SRBA adopts state panel’s suggested changes to bylaws
MOUNT PLEASANT, Texas —The board of directors for the Sulphur River Basin Authority unanimously approved amending the organization’s bylaws Tuesday to reflect suggestions made by the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. They include adding an ethics clause where board members cannot grant any public money or things of value to an individual, association or corporation. A director may also not have an interest, including a financial or other interest in a business, or engage in a business transaction or professional activity that is in substantial conflict with their duties on the board.
“These have been added to our administrative policy,” Vice President Wally Kraft said, adding that most of the changes were already in the SRBA handbook, but not listed in the bylaws. “All these are per what the Sunset Commission wanted us to have.”
An amendment on public comments was also included and states that those who wish to comment must sign up prior to the meeting and speak for no longer than five minutes. The comment period at each meeting is also not allowed to exceed 30 minutes. Board members are not allowed to discuss or address the topic brought up in public comments, and can only respond with policy or factual informa-
tion. The changes to bylaws will be posted on the SRBA website at srbatx.org.
SRBA Consultant John Jarvis also gave an update on the Feasibility Study being conducted in the basin to determine if, and at what level, Wright Patman Lake could be raised for additional water storage. SRBA is the non-federal sponsor on the study conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which owns and operates the lake. They have been working for several years to reach a Tentatively Selected Plan to determine the level and the effects of raising the lake. The TSP was due in December 2016, but the Corps stated at that time almost $1.4 million was needed from SRBA to reach that goal. Soon after, an exemption was sent to the corps’ federal office requesting the remaining half of the funds and more time to complete the project.
The Joint Commission for Program Development, an entity comprised of five water districts in Dallas which fund SRBA, committed the $1.4 million in February of this year.
Jarvis told the board that they are still working toward the exemption, but there are projects nation-wide also needing funds, and that the corps is urging those needing money to re-examine their needs in detail and request the exemptions at a later time.
“If the exemption is taken at this point, and not done until afterwards, that would probably help speed the process up a couple of months,” he said. “We still don’t know how long it will take to get to it yet, but it helps.”
Nova Robbins with the corps’ Fort Worth District, concurred with Jarvis’ statement.
“We don’t have a good idea of what the answer is or what we would do moving forward, so it’s kind of a push from above the corps’ head, from the Assistant Secretary of the Army’s office, that’s saying ‘You’re coming up too early,’” she said. “What’s happening in a lot of cases… (they are) asking for more money again. It’s just the timing.”
Robbins added that corps headquarters is requesting that changes should be made in the method of approach in asking for the exemption.
“So we’re going to shift, starting with this project, we’re going to shift it and work on getting more information and more accurate cost analysis before we go up and say ‘This how much money we need and this is what we need to do,’” she said. “Next week, we’ll have a meeting, see where we go from here, get a good idea of what our next steps are.” In other business, the board approved a year-long contract with Dr. Mike Buttram as a consultant on water quality. Buttram has worked for several years with the Clean Rivers Program, which SRBA oversees and he has given several presentations to the board on the issue of sedimentation. His duties include offering guidance on correcting the sedimentation issue, interacting with landowners to promote stewardship of water resources, participating in stakeholder meetings related to water quality and working with state agencies to secure funding for water quality projects. His service agreement begins May 1.
The next meeting is scheduled for May 16.