Plainview ISD gives Tyre King to county

Rather than participate in cleaning up the 4 million junk tires littering the Tyre King property in Seth Ward, Plainview ISD has relinquished its share of the property to Hale County.

Voting unanimously 6-0 (trustee Adam Soto was absent due to work requirements), PISD trustees at Thursday’s regular board meeting accepted a staff recommendation to transfer its interest in the property to Hale County.

The defunct tire recycling center since 2009 has been the subject of several legal and criminal actions instigated by the state against its former owner. In September, the property reverted to Hale County, Plainview ISD, Hale County Noxious Weed District and High Plains Underground Water Conservation District for unpaid taxes after it drew no bids at a tax foreclosure sale.

The county plans to clear the property of junk tires, a costly multiyear project. To facilitate the cleanup, county officials have asked other taxing entities to relinquish their share in the property or help bear the cost of the cleanup. The High Plains Water District already has opted to give relinquish its share of the property to the county.

“This is really the best thing that could happen for us,” commented trustee Brandon Brownlee. “Kudos to Hale County for taking this project on.”

“It’s an eyesore on that portion of Hale County, and a potential environmental disaster,” added Greg Brown, executive director for administrative services, in presenting the proposal.  

The resolution agreeing to transfer the property to the county acknowledges “the District’s portion of the cost of the cleanup exceeds the fair market value of the property.”

Earlier in the half-hour meeting, Rick Garcia, executive director for business and financial services, reviewed the district’s 2015-16 FIRST (Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas) Report on the district’s financial transparency. Garcia said the district has once again received a superior A rating with a score of 90 out of a possible 100. A passing score is 31. The only category PISD failed to receive the maximum 10 points involves having sufficient funds set aside to meet required debt service. The district got a score of zero in the category since it doesn’t have anything set aside for debt service. That’s because the district has no bonded indebted.

The board also recognized Herald Editor Doug McDonough and former News Editor Homer Marquez for outstanding achievement after being named to the 2016 Texas Association of School Board’s Media Honor Roll.

Following Thursday’s board meeting, trustees and Superintendent Dr. Rocky Kirk were scheduled to participate in a three-hour team-building session.