The Texas Water Development Board met on August 18 to take up several items. The board approved financial assistance totaling $24,410,000 for water systems improvements and a flood mitigation project. $600,000 went to the Moffat Water Supply Corporation in Bell County and $13,000,000 went to Parker County Special Utility District for water system improvements projects. $10,810,000 went to the Fort Bend County Levee Improvement District No. 7 for a flood mitigation project. The full agenda can be found here and an archive of this hearing can be found here.

 

This report is intended to give you an overview and highlight of the discussions on the various topics taken up. It is not a verbatim transcript of the discussions but is based upon what was audible or understandable to the observer and the desire to get details out as quickly as possible with few errors or omissions.

 

Item 1: Discussion regarding outreach efforts and activities by the Board.

  • Visited with HEC to provide overview of agency
  • Spoke to safekeeping trust on performance of SWIFT portfolio, which is doing well
  • Kathleen Jackson was sworn in at PUC

 

Item 2: Consideration and approval of the Agency Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-2025 Legislative

Appropriations Request. (Sergio Rey)

  • Seeking approval of agency’s FY 2024-2025 LAR
  • Provides comparison of 2022-2023 baseline
  • Creates new strategy called “Planning”
  • Decreases budget because WIF becoming self-supporting, one-time $15M appropriation that doesn’t continue in 2024-25, and projected decline in flood science and mapping costs
  • Majority of exceptional items request funds from general revenue fund
  • Over $1M in federal appropriation authority related to FTEs for Water and Science Conservation Office
  • Capital projects: Acquisition of information technology, strategic mapping acquisition of data, vehicle replacement project, and shared technology services
    • All but shared technology services covered by 2024-25 base budget
  • Exceptional items:
    • Project management and risk mitigation item ($15.9M & 51 FTEs)- ensures agency’s position to support and develop project management tracking system
    • Water supply project ($5.2M & no FTEs)- supports local water supplies, including rural outreach
    • Rural assistance ($169.9 M & 14 FTEs)- supports technical assistance to rural entities, including $115M cash deposit for grants and loans in rural areas of Texas
    • Data enhancement and modernization items ($8.5M & 25 FTEs)- to modernize data infrastructure & enhance data collections for website and expand monitoring for water resources
    • FIF Package ($394.5M & 85 FTEs)- for program grants and loans; only 11 FTEs are new positions
    • Debt service in match- general revenue to issue remaining constitutional EDAP funds to ensure match needed to maximize state revolving fund programs, infrastructure, and jobs
    • Shared technology services to fully fund ongoing IT operations
  • $728.2M additional funds requested; $675.5M of which is for agency programs, rest for staff and agency operations; 10% increase over 2022-23 base budget
  • $52M in admin costs- directly tied to sunset report
  • Authorization motion passes

 

Item 3: Briefing and discussion on the status of the proposed revisions to Texas Water

Development Board’s guidance document related to use of Construction Manager-at-Risk

and Design-Build project delivery methods. (Jessica Taylor)

  • No board action requested
  • Design, bid, build is how funding has happened through TWDB up to now
  • Developed proposed revisions to alternative delivery methods, guidance, and administrative rules to help entities maintain project schedules
  • External stakeholders were consulted for their feedback on proposed guidance document, which they’re still working on and will post on TWDB website for public comment soon

 

Item 4: Approve by resolution a request from the Moffat Water Supply Corporation (Bell County)

for $600,000 in financing from the Texas Water Development Fund for construction of a

water system improvements project. (Tom Barnett)

  • 4,000 customers served in North Austin through Moffat
  • Working on a water systems improvement project
  • Identified increased costs to complete water project and requesting more from TWDF; inflation affecting their project budget
  • Authorization motion passes

 

Item 5: Approve by resolution a request from the Parker County Special Utility District (Parker

County) for $13,000,000 in financing from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for

planning, acquisition, design, and construction of a water system improvement project.

(Joe Koen)

  • 5,300 North Texas residents provided water access through their services
  • To ensure adequate system capacity, need 200 more connections in the system
  • Working on a water systems improvement project and request more funding
  • Authorization motion passes

 

Item 6: Approve by resolution a request from the Fort Bend County Levee Improvement District

No. 7 (Fort Bend County) for $10,810,000 in financial assistance consisting of

$10,486,000 in financing and $324,000 in grant from the Flood Infrastructure Fund for

planning, design, and construction of a flood mitigation project. (Nancy Richards)

  • In Northwest Houston, master-plan community serving 14,000 residents
  • Flooding causing erosion so requesting additional funding for planning, construction, and design of flood mitigation project
  • Authorization motion passes

Item 7: The Board will receive comments from the public on any matters within the jurisdiction of

The TWDB, with the exception of matters which are subject to the ex parte prohibition

found in Texas Government Code Section 2001.061.

  • The board did not receive any public comment and did not meet in closed session