City council meeting puts spotlight on Throgmorton's past, skate park

The Commerce City Council met on Tuesday, Nov. 16.

Jason Cunningham, owner of Benson Brothers Towing, gave a presentation to the council members regarding a fee his company owes to the City of Commerce. The $200 payment is required by all towing companies that do work for the city so they can be placed and regulated on a rotation list.

Cunningham said he does not see why this payment should be required of him, since his business is the only towing company in Commerce.

"If you look at the ordinance, it says for keeping up with the rotation list," Cunningham said. "The list doesn't exist. I'm the only one here, and I've been the only one here for the last eight years. They've never pursued the issue of $200, because the police chief has always said there is no rotation list because there's just one here."

There is no punishment for not paying the required fee, but Cunningham said it is not about the cost.

"I can pay $200 and it will not affect me in one shape, form or fashion," he said. "I'm not a rich man, but I can afford $200. If I refuse to pay it, there's really nothing they can do. I'm going to pay the $200 if they want their money, but it's just a redundant deal."

During his presentation, Cunningham cited a case involving Mayor Quay Throgmorton and money he owes from a real estate project started in 2004. According to records Cunningham requested from the City of Commerce, one payment of $34, 887 was made on a $73 thousand project for sewer alone.

The contractors who did the sewer, McKinney & Moore, received their money. A $7 thousand payment was given to the city in 2007 when the project was finished.

"Right now, just from the lawyers and accountants that have looked at it that I've presented it to, there's as much as $30 thousand laying on the table that hasn't been paid back from his project," Cunningham said. "It's really either a sweetheart deal for the mayor, or somebody dropped the ball and didn't pay."

While Cunningham said he is not saying Throgmorton has done anything illegal or underhanded, he said having to pay $200 when more money is owed to the city by the mayor, according to city documents, seems a bit strange.

"I'm not accusing him," he said. "I'm just saying it looks to me like, by the city's own records, there's some 30 to 100 thousand dollars laying out there that he owes. He wants to come get me for $200 to be on a list that doesn't exist, yet, he owes that amount of money. I haven't seen him in an effort willing to pay, and I haven't seen the city going out anything. But this little situation needs to be corrected."

The second major presentation of the evening came from A&M-Commerce Adjunct Instructor of Political Science Barbara Lenington and her son Hunter Lenington proposing a skate park be built in Commerce.

Barbara said her son came to her with the idea after having difficulties skating on the streets of Commerce and on the A&M-Commerce campus.

"The park will get us off the street and college grounds and provide healthy exercise," Hunter said.

Barbara said the park would help skaters and the city.

"[Skateboarders] are not intentionally damaging anything, but a bench is not designed for a skateboard," she said. "It provides [Hunter] a healthy activity outside. My hope is to get him off the streets and into a safe environment."

The project for an eight to 10 thousand square foot skate park would cost $150 thousand to $200 thousand. Barbara said a group of citizens is already working on fundraisers, and she thinks the city can use hotel/motel tax money on the project since it will bring in tourists.

"We know it would bring money into Commerce, because we know it would bring people in," she said. "We think it would be a welcome addition to our parks and rec[reation] and hope you provide it to us."

Throgmorton said the city cannot do anything financially, as the budget for the current fiscal year has already been set.

"Basically, all we can do is hear the presentation," Throgmorton said. "This is not an action item. We've already set our budget for this year. If you can continue to coordinate with parks and recreation, I think we can move this forward."

Mayor Pro-Tem Richard Hill said he supported the idea.

"We think it's great to have something different for the youth in town, and I support you 100 percent," he said.

Barbara said she hopes to have enough money through fundraising and grants to build the skate park by next fall.

"Hopefully, we'll have most of the money in a year," she said. "We're hoping to have it built in 18 months, two years tops."