A resolution to call on Texas Governor Gregg Abbott to replace Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority board members and executive management was tabled again by the Gonzales County Commissioners Court at its meeting on Monday, Nov. 9.
Following the 2016 Lake Wood dam failure, formerly lakefront property owners say its value has been left in question. Friends of Lake Wood, an organization which has been advocating for the dam’s repair, began asking the Gonzales County Commissioner’s Court to take such action in 2020, just over four years later. Member Joe Solansky said the former general manager of GBRA, Bill West, had promised that the dam would be repaired within “six to nine months,” shortly after the failure.
The resolution has been tabled multiple times, with a need for more information or legal consulting cited at Commissioners Court meetings.
Representatives from GBRA were present to share their side. Current GBRA general manager Kevin Patteson said at the meeting on Monday that there is no value in repairing the dams, as the hydroelectric power generated by such dams would not cover the cost. He cited the recent election, in which residents upriver in Guadalupe and Comal counties chose to vote in a taxing district, charging themselves higher taxes to pay for dam maintenance.
The Court ultimately voted to table the resolution until a letter could be drawn up as opposed to the resolution created by Friends of Lake Wood, as Precinct 2 Commissioner Donnie Brzozowski and County Attorney Paul Watkins suggested a change of approach and tone.
In other business: