Waller County residents press court for transparency, town hall on proposed "Texas Land" theme park

John Erwin, representing a group he said they formed called Citizens in Defense of Waller County, told the commissioners court on June 11 that residents were blindsided by a state bill tied to a proposed Texas Land USA theme park and demanded more transparency from local officials and their state representative.

Erwin outlined a timeline he said began in April when Representative Stan Kitsman filed legislation affecting the project and said notice of the bill did not reach much of Waller County. He said residents later learned the developer had asked Kitsman to remove the bill from the legislative calendar. Erwin said the group had collected more than 1,100 petition signatures and had launched a website and social accounts to share information. "We created our group. It's called Citizens in Defense of Waller County," he told the court.

Why it matters: Erwin and other speakers said the proposal could bring large traffic volumes, strain local emergency services, raise property-tax assessments if land is rezoned, and create environmental risks to groundwater and nearby creeks. They also described the legal power that an improvement district could have, including taxing authority and the ability to create a…