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Mertzon City Council February 23 2026

  • Feb 23
  • 4 min read

Updated: Feb 24

The IC ISD detention pond at 4th and W. Fleming is nearing completion. In the next week or so the pavement on 4th Street will be redesigned so that water flows into the detention area.
The IC ISD detention pond at 4th and W. Fleming is nearing completion. In the next week or so the pavement on 4th Street will be redesigned so that water flows into the detention area.




A. Agenda Analysis

  1. City Engineers, item 5: Hibbs and Todd will be present to discuss the waste water treatment plant. The project is way behind schedule, so its appropriate the engineers will coming to hopefully move this forward.

  2. PACE interlocal agreement, item 6: Best I can tell with a quick search that PACE stands for Purchasing Association of Cooperative Entities.

  3. Right of way, item 7: There appears to be an encroachment issue here...

  4. Caliche pit, item 8: Have a concern about something you think the City needs to address? You have 2 options. You can speak about it during the public comments part of the meeting...or...you can do what apparently Mr. Oglesby has done. You can ask that it be placed on the agenda. The benefit of putting it on the agenda like it is here is that the Council can actually talk with you about it. In open forum discussion is prohibited under the Open Meetings Act.

  5. Canceling the Council election, item 9: If there are no seats being contested, then there is no need to have an election.

  6. Council pay, item 11: I missed a special meeting last week. Typically if a meeting lasts for only a few minutes there will be agenda like this one where the Council votes to waive their pay. I point these out because some of what I try to do on this site is to build up government when the facts call for it. Yes, I have my gripes, and I air those. But, I also point out when selfless service to our community occurs. This is a good example of that.

  7. What's not on the agenda: A few weeks back there was an agenda item about the Council's input on the water detention project at 2nd and Fayette. They (wisely) punted, and it appears to have dropped off the agenda...


Model T’s weren’t available until 1909, coincidentally the same year the 1909 IC ISD legacy building in Mertzon was built. And, my home in Mertzon was built in 1910 . So, back then there would have been more horses in Mertzon than cars. Most of the property within the city limits then would have been undeveloped pasture land. Enough of it was undeveloped that no one was likely concerned with rainwater runoff from impervious cover. Today, of course, there are a few horses here and there, and there are way more cars and paved parking spots than horses.
Model T’s weren’t available until 1909, coincidentally the same year the 1909 IC ISD legacy building in Mertzon was built. And, my home in Mertzon was built in 1910 . So, back then there would have been more horses in Mertzon than cars. Most of the property within the city limits then would have been undeveloped pasture land. Enough of it was undeveloped that no one was likely concerned with rainwater runoff from impervious cover. Today, of course, there are a few horses here and there, and there are way more cars and paved parking spots than horses.

B. Meeting Review

  1. Here are the meeting documents.

  2. Hibbs and Todd, item 5: Mr. Rich gave an informative update on both the sewer and water bond projects. Bottom line -breaking ground should be early summer, though there are some significant unknowns (like the Texas Water Development Board). I am monitoring for two reasons. First, staff transitions at H&T have significantly slowed the completion of these projects. Second, when one looks at the various public works projects around town their stamp is on the design pages. They are repeatedly getting a portion of our public dollars, and we need to expect a lot from them. Delays = higher costs.

  3. PACE, item 6: Yes, that is a purchasing cooperative. They approved.

  4. Right of way, item 7: This was an appropriately lengthy discussion about how to address a number of newly constructed driveways placed in the City's right of way, without contacting the City, on top of City water lines. The Council's longstanding hesitation to regulate by ordinance was evident in their discussions. See my commentary below.

  5. Caliche pit, item 8: There's a lot of meat on this bone, and I'm not sure just yet of whether to jump in the fracas. But the Mayor said, and he’s right, it is the people’s caliche.

  6. Cancellation of election, item 9: No one filed against members Councilman and Crutchfield, so they skate in for another term.

  7. Council pay, item 11. Selfless service to one's government is a worthwhile ideal to promote. One should not come to serve the people to make a profit. The Council rightfully denied themselves pay for attending a short meeting last week. Thank them for their service.

  8. Administrative report: Ms. Rabenaldt confirmed the upcoming closure of 4th Street between W. Fleming and Juanita in order for IC ISD to redirect the flow of stormwater into the stormwater detention field. See the photo below.



The alterations to 4th St. should direct the flow of water in the direction of the arrow.
The alterations to 4th St. should direct the flow of water in the direction of the arrow.

C. Commentary

  1. Right of ways: Regulating encroachments on City right of ways is a good thing because it creates certainty for future owners of the property who will be going out to a bank for for a loan to purchase. Regulations are especially appropriate when they help citizens build and transfer their most valuable asset - their home. See also the situation faced by the Tillman's back in 2025. My drum beat for the last almost 10 years of trying to protect my property in Mertzon is essentially this: municipal regulation creates certainty, and certainty protects property value and preserves wealth. And, thus, preserving property values also preserves the tax base the City relies upon. Regulation is a mutual wealth building necessity for both property owners and the City.

  2. Allow me (this part of my analysis being published on the morning of the State of the Union, February 24, 2026), to restate the following for emphasis: Selfless service to one's government is a worthwhile ideal to promote. It is impossible to thank an office holder for their selfless service when they are busy thanking themself.

  3. The Oncor / LCRA 765 kV transmission line dispute is very much unfolding in public documents online. I have intervened in the PUC case because one of the proposals is to put the line across my property at Cowboy Hill on Hwy 67. To do a deep dive, go here and put in 59182 in the Control Number box.





Copyright 2026 G. Noelke

 
 

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