MOUNT PLEASANT, Texas-The Sulphur River Basin Authority Board of Directors has created a committee to seek outside funding.
At its regular meeting Monday, the board elected Bret McCoy, Brad Drake and Kelly Mitchell to seek additional federal and state funding to participate in studies and pay an executive director.
"At this time we, have no potential funding stream for the next 10 years," Mitchell said. "We're not waiting on a funding stream. We will have to create a funding stream."
SRBA is funded through the Joint Commission for Program Development, an organization comprised of five water districts in the Dallas Metroplex seeking additional water sources for their growing population. SRBA's five-year contract with JCPD ends Aug. 31, 2018. Since the contract began, JCPD group has funded several studies within the basin with SRBA serving as the in-kind sponsor with the Army Corps of Engineers to determine if Wright Patman Lake can be reallocated and raised for additional water supply.
"We've got to find a funding source near term," McCoy said. "I think one, to satisfy Sunset and two, to give us some independence. You look at our financials and you think we have a lot of money, but we don't. We can't go out and write a check for $45,000 for a sedimentation study. It's not our money."
Seeking additional funding is mandated by HB 2180, passed in 2017 by the Texas Legislature to address critical issues the Sunset Advisory Commission found within SRBA. One issue was board training on the Texas Open Meetings Act and and that was done during a board workshop in February. The bill also requires SRBA to hire an executive director by October. An executive session was on Tuesday's agenda to discuss hiring someone for the position, but that was tabled until the next meeting to allow the committee to seek additional funding to pay the salary for the position.
In other business, SRBA Consultant John Jarvis said the corps has resumed work on the feasibility study to determine if, and how high, Wright Patman can be raised.
"At this time, it's showing that we should get to the TSP (Tentatively Selected Plan) by August if we stay on track," Jarvis told the board. "They have assured us they can get to the TSP, and of course they have their timelines put together with logic and time sheets."
The study has been delayed several times because the corps has instituted 3x3x3 Smart Planning, which requires all studies to be completed in three years for no more than $3 million. In late 2017, it was also declared inactive due to lack of federal funding. Now, the corps has received an exception, which allows several dam safety studies to be postponed until after the TSP is completed.
In August 2017, SRBA sent the corps $375,000 to reach the TSP. Jarvis said the corps had not used the entire amount and that the remaining funds should be sufficient for the milestone to be reached.
The board also discussed having corps representatives make a presentation before the TSP is completed, as Mitchell, Gary Cheatwood and Chairman Chris Spencer began serving in their governor-appointed positions in February. Jarvis said he would get in touch with the corps to schedule the presentation.
The board also approved Gary Cheatwood to serve as the SRBA representative at the Region D Water Planning Group meetings and for Mitchell to serve as SRBA's representative at meetings of Riverbend Water Resources District.
The next meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. May 15 at the Mount Pleasant Civic Center, 1800 N. Jefferson, Mount Pleasant, Texas.