Orange residents urge council to repair badly deteriorated White Oak road

Three residents addressed the City Council of Orange on June 24 to press for immediate and longer-term repairs to a severely deteriorated stretch of White Oak.

Mike Green, a resident at 5075 White Oak, told the council, “This is about the road,” and said the surface is “worse than it's ever been.” He said he is “picking up hubcaps out of my yard 2 or 3 times a week.”

Becky Greer, who said she has addressed the council about the same road “for 10 years,” described recurring vehicle damage and safety concerns. “We all pay the full city taxes,” she said, and added that the road’s edges are “depleted,” buses use the route and the condition has led to broken glass and suspension damage for neighbors.

A third resident, who identified himself as Greer’s husband, described recent storm damage and asked for a targeted, short-term fix: “If y'all don't fix it, I would just prefer if y'all just scraped it and put shell down.” He said roughly 300 yards include a 3-inch gap and sections “completely gone.”

Council members acknowledged the comments and told speakers the council cannot respond to items not on the published agenda during citizen comments under the Texas Open Meetings Act; the mayor said the council would address the future of that street later in the meeting. The transcript does not record a formal motion, funding allocation, schedule or staff assignment to repair the road during the meeting.

The comments focused on immediate relief for residents (scraping and placing rock) and on chronic deterioration blamed by commenters on storms and long-term neglect. No council decision or timetable for action is recorded in the meeting minutes.