Dear editor:
Applause for the county's water resolution please!
I applaud the county's water resolution. It didn't commit the county to anything, it simply stated their position. Doing nothing was one of the options presented to Judge Davis and the quorum court a few weeks ago by the county's attorney, Judge Ralph Ohm. The city's water utility, an enterprise fund, has failed to maintain its commitment to the unincorporated area they chose to serve. The ill-planned and ill-fated, now-defunct attempt to take water from lower Lake Hamilton wasted millions of taxpayer dollars as it continued long after the city was told by the state the plan would not be approved. The city's imposition of water restrictions (in the unincorporated area they chose and committed to serve), stifling development in most unincorporated areas, was an unconscionable action by city bureaucrats and the city board.
Over time, the city has initiated various actions and policies to force corridor annexation in the unincorporated area. When these didn't achieve their desired result, the city "upped the ante" and imposed very restrictive connection policies to new residential and commercial developments in the unincorporated area. Corridor annexation forced unincorporated area residents to pay city sales taxes and the A&P tax to nearby businesses while their personal residences are left by the city in the unincorporated county area (taxation without representation) dependent on volunteer fire departments and the GCSD.
It is obvious citizens in the unincorporated area and county government erred when trusting water service to the city. Now the city "lords" over the unincorporated service area, picking and choosing where they will add water connections. Either the city allowed a crisis to happen while asleep at the wheel or created a crisis they are stifling growth. The statement by a city bureaucrat the city cannot allow commercial developments in the unincorporated area to deprive the city of revenue attacks the credibility of their position that there is a water crisis.
Another reason substantiating the city's water policy is an abuse of power and created crisis to force corridor annexation is the city readily admits they have plenty of water to service new residential and commercial developments inside the city limits. Obviously the city thought differently when they sought and welcomed new residential and commercial customers in the unincorporated area while requiring them to pay 50 percent higher rates. Efforts by the city to annex commercial corridors is nothing more than a "money grab" by the city to collect city sales tax and A&P Tax.
The good news is there will likely be an answer later this year from the Corps of Engineers so a plan for future water service to the entire service area can be developed without regard to the city limit, ETJ, etc. The city must not, ever again, mix their role as a water provider as a weapon to force annexation or use similar a similar tactic for other services. Unincorporated area residents should be wary and not ever again allow themselves to become dependent on the city to provide services outside the city limit at will. I applaud Judge Davis and the quorum court for their water resolution.
George Pritchett
Hot Springs
Editorial on 07/31/2015