
Tyler, 20, suffered second-degree burns
over 50 percent of his body trying to save
his belongings. He remained hospitalized
in serious condition.
Chief arson investigator Leonard
Mikeska said several persons were ques
tioned, including two unidentified carpen
ters who supposedly had a dispute with
management and were on a roof where
witnesses said the fire started.
“We have two carpenters who were un
happy with working conditions and pay,”
Mikeska said. “We have a witness who
said they were in the area when the fire
started. We don’t know if that has any
thing to do with the fire.”
Mikeska said investigators also were
checking the possibility an electrical short
related to replacement of air-conditioning
units — which residents said failed fre
quently — on the roofs.
Rep. Bill Archer, R-Texas, asked Gov.
Bill Clements to seek federal disaster aid
for the displaced residents of the apart
ments, estimated by owner Paul Schuler
& Associates of Seattle, Wash., to number
at least 600.
The Red Cross, Salvation Army, two
churches and numerous private citizens of
fered aid to the mostly young, middle class
singles and couples, many of whom lacked
insurance. One who asked not to be
quoted by name was philosophical.
“I’ve always said I wanted to start a new
life,” she said. “Here’s my chance.”
Firefighters, who continued to watch
the rubble as investigators and ex
residents sifted, doused spot fires that con
tinued to smoulder in the ruins that one
observer said were reminiscent of a World
War II bombing scene.
“They’ve still got a few spot fires out
there around the apartments,” Fire Chief
V.E. Rogers said. “I have been here 24
years and it’s the worst structural fire Tve
ever seen.”
Rogers, who said “if it had happened at
3 a.m. we probably would have lost sev
eral lives, said the quick-burning wood
shingles complicated the firefighting. He
said it was the first seven-alarm fire in
Houston history.
City Council, which Tuesday had tabled
an ordinance tightening fire-proofing re
quirements for wood-shingle roofs, Wed
nesday unanimously approved the tighter
rules for new multi-family dwellings with
little debate.
Fifteen firefighters were overcome by
smoke or heat exhaustion, but they were
recovering Wednesday, Rogers said. Sev
eral residents suffered minor injuries try
ing to save their belongings.
Aggies help at fire
Seven Emergency Medical Technicians
from the Texas A&M University
Emergency Care Team helped the Hous
ton Fire Department during the fire that
destroyed the Woodway Square apart
ment complex Tuesday in Houston.
Houston fire officials said the fire was
the largest in Houston since 1912.
Steve Barron, squad leader with the
team, said the group called the ambulance
division of the Houston Fire Department
Wednesday and they said they needed as
sistance. When the squad arrived in Hous
ton they were the only EMT’s on the
scene, he said. Later EMT’s from the
Houston department arrived and the
Texas A&M team assisted them, he said.
The squad carried trauma equipment,
oxygen, and other emergency supplies to
the fire.
The team treated about 20 injured
people, he said.
Kyle Field
completion
rescheduled
In the spirit of the show business slogan, “the show must go on,” Texas
A&M University officials said the Oct. 13 football game with the University
of Houston scheduled to be played in Kyle Field will “go on” even if the
stadium is not finished.
Several Texas A&M officials met Wednesday afternoon with H.B. Zac-
hry, contractor of the project, in a closed-door session to review the
progress on Kyle Field.
Although a final decision has not been made, Howard Vestal, vice presi
dent for business affairs at Texas A&M, said after the session: “Based on
what I know right now, we ll play.”
The stadium will definitely not be completed by Oct. 13, Vestal said.
The first home game of the season with Brigham Young University was
scheduled to be played at Kyle Field Sept. 8, but had to be moved to Rice
Stadium in Houston because of construction.
Some of the access ramps to the third deck will not be complete, and
consequently about 5000 seats will be missing, he said.
Construction equipment on the site will be fenced to keep people out of
danger, he said.
There will also be corridors built to guide people to their seats and keep
them out of uncompleted areas of the stadium.
Vestal said he anticipates that basic work, such as the stands, ramps and
consession stands, will be finished by the Arkansas game November 17, but
all construction on the stadium will not be finished completely until the first
of 1980. Construction on the addition to G. Rollie White Coliseum will not
be finished until July 1980.
Vestal blamed bad weather and unusually heavy rains for the delay in
completion of the stadium.
“Mr. Zachry did the best job he could possibly do under the conditions,”
he said. “We are very pleased with him.”
They say they will go
Battalion photo by Clay Cockrill
This is a view of the Kyle Field stadium under construction taken from the 50-yard
line Wednesday afternoon. Officials speculate the game Oct. 13 with the University
Houston will be played here even though the stadium will not be completed.