Maldonado third MW council member targeted by recall petition, city's water rate hike cited again

Credit: Jordan McCullough

Weatherford Democrat
By Glenn Evans [email protected]
January 12, 2024

MINERAL WELLS — A third petition drive to remove a Mineral Wells City Council member targets Ward 2 Councilman Carlos Maldonado.

The main issue the petitioners are taking to doorsteps in Maldonado’s northeast Mineral Wells Ward 2 mirrors petitions seeking to oust Jerrel Tomlin and Doyle Light from Wards 1 and 4.

It’s about the recent 146 percent hike in water rates the council enacted to back up $277.5 million the city is asking from bonding companies to build the $200 million Turkey Peak Reservoir, a $40 million water treatment plant and other water infrastructure.

“They all vote 7-0,” petition volunteer Joey Miller said of the council. “It’s not like one guy goes, ‘Hey, these people can’t afford the 146 percent increase.’ “

Miller and her husband live on Lake Palo Pinto. Her interest in the water district that owns the lake spilled into alarm at the city rate hike out of concern it might be passed to her water provider, Lake Palo Pinto Area Water Supply Corp., which buys raw water from the district.

She is not the sworn affiant on this third petition, Ward 2 resident Ron Davis is.

But she has participated in all three petition drives and reports this one has been the most pleasant, except for the cold weather.

Miller said she is one of five non-city residents who are long-term signature seekers and that 10 city residents are in the group.

“When (Facebook group) We The People and a bunch of people started petitioning, I said, oh, this feels like a worthy cause. I think the people are going to show up at the polls (in May) and vote these people right out. They work for us. That’s why people move to the United States and Texas — Texas, the greatest state.”

Miller declined to say how many names had been collected by mid-week, citing suspicions the city could retaliate.

The group has until Jan. 29 to turn in the signatures of one-quarter of registered Ward 2 voters — around 400 names.

“We’re doing very well,” she said Wednesday. “We’ve only been walking nine days, and the response is better than in any ward we’ve walked in. ... We’ve gotten a lot of young people coming out, and it’s been very nice. This last one’s been very nice.”

Miller also said several people are lining up to run for the seats they hope to empty. She declined to name them.

Affiant Davis named one — himself.

“Someone’s got to step up,” Davis said. “I’ve never been involved in politics in any way other than being a critic of politicians.”

Davis acknowledges his county, and Texas as a whole, are staring at a coming water crisis.

He also said the responsible thing for Mineral Wells to do is plug leaks in the existing system. All three recall petitions cite a 2 million gallon daily water loss to evaporation caused by using Palo Pinto Creek to send water from the lake to the Hilltop Water Treatment Plant.

“If we plug that hole, we might not have a water problem,” he said, adding the regular flushing of the dead-end water loop at Fort Wolters to the equation.

The lake’s manager, Howard Huffman, says using the creek filters the water to a cleaner state before it reaches the 60-year-old plant, which is under a state violation notice for lack of capacity.

“We have all these leaks in the infrastructure system,” Davis said. “We’ve got to address that before we build a reservoir. ... This is a serious situation — a 146 percent rate increase.”

Davis said his own monthly water bill more than doubled from October’s $42 to $96 in November.

“People have shown us their bills, $500 water bills,” he said. “Could you live with that?”

Perhaps Davis’ biggest complaint, one shared with other petition organizers, is what they describe as a lack of transparency.

All discussions leading to the lake-related votes have been in open session at city council meetings. And Ward 3 Councilwoman Beth Watson hosted an open town hall at the Senior Citizens Center shortly after the rate hike was announced.

But Davis pointed to an invitation-only “Water Summit” that state Rep. Glenn Rogers hosted at the Crazy Water Hotel last August.

Some 200 attended that meeting, which drew statewide voices including Brooke Paup, chairwoman of the Texas Water Development Board.

Rogers’ staff said at the time the meeting in the seventh-floor ballroom was invitation-only because it was catered.

“People weren’t allowed to go in,” Davis said. “We waited for them to come out of the building, and Rogers came out on the south side.”

He added he would have skipped the catered meal to attend the water summit.

“Well, of course,” he said. “I don’t care about the food. I’m concerned about water.”