The Clarendon City Council voted to discontinue any further exploration of developing an independent municipal water supply during a called meeting last Thursday, September 26.
The city had spent several months looking into the possibility of creating its own water supply separate from the Greenbelt Water Authority, including having an engineering firm study the availability of groundwater in the city and negotiating a limited escape clause in its agreement with Greenbelt to allow Clarendon to breakaway from the five-city system it has be a part of since the 1960s.
City officials also consulted with a financial advisor about the idea and explored funding from USDA.
During Thursday’s meeting, City Administrator Brian Barboza said after reviewing the advice of the financial advisor and considering the city’s trouble with staffing, he did not recommend pursuing the project.
“My gut feeling is to not go this route because we’re good where we are with Greenbelt Water Authority,” Barboza said.
Alderman Ashlee Estlack said she had concerns about the financial impact of adding more salaries or higher salaries to the city budget to run a water supply.
“I don’t feel we’re in a position to take this on,” Estlack said. “This would be a 40-year debt. I’d rather be in partners with other cities.”
Estimates were that it would cost about $5 million to develop a water system, and that figure would become $8 million with interest over time. The city would trade off payments to Greenbelt for payments on debt to become independent, but officials did not believe there would be savings to justify the added burden.
Mayor Jacob Fangman said he did not see any savings in moving forward, and council members also worried that projected budgets were not accurately showing the added costs that would come with running a water system.
Alderman Mandy Smith also felt like the council should focus its energy on improving infrastructure in the city.
Alderman Eulaine McIntosh said she felt that continuing in the future it would be better to cooperate with neighboring cities for water although she had some misgivings about the original Greenbelt contract.
Greenbelt General Manager addressed some of McIntosh’s concerns, and Clarendon’s Greenbelt board representative, Cameron Word, also said he believes the Greenbelt system truly works for the betterment of all its member cities, which includes Clarendon, Hedley, Childress, Quanah, and Crowell.
Kidd said Greenbelt also has a payroll of about $600,000 and all but one of its employees lives in Clarendon. The other person lives at the lake.
While the Greenbelt Reservoir is suffering from drought and low water levels, Kidd said the lake had a 40-year lifespan. The water authority is also developing new groundwater sources with $18 million in funding from the Texas Water Development Board.
Estlack also reminded the council of what the Greenbelt system has done for Clarendon.
“We reap benefits that other member cities don’t,” she said. “We have the employees and the economic impact that has come from people going to the lake.”
Aldermen Tommy Hill and Terri Floyd also agreed with comments the other council members had made before the council voted unanimously to stop pursuing an independent water system.
In other city business, the council approved the budgets of the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation and the hotel tax fund budget of the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce, with Estlack abstaining on each vote. The council also voted to change the deductible on the city’s insurance from $250 to $1,000 to save on the premium cost.
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