Bexar Metropolitan Water District customers have had enough. We want to do something about the problems within our water company. Some have presented a vote for dissolution as the only viable option, but a yes vote to dissolve BexarMet would permanently silence rural customers.
The district's board is selected by public election, BexarMet customers presently have the right to vote for their water district representatives. If BexarMet is dissolved and transferred to the San Antonio Water System, the San Antonio City Council will be appointing all representatives. San Antonio residents may choose their City Council members, while 44 percent of BexarMet customers who live outside the city will not have that voice.
A vote to dissolve means BexarMet's ratepayers surrender their right to directly elected representation. Those who support the dissolution of BexarMet justify the lack of rural representation because voters will have the choice of whether or not to agree at the ballot box. But does everyone really understand what they are agreeing to?
The San Antonio City Council's primary concern is for the residents of San Antonio, not those who live outside of it, and naturally so. Yet those who live outside the city are being asked to surrender local control of their water resources to an entity they have no voice in selecting. Presently, voters cannot be assured that SAWS will be accountable to the needs of rural customers and future development outside the city.
Legislators have placed us in an additional difficult position. SB341 places Bexar Met in pending receivership. The possibility of dissolution of the company by pending election gives SAWs a five-year option provision of takeover and sovereign immunity against all new contracts and debt agreements that bind BexarMet. Consequently, banks have recently given notice to pull short-term financing commitments which paralyzes all current capital improvement projects to outlying areas. This creates all sorts of immediate dire consequences.
If voters chose not to dissolve BexarMet by election, Senate Bill 271 takes effect by imposing strict term-limits on its board, as well as reformed ethics and reporting requirements. This will result in a better BexarMet while maintaining voting rights, accountability and direct representation for its customers.
No one denies that there have been serious problems with BexarMet. However, dissolving the company in favor of San Antonio Water System denies rural voters direct representation, governmental accountability and the local control they deserve and currently possess.
I urge all BexarMet customers to seriously consider voting against surrendering your voting rights and against loosing local control. A no vote on BexarMet will introduce reform, impose term limits and ensure a water district that is directly accountable to all of its customers — all of us.
John V. Garza represents Texas House District 117. He is a BexarMet customer.
Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Dissolving-BexarMet-would-silence-voice-of-rural-1625227.php#ixzz1TnOCmsoe
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