Masterson, Texas
Unincorporated community in Moore County · Not an incorporated municipality
About Masterson
Masterson is an unincorporated community in southern Moore County, Texas, United States of the Texas Panhandle. It lies along the concurrent U.S. Routes 87 and 287, south of the city of Dumas, the county seat of Moore County.
According to Olien and Olien, "Out in the country, oil companies built camps for workers and their families in and near oil fields. As elsewhere, the camps for workers were necessary because decent housing and good roads were scant, but camps were also directed toward employee retention by offering amenities of suburban life in the middle of nowhere at rock-bottom prices."
Masterson was founded in 1927 as a support community for Canadian River Gas plant and gas pipeline, together comprising the Panhandle Field. Masterson was named for Robert Masterson, while the plant was named Bivins Compressor station, after Lee Bivins, another Panhandle rancher. The community eventually included 32 company houses for families and a hotel for single men. The Bivins Elementary School was built in 1937 and educated children through the eighth grade, after which they attended school in Dumas. Starting in 1943, helium was extracted from the gas at the Exell Helium Plant, which is located nearby and managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The government built 75 houses for employee families. The Masterson post office was established in 1950 and was located in the Exell Store, built in 1948. The compressor station was sold to Colorado Interstate Gas (CIG) Company in 1951. CIG was acquired by the Coastal Corporation in 1973, which then merged with El Paso Corp. in 1999, which was bought by Kinder Morgan in 2011. Starting in 1963, the housing at both the Bivins and the Exell camps was phased out. The Bivins school was closed in 1978. The station was bought by Pioneer Natural Resources in 2002.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How Masterson is governed
Masterson appears to be an unincorporated community or a census-designated place, so it may have no city government of its own — services usually come from Moore County and its elected officials. The chart below is a generic template; readers can correct it if Masterson does have local officials.
Form of government not yet listed.
0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Masterson
Registered voters elect the officials below.
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Mayor
Executive
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The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
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City Manager / Administrator
Executive
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The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
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Police Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the police department.
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Fire Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the fire and emergency services department.
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Public Works Director
Administration & departments
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Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
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Finance Director
Administration & departments
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The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
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Planning & Zoning Director
Administration & departments
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Land use, zoning, building permits.
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Parks & Recreation Director
Administration & departments
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Parks, programs, and public facilities.
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City Council
Legislative
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The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
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City Clerk
Administration & departments
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Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
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City Attorney
Administration & departments
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The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
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Boards & Commissions
Legislative
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Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
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Municipal Court
Judicial
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Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
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Municipal Judge
Judicial
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Presides over the municipal court.
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