Mertzon City Council March 2 2026

Agenda Analysis | Meeting Review | Meeting Documents | Commentary | Last Meeting

4th Street between W Fleming and Juanita is under construction to redirect the flow of stormwater off of the street into the new detention area.

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A. Agenda Analysis

1. Animal control ordinance, item 5. Animal control is a constant. See below.

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That’s City Gym in the background, right, and Estes Gym background, left. Both were designed to dump the stormwater from their roofs into 4th Street. Those leading IC ISD at the time City Gym was built (from 2019 bonds) took advantage of the City of Mertzon’s lack of stormwater ordinances.

B. Meeting Review

1. Here are the meeting documents.

2. Animal control, item 5. The Council took no formal action, but is considering the ordinance attached in the meeting documents.

3. Administrative report, item 6: The BOD level at the wastewater treatment plant is seriously out of whack, in large part because of aerator failure, which in turn has been worsened by the delays from the engineers leaving Hibbs and Todd.

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C. Commentary

1. I had a brief discussion before this meeting with Councilman Crutchfield about the prior IC ISD superintendent, current superintendent and what a future superintendent might be like. I pointed out that the difference between past and present is that Supt. Moore came to me at the beginning of her tenure and said, "I understand you have a disagreement with the District, tell me your side". She was able to do that because new board leadership at the time she came in directed her to start mending the relationship. The prior superintendent, Ray DeSpain, was effectively told by that board to build a gym and let me swim in the flood waters for all they cared. That board simply did not care that I pointed out before, during and after construction that they were violating the law. I've never seen such callousness in government, frankly. The skill set that Supt. Moore has that Supt. DeSpain did not have involves transparency. The ability to be transparent is a skill necessary for good government leadership, and it seems to me it comes natural to her. She is also better at managing conflict than he was. And, finally, I think she has more courage than he did. She didn't just come to me at the beginning of her tenure trying to better understand my complaint, she kept coming back trying to get things corrected. That takes a lot of courage to address, face to face, a community member who has been as upset as I have been (legitimately so) for going on 10 years. So, here's an advocacy tip for council members, board members and superintendents: you are molding the type of community you are leading by the skills and personal traits, or lack thereof, that you bring to the job.
   

2. Someone reached out to me today and they were unaware of how available the 765kV dispute was online. So, I am posting again: 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.

   Look for a local neighbor in the party column, and click on the hyperlinked number on the left to access the document. The “Direct Testimony” documents will be the most easy to understand.

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Copyright 2026 G. Noelke