By Jamaal E. O'Neal
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
A Houston-based medical-waste disposal firm is getting a tax break from Carthage.
City commissioners approved a resolution Monday that grants Sharps Compliance a five-year tax abatement.
Under the resolution, Sharps Compliance will get a 40 percent property tax break this year. That discount will ratchet down in the next several years so that by 2014 the company will pay 100 percent of its property taxes. The company also must invest more than $1 million at its local plant and create and retain another six jobs by 2014, according to Carthage Economic Development Corp. CEO Charles Thomas.
The company employees eight people at its Carthage plant.
Officials announced plans in February to invest an additional $2 million at the LaSalle Parkway facility in the next two years to dispose of hypodermic needles, lancets and any other medical devices that puncture or cut the skin.
Sharps Compliance Executive Vice President David P. Tusa said the company has invested about $1.5 million during the past six months to make the site compliant for medical waste disposal.
Construction on the expansion could begin in two months.
In other business, commissioners approved a lease agreement between the city and East Texas Medical Center EMS.
City Secretary Donna Sickel said ETMC will pay the city $2,150 per month for next 10 years to recoup construction costs of the new EMS facility on Ball Park Road near the Carthage Baseball Complex.
The Carthage Improvement Corp., a seven-member committee responsible for allocating a portion of sales tax money toward economic improvement projects, approved spending as much as $300,000 on the building in June.
The new EMS facility will have three ambulance bays and space for one fire truck. Sickel said ETMC will take care of the operation, maintenance and insurance on the building.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Crime Doesn’t Pay… Or Does It?
DA’s Corner by District Attorney Mike Little
You always hear the phrase “Crime doesn’t pay” but perhaps it does.
I believe that this phrase was originally coined to make the point that criminals who think they can make fast and easy money will eventually be caught and brought to justice.
Hence, crime doesn’t pay… at least in the long run. This is still true in my opinion but the criminal justice system has devised a way for criminals to pay back crime victims.
So, in a sense, crime does pay when criminals reimburse crime victims for their losses.
This program is known as the Texas Crime Victims’ Compensation Program.
The Texas Crime Victims’ Compensation Program is a financial assistance program that helps eligible victims of crime with certain expenses related to certain crimes.
Although this program has many positive attributes, one of the best things about this program is that the money for this program comes from court costs paid by criminals and deposited by each Texas county into the Crime Victims’ Compensation Fund.
To be eligible for compensation a person must be a U.S. resident with the crime occurring in Texas or a Texas resident who becomes a victim in a state or country without a compensation program.
United States citizenship is not required.
Also, a person must report the crime to a law enforcement agency within a reasonable period of time, but not so late as to interfere with or hamper the investigation and prosecution of the crime.
Additionally, the application for crime victim compensation benefits must be filed within three years of the date of the crime.
The following persons may qualify for compensation: an innocent victim of crime who suffers substantial threat of physical and/or emotional harm or death; a dependent of a victim; an authorized individual acting on behalf of a victim; an intervenor who goes to the aid of a victim or peace officer; a person who legally assumes the obligations or voluntarily pays certain expenses related to the crime on behalf of the victim; immediate family or household members related by blood or marriage who require counseling as a result of the crime; a peace officer, fire fighter or individual who has a duty to protect the public and who is injured in a crime.
Benefits may be reduced or denied if the victim participated in the crime, engaged in illegal activity, contributed to the crime, was an inmate at the time of the crime, knowingly or intentionally submitted false or forged information to the Crime Victims’ Compensation Program, and/or did not cooperate with the appropriate law enforcement agencies.
Crime Victims’ Compensation benefits may be approved up to a total of $50,000.
In the case of catastrophic injuries resulting in a total and permanent disability, victims may be eligible for an additional $75,000 in benefits.
Approved benefits may be awarded for the following: medical, hospital, physical therapy and/or nursing care; psychiatric services; relocation assistance for victims of family violence or sexual assault who are assaulted in their place of residence; loss of earnings or support; loss of wages and travel reimbursement due to participation in, or attendance at, the investigation and prosecution phases; care of a child or dependent; funeral and burial expenses; crime scene clean-up; replacement costs for certain property seized as evidence or rendered unusable as a result of the criminal investigation; loss of wages and travel to seek medical treatment or counseling.
Additional benefits are available for victims who have suffered a catastrophic injury.
The Crime Victims’ Compensation Program is administered by the Office of the Texas Attorney General.
However, the victim assistance coordinator in my office is available to assist any eligible person with the filing of the appropriate paperwork.
So, does crime pay? Not really. But criminals certainly do… in many ways. The Crime Victims’ Compensation Program is one of those ways.
Meanwhile...Stay Safe!
You always hear the phrase “Crime doesn’t pay” but perhaps it does.
I believe that this phrase was originally coined to make the point that criminals who think they can make fast and easy money will eventually be caught and brought to justice.
Hence, crime doesn’t pay… at least in the long run. This is still true in my opinion but the criminal justice system has devised a way for criminals to pay back crime victims.
So, in a sense, crime does pay when criminals reimburse crime victims for their losses.
This program is known as the Texas Crime Victims’ Compensation Program.
The Texas Crime Victims’ Compensation Program is a financial assistance program that helps eligible victims of crime with certain expenses related to certain crimes.
Although this program has many positive attributes, one of the best things about this program is that the money for this program comes from court costs paid by criminals and deposited by each Texas county into the Crime Victims’ Compensation Fund.
To be eligible for compensation a person must be a U.S. resident with the crime occurring in Texas or a Texas resident who becomes a victim in a state or country without a compensation program.
United States citizenship is not required.
Also, a person must report the crime to a law enforcement agency within a reasonable period of time, but not so late as to interfere with or hamper the investigation and prosecution of the crime.
Additionally, the application for crime victim compensation benefits must be filed within three years of the date of the crime.
The following persons may qualify for compensation: an innocent victim of crime who suffers substantial threat of physical and/or emotional harm or death; a dependent of a victim; an authorized individual acting on behalf of a victim; an intervenor who goes to the aid of a victim or peace officer; a person who legally assumes the obligations or voluntarily pays certain expenses related to the crime on behalf of the victim; immediate family or household members related by blood or marriage who require counseling as a result of the crime; a peace officer, fire fighter or individual who has a duty to protect the public and who is injured in a crime.
Benefits may be reduced or denied if the victim participated in the crime, engaged in illegal activity, contributed to the crime, was an inmate at the time of the crime, knowingly or intentionally submitted false or forged information to the Crime Victims’ Compensation Program, and/or did not cooperate with the appropriate law enforcement agencies.
Crime Victims’ Compensation benefits may be approved up to a total of $50,000.
In the case of catastrophic injuries resulting in a total and permanent disability, victims may be eligible for an additional $75,000 in benefits.
Approved benefits may be awarded for the following: medical, hospital, physical therapy and/or nursing care; psychiatric services; relocation assistance for victims of family violence or sexual assault who are assaulted in their place of residence; loss of earnings or support; loss of wages and travel reimbursement due to participation in, or attendance at, the investigation and prosecution phases; care of a child or dependent; funeral and burial expenses; crime scene clean-up; replacement costs for certain property seized as evidence or rendered unusable as a result of the criminal investigation; loss of wages and travel to seek medical treatment or counseling.
Additional benefits are available for victims who have suffered a catastrophic injury.
The Crime Victims’ Compensation Program is administered by the Office of the Texas Attorney General.
However, the victim assistance coordinator in my office is available to assist any eligible person with the filing of the appropriate paperwork.
So, does crime pay? Not really. But criminals certainly do… in many ways. The Crime Victims’ Compensation Program is one of those ways.
Meanwhile...Stay Safe!
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