Musings of the Mayor

I’ve been in office as your mayor a month now, and it has been both an exciting and interesting month. 

I was in office only 10 days when the Region D Water Planning Board met.  I felt it was important that I speak at their meeting about correcting the omissions and just plain old out and out mistakes that were mysteriously submitted as both our short term and long term (30-40-50 year) water plans.  The water engineer for the board has made the corrections and the next step to approval of our plan will be a hearing in July.  I’ll be there. 

Another big thing on the immediate agenda with the Region D Water Planning Board is the selection of a new representative for Van Zandt County.  Our county commissioners’ court has selected Clay Nichols as the nominee.  To date, Mr. Nichols has nods of approval from most Van Zandt cities including Canton.  Clay has extensive agricultural experience as well as two years of graduate studies in Environmental Management and, most importantly, Water Resource Management.  It’s a difficult job, but I think Mr. Nicklas is well qualified for the position.

I attended the CEDE meeting and am encouraged about several new businesses that have expressed interest in coming to Canton, particularly in the IH 20 corridor.  And the CEDC is continuing to plan for the development of that IH20 corridor with grant money, and we don’t have to pay back that money.  My daddy would have said that grant money “. . . is like getting money sent from home without asking for it!”   Some of these businesses if they do come will use the sewer line which was such a controversy a few years back.  It’s becoming a reality as to how that sewer line will benefit us with new sewer usage fees,  an increase sales and hotel/motel taxes and higher property taxes on land that was previously on the tax roll as agriculture—the lowest tax classification.   Most of the day-to-day interstate customers do not come into the city to shop — so let’s serve them where they will stop!

It has been several years since there has been a concentrated effort to enforce city ordinances concerning non-running vehicles, dilapidated varmint-infested buildings, un-mowed lots, perennial and un-permitted garage sales and just plain old junk in our pretty little town.  The city has two new code enforcement officers who have begun the process of code compliance.   I am especially happy about the complaints I have received about these officers in their quest to make Canton safer and cleaner!  I think the most unusual comment/complaint I received was, “I got cited for ____.  However, my neighbor also got cited.  Thank you because we’ve both cleaned up and now the neighborhood does look better.”  

These officers are slowly working their way through Canton, so let me encourage you to take a look around your place right now and see if you need to mow or clean out some junk in your yard before they get there!

And what is this with all the trash in our ditches, neighborhoods and especially at the stop signs?!

I am seeing all kinds of Styrofoam cups and hamburger boxes, cans, plastic bags and just plain old trash.  Attention litterers – Why not make your momma proud by disposing of your trash properly instead of in someone’s front yard beginning now! 

And I want to thank Mr. David Castro, the new manager of Wal-Mart, and his employees who have started to regularly pick up the tossed plastic bags that blow into the fence across the street from his store.  Thank you! 

How about next time you shop anywhere, refuse the bag or take your own?

Periodically I hope to share with you more musings from what’s going on to as to why we have certain ordinances. 

Please feel free to contact me with your questions and concerns.  

You can leave a message at city hall or e-mail me at leverett@cantontex.gov or I’m on Facebook.

I can’t promise to fix all of your concerns, but I try to be a good listener. And I believe together we can make Canton a cleaner, safer, better place for everyone.

Lou Ann Everett

Mayor of Canton