The Decatur City Council voted Oct. 13 to join other local governments in funding the initial activities of the West Fork Public Utility Agency, a proposed regional entity that would plan and coordinate drinking-water and wastewater infrastructure across multiple jurisdictions in Wise County.

City Manager (presenter) told the council the agency would be formed under Texas Local Government Code Chapter 572 and would not be a new taxing entity; it may secure revenue through assessments and issue debt only with member approval. The council approved an interlocal cooperation agreement (ILA) that funds the city’s initial contribution to PUA due diligence and planning.

City staff presented the rationale as a long-range effort to identify a supplemental surface-water source outside Wise County (staff identified Eagle Mountain Lake and TRWD pipeline connectivity as logical supply options) and to pursue economies of scale by coordinating projects across jurisdictions. Staff said Decatur currently uses less than half of its 4,000-acre-foot allotment at Lake Bridgeport but that proactive planning is needed to serve projected population growth across the region.

The approved ILA includes an initial annual fair-share calculation shown in the packet; staff presented an estimated annual figure of roughly $4,040,003.45 in the exhibit and recommended a conservative not-to-exceed transfer of $41,000 for initial cashflow. Staff said those early contributions are structured to be reimbursable or credited to participating cities once the PUA begins operations and allocates costs.

The council’s vote authorizes the mayor and city manager to execute the interlocal agreement and process the initial payment. The concurrent ordinance to form the PUA is scheduled for first/second-reading action at the council’s Oct. 27 meeting.

Why it matters

Regional coordination could lower per-unit costs for major water and wastewater projects and provide access to additional surface-water sources. City staff and the Decatur Economic Development Corporation emphasized infrastructure resiliency as a reason to join the PUA now.

What council said

City Manager (presenter) said, “I wanna say it's not a taxing body. So… this is not a new tax,” stressing that the PUA would not unilaterally levy taxes on member cities. Several council members called the action proactive, with one adding that the move mirrors earlier long-term decisions that created the Decatur Water Board decades ago.

Next steps

- Staff will transfer initial funds and coordinate with the fiscal agent (New Fairview has offered to house the funds and provide monthly reporting).
- The council will consider the concurrent PUA formation ordinance on Oct. 27 and will later appoint a local board member to represent Decatur on the PUA board.