GCUWCD approves 95 percent budget increase for 2025-2026

The Gonzales County Underground Water Conservation District (GCUWCD) board held its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9, relocating to its St. Matthew Street office from the Courthouse despite the cramped quarters — limited seating caused overcrowding and frustration.

The public hearing scheduled for the legislative changes to the district rules was canceled. The board made its way through the lengthy agenda, despite confusion due to misnumbered agenda items. Below are some of the highlights by agenda item number:

• 2. Public Comments. Various citizens stepped up to speak their three minutes of allowed time, with concerns about massive groundwater exports granted by GCUWCD while also being taxed by the GCUWCD on their property.

• 5. Executive Session for attorney-client consultation.

• 6. Engagement Letter for Legislative Services from GM Ellis Law Firm, LLC. Board action: approved a $64,000 contract for lobbyist Greg Ellis.

• 7. Engagement Letter for Legislative Services from Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody. Board action: tabled.

• Item 8. Request for Motion for Rehearing from Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority. Board action: skipped over.

• Item 9. Setting Property Tax Rate for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. Board approved proposed tax rate of $0.002729 (or 0.2729 cents) per $100 of property value for year 2025, a tax bill increase of 4.61 percent on the average homestead from year 2024 due to rising property values. Citizens argued it's unfair to burden locals with taxes while at the same time granting away groundwater to exporters and spending more than an entire year's property tax revenue on outside attorneys and consultants for GBRA's permit application, which has not been reimbursed. Noteworthy, the board approved the tax increase before approving the budget.

• Item 10. Revisions to District's Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Budget. Board approved various expenditures to increase total expenses to $857,016 from $830,386 — an increase of $26,630.

• Item 12. District's Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Budget. Board approved a massive budget increase from prior budget year 2024-2025, going from $830,386 to $1,625,061 for year 2025-2026 — a 95 percent increase. The increases appear to be largely due to employee health insurance ($20,400 increase), conservation consultant ($60,000 new), legal ($200,000 increase due to GBRA), well plugging program ($100,000 increase), well inspection ($15,000 increase), recharge study ($85,000 new), local groundwater model 1 of 2 ($120,000 new), and conservation/groundwater lease purchases ($250,000 new).

• 13. Amend District's Western Mitigation Fund Fiscal Year 2024-2025 budget. Board action: approved increase from $175,000 to $320,000.

• 14. & 15. Western and Eastern Mitigation Funds. Board action: approved for year 2025-2026 at $186,500 and $380,000 respectively.

• 17. Interlocal Agreement with Lost Pines GCD. A possible interlocal agreement with Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District sparked lengthy debate. The agreement aims to address Carrizo Aquifer drawdown impacts by heavy pumping from wells approved by GCUWCD which impact neighboring Bastrop County. Wells are also impacted in Fayette County. Both counties have seven Carrizo wells of concern at varying depths. The general manager noted GCUWCD would cover 80 percent of mitigation costs for mitigation of the wells. After getting mixed information from the GCUWCD board and general manager, it looks like the general fund (sourced from property taxes) could be used to pay for the well mitigation. Critics raised concern that Gonzales taxpayers should not have to cover the bill for exporters to mitigate wells at all, much less outside the GCUWCD boundary. Board action: tabled.

• 18. Create Dedicated Email Addresses for District Board Members. Board action: approved.

• 19. Purchase Tablets for the GCUWCD Board Members. Board action: approved.

• 20. Purchase Sound System, Speakers, Microphone, and Camera for Meetings. Attendees highlighted persistent audio issues throughout the meeting, with some persons being hard to hear due to lack of microphones. Board action: tabled for more research.

• 21. Proposed Draft Rules for Public Comment. Board action: board approved issuing latest version of draft rules prepared by Greg Ellis for public comment, with rules hearing to be at next board meeting.

• 22. Permit Request for Irrigation Well in Carrizo Aquifer. Board action: a public hearing is to be held due to GBRA protesting a Gonzales County landowner permit request to re-equip an existing agriculture well.

It was mentioned that GCUWCD board member seats in precincts 1, 2, and 3 are up for election in May 2026. Citizens have indicated they wish to find good candidates to take these seats and help protect local residents, farms and ranches from exporters and future tax increases.

Ted Boriack is a member of the Water Protection Association and a Gonzales County landowner dedicated to preserving local water resources.