Gonzales water district to hold elections in May

GONZALES — The Gonzales County Underground Water Conservation District (GCUWCD) board of directors has called for an officer’s election to be held May 7. 

GCUWCD Administrative Assistant Laura Martin explained what a person should expect if they choose to become a candidate and thus be elected to the board. 

The GCUWCD was created in 1998 and has five precincts covering areas in Caldwell and Gonzales counties. Its board makes the best, sound decisions to protect the groundwater in the district, Martin said.

All five spots are up for election, with a small wrinkle in the years to serve in each term. Normally, a term on the board runs for four years. But in order to get the terms in alignment so that all five are elected at the same time, Precincts 1 and 3 will serve a two-year term while 2, 4 and 5 will serve four-year terms. They will cycle like this until all are on a four-year term schedule.

Board members are not subject to term limits thus can serve as long as they keep getting elected and choose to run. They meet on the second Tuesday of the month, hold public hearings on groundwater issues and are paid a small monthly stipend for their work.

It should be noted that this election has a different date than the upcoming primary election for county, state and federal offices. The GCUWCD is considered a municipal election with voters heading to the polls in May, not March or November.

Potential candidates should visit the district’s office at 920 St. Joseph Street, Suite 129 to fetch an application to appear on the ballot. Registrations will be accepted starting Jan. 20 and run until Feb. 19. The office is open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays, and Martin would prefer applications be delivered before the last hour of the last day.

“We welcome people to attend our meetings and be a part of the process,” Martin said.