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Mertzon City Council June 16 2025

  • G. Noelke
  • Jun 19
  • 4 min read

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Speaking of alleys (see item 5 below), one alley to watch is this one west of 5th Street between W. Fleming and Duncan. IC ISD fenced off all of its lots at this location to use for construction staging, and in the process also fenced off the alley (marked in red). Up close it is easier to see that the fencing is temporary, but a land grab of a City alley by the previous IC ISD leadership allowed an entire gym to be built on City owned land. Citizens have to mindful in Mertzon to protect public property boundaries.



June 13 City of Mertzon P.O. Box 456 * 104 S. Park View * Mertzon, TX 76941 Phone: (325)835-5791 * FAX: (325)835-7570 REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MERTZON CITY HALL MONDAY, JUNE 16, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. AGENDA 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. OPENING PRAYER 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/SALUTE TO THE TEXAS FLAG 4. PUBLIC COMMENTS Persons wishing to address the Council will be called at this time. Speakers must sign up on provided list before meeting begins. Speakers are limited to three minutes. DELIBERATE, CONSIDER AND/OR TAKE ACTION ON ANY OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS: 5. TREE IN ALLEY Citizen on Third St. would like to trim a tree located in the alley behind their home. 6. WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT LIGHTING REPAIRS Discuss quotes for the wastewater treatment plant from lightning damage. 7. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT (a) Approval of minutes. (b) Other announcements. (c) Review/approval of financial documents 8. DAILY OPERATIONS UPDATE (a) Updates on daily operation 9. ITEMS FROM THE COUNCIL (a) Items for future agendas. 10. ADJOURNMENT Aubrey Stewart, Mayor CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that I posted this agenda on the outdoor bulletin board at City Hall, at 12:00 am/pm on 11. Natalio Padilla, City Administrative Assistant
Agenda for City of Mertzon Council meeting

A. Agenda Analysis

  1. Tree in alley, item 5: Locals know that Mertzon has a history of protecting its trees, even when they are in the middle of a street, alley or Hwy 67. I will be on alert here for whether this particular tree is the one I helped my father plant in the 1970's that, unbeknownst to both of us at the time, is smack dab in the middle of an alley. In the "how to read an agenda" department, note that the language of the agenda item says this is about "trimming". This limits what the Council can do with the tree. The Council cannot "destroy" or "remove" the tree because that kind of language is not specifically stated in the agenda. Any formal action related to the tree can only be related to its "trimming".

  2. Lightning damage at the wastewater plant, item 6: The plant is going through a losing streak lately. The clarifier has finally been repaired, and apparently the recent lighting storms have taken their toll. The plant is scheduled to go through a major overhaul with some recently acquired bond funds, but now one also has to wonder how feasible that will be with the Trump tariffs. The upgrades may be more costly now than when they were initially approved last year.


Prior to 1976 when this IC ISD cafeteria was built, this area was undeveloped pasture land on the west side of the old gym. In its undeveloped state, it never flooded 4th street (not pictured at the lower right corner). Today all the water from this area pours directly into 4th Street and contributes to area flooding. The building is slated to become a "cafetorium" with 2024 bond funds.
Prior to 1976 when this IC ISD cafeteria was built, this area was undeveloped pasture land on the west side of the old gym. In its undeveloped state, it never flooded 4th street (not pictured at the lower right corner). Today all the water from this area pours directly into 4th Street and contributes to area flooding. The building is slated to become a "cafetorium" with 2024 bond funds.

B. Meeting Review

  1. Alley tree trimming, item 5: The citizen on 3rd street requesting the tree trimming failed to attend the meeting, so the discussion here was missing some specifics. I opted for a right provided for in the Open Meetings Act to speak publicly at the time the matter was being heard. (I have some lots nearby what turned out to be alley in question, and I wanted to protect my property.) Ultimately, the Council approved a motion to have staff provide guidance in the removal of the limbs. In this case it appears it was a mesquite, and not the oak my father and I planted in the 70's. Advocacy / civility tip: If you speak during a particular agenda item, make sure and ask to be recognized by the chair (in this case, Mayor), before speaking. My courtroom habit also caused me naturally to ask for permission to "approach" when Mayor Stewart began looking at a wall map of the City. These trial advocacy techniques (asking to be heard and asking to approach the bench) are intended to show respect and provide the ultimate deference to the sitting judge. They can do the same in public meetings where a chair is presiding, and I recommend their use. Another advocacy tip: if you want the Council to take action on a particular matter, use their process to get the matter on the agenda and then show up at the meeting. Again, failure to attend a meeting where you want a particular matter to be considered by the Council invariably causes a level of confusion during the discussion of the matter by the Council members. If you want decisive action, show up and be an advocate for your cause.

  2. Wastewater treatment plant lightning damage, item 6: the Council accepted a bid from RM Electrical to rework the damage done during a recent lightning storm. See the meeting notes at pages 2 and 3 for the bids. The Council did a good job here discussing and ultimately awarding the bid to the lowest bidder.


Brim’s Crossing flooded last week after ~4+” of rain in the area.
Brim’s Crossing flooded last week after ~4+” of rain in the area.

C. Commentary

This shows the re-turfing of the field at OK Wolfenbarger stadium the day of this meeting. To those perhaps already complaining about a purple and grey field (the school colors are purple and white) I’m certain I won’t advance the ball by pointing out that at least through the 60’s and 70’s the field was all grass and its lines were marked with flour. Enough stormwater flowed under Hwy 67 next to the field in the last 2 weeks that, if harvested, no doubt could have kept a natural grass field green all summer and fall. We are acting counter to our natural environment by using a synthetic grass while a literal river of rainwater isn’t being harvested to green a natural field. All the while, the massive wealth of IC ISD is being spent on companies outside the District, like Hellas, instead of for local jobs, like groundskeepers, who could retain the wealth locally.
This shows the re-turfing of the field at OK Wolfenbarger stadium the day of this meeting. To those perhaps already complaining about a purple and grey field (the school colors are purple and white) I’m certain I won’t advance the ball by pointing out that at least through the 60’s and 70’s the field was all grass and its lines were marked with flour. Enough stormwater flowed under Hwy 67 next to the field in the last 2 weeks that, if harvested, no doubt could have kept a natural grass field green all summer and fall. We are acting counter to our natural environment by using a synthetic grass while a literal river of rainwater isn’t being harvested to green a natural field. All the while, the massive wealth of IC ISD is being spent on companies outside the District, like Hellas, instead of for local jobs, like groundskeepers, who could retain the wealth locally.

Copyright 2025 G. Noelke

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