Year in review: Local government

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - It has been a busy year for local government. From the City of Wichita Falls receiving an award, school board elections, and Wichita County Judge Woody Gossom announcing his retirement, News Channel 6 was there to cover it all.

As summer got underway, the City of Wichita Falls celebrated the opening of its new transit facility.

“This gives you the one-stop shop, one place you can come,” Wichita Falls Mayor Stephen Santellana said. “The rural and urban transportations are all being put here. It’s great for the citizens so they’re not having to, as well as all our maintenance people and people who use these facilities. Office people are not scattered around town, they’re all here in one location.”

July was filled with bittersweet feelings as longtime Wichita County Judge Woody Gossom announced his retirement. Gossom was the county judge for over 20 years, and a retirement ceremony was held for him on Dec. 19.

“It feels good because we have good team effort and we are like any family, we butt heads, but we have worked things out. I think one of the things I am going to miss most is the county judge has a chance to be involved with a lot of people and help get things done,” Gossom said.

His successor, republican Jim Johnson, was elected in November. He’ll be sworn in at the beginning of next year.

In September, the City of Wichita Falls received the Water Partners Award for its response to the last severe winter storm.

“All of our public works employees are dedicated employees, not only do their jobs in really extreme conditions, but they are also willing to go the extra mile to assist other communities and other water supply corporations to keep them operational as well,” Director of Public Works Russell Schreiber said.

In November, along with the midterms, several school board positions at the Wichita Falls ISD were up for grabs. Jim Johnson secured place five, Susan Grisel secured place 1, and Sandy Camp was elected trustee at-large.

As we look forward to 2023, we will continue to bring you the very latest.

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