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Rockwall council authorizes mayor to sign water MOU with Heath pending dismissal of lawsuit
Summary
The Rockwall City Council unanimously authorized the mayor to execute a memorandum of understanding with the City of Heath and directed the city manager to negotiate a water purchase agreement if Heath’s appeal of a lawsuit is dismissed.
The Rockwall City Council voted unanimously July 7 to allow the mayor to execute a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the City of Heath and to authorize the city manager to negotiate a water purchase agreement contingent on the dismissal of Heath’s appeal in related litigation.
The motion, made by Mayor Pro Tem Mower and seconded by Councilmember Lewis, directs the mayor to sign the MOU “upon the dismissal of Heath’s appeal of the North Texas Municipal Water District lawsuit” and authorizes staff to negotiate a purchase agreement based on the MOU’s terms. Mayor Tim McCallum said he and Heath’s mayor had worked with staff to resolve the long-running dispute.
The councilmember who moved the measure framed the action as a step toward partnership with Heath. The motion passed unanimously with no recorded opposing votes or abstentions.
Nut graf: The MOU and the follow-up purchase agreement are procedural but consequential steps toward a water-supply partnership between Rockwall and Heath. Both the MOU and a negotiated purchase agreement depend on resolution of ongoing litigation involving the North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD), and the council’s action ties Rockwall’s next steps to the legal outcome.
Council discussion and context Councilmembers did not debate alternative contract terms in the public meeting; instead they noted staff and elected leaders had negotiated preliminary terms while the litigation was active. Mayor McCallum said resolving the dispute would “close this down,” referencing a lawsuit that stretches back multiple mayoral terms.
The motion as approved authorizes two separate but linked steps: (1) mayoral execution of a memorandum of understanding with Heath once Heath’s pending appeal is dismissed, and (2) the city manager’s negotiation of a water purchase agreement grounded in the MOU’s terms. The council did not publish the MOU text during the meeting and no vote tally by individual councilmember names was recorded on the public audio for this item.
Legal background cited in meeting Council members referenced the ongoing litigation between the City of Heath, the North Texas Municipal Water District, and the City of Rockwall during earlier executive-session notices; the meeting record also cited Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code as the authority for the executive-session discussions.
What happens next Because the council tied the mayor’s authority to execute the MOU to dismissal of Heath’s appeal, the practical next step is either (a) dismissal of that appeal, which would allow the mayor to sign the MOU and staff to begin negotiating a purchase agreement, or (b) continued litigation, which would keep the status quo in place. The council did not set additional public deadlines or schedule a follow-up vote in the meeting minutes.
Quotes “...this lawsuit dates back to Kevin Fowler, who was the mayor two mayors ago now. So I’m glad to have this solved and we’re gonna move forward with a partnership with the City of Heath,” Mayor Tim McCallum said before the unanimous vote.
Ending The council’s action provides a clear conditional path for Rockwall to pursue a formal water purchase relationship with Heath, but the arrangement depends on the outcome of ongoing litigation involving the North Texas Municipal Water District.
