Bell County agrees to share consulting costs to pursue regional water authority legislation

Bell County Commissioners on Tuesday authorized the county judge to enter a cost‑sharing agreement not to exceed $10,514.75 for legislative consulting services limited to establishing a Regional Water Authority.

Derek Aaron told the court his board approved a resolution of support and committed to match up to $10,500 if needed. He said staff have contacted Senator Flores' office and Representative Buckley’s staff, both of which indicated willingness to carry the bill. The consulting agreement is intended to be narrowly limited to the legislative effort to authorize the authority and to terminate once the bill passes or the legislative session ends.

Speakers described the proposed authority’s goals: aggregate multiple small water purveyors to pursue infrastructure projects; secure additional water rights (including reference to deeper Carrizo‑Wilcox/Simsboro supplies) and storage capacity; seek federal and state infrastructure funding; and provide a mechanism to address widespread distribution and water‑loss problems among smaller purveyors. Participants emphasized the authority would aim to rely on user fees rather than be a new taxing authority, because obtaining taxing authority through the legislature was judged unlikely.

Commissioners asked about prior efforts such as the Lone Star Water Authority and the Hays County model; presenters said earlier groups focused on financing and had mixed transparency, while Hays County’s authority (formed in 2017) provided a model for delivering projects. The court approved the cost‑share agreement by voice vote.