Editor’s note: This story will be updated.
City leaders unveiled plans Wednesday night to form the West Fork Public Utility Agency — a proposed regional entity that would allow cities to collaborate on water infrastructure without legislative approval.
The public utility agency, introduced during the Wise County Mayors Coalition (WCMC) meeting at the Decatur Conference Center, could be a viable alternative to the Wise Regional Water District (WRWD), a legislative proposal that failed to pass during the 89th Texas legislative session.
Public utility agencies (PUAs) can provide many of the same tools as regional water districts, including the ability to coordinate on water and wastewater services. It would be funded through revenue collected from the water and wastewater services it provides to customers and would not levy a property tax.
But unlike the WRWD, the PUA does not require approval from the state legislature
Under Texas law, a PUA can be created by concurrent ordinances between participating cities. Once formed, it can oversee the collection, treatment and distribution of water, as well as the handling of wastewater. However, PUAs do not have eminent domain authority — a key difference from water districts. They also face higher interest rates when financing capital projects, compared to the more favorable terms available to legislatively created water districts.
The WCMC event drew most Wise County mayors, along with Texas House District 64 Rep. Andy Hopper and District 12 Sen. Tan Parker. Both lawmakers voiced support for the regional collaboration, commending the WRWD effort and backing future efforts to support long-term water security in Wise County.
Roughly 130 people attended the meeting, including real estate developers and representatives from the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD), Upper Trinity Regional Water District (UTRWD), Trinity River Authority (TRA), and Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District (UTGCD). Officials from the West Wise and Walnut Creek special utility districts — longtime supporters of the WRWD — were also in attendance.
In addition to surface water planning, Paradise City Administrator Chance Willeford shared a presentation on a potential regional wastewater project through the TRA, which could provide sewer service to most incorporated areas of Wise County.
Ryley Paroulek, of the engineering firm Westwood, identified potential sites to potentially draw surface water from Eagle Mountain Lake, which is owned and operated by TRWD. Boyd Mayor Rodney Holmes and attorney Ty Embrey of Lloyd Gosselink, a firm that represents several water districts and at least one PUA in Texas, also spoke.
Photos from the dinner:
Read more about WRWD efforts here:
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