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Aransas Pass council approves amended disaster declaration to address water shortage
Summary
At a special meeting, the Aransas Pass City Council amended its posted language to remove a 30‑day renewal clause and approved a disaster declaration tied to a water shortage; officials said the declaration speeds procurement and permitting and remains in effect until the council ends it.
The Aransas Pass City Council at a special meeting approved an amended disaster declaration related to a local water shortage, removing a sentence that had specified a 30‑day renewal period so the declaration will remain in effect until the council decides to terminate it.
Mayor Jason Knight, who led the meeting, said the declaration is intended to accelerate efforts to secure alternate water sources by reducing procedural hurdles. "This declaration does, it cuts out all the red tape. We can skip the bidding process that speeds up the process and it it cuts it cuts the permit process almost in half," he said, adding that state legislators and staff have been alerted and that the declaration signals the city is serious about a rapid response.
A council member noted the original declaration was issued April 22 and said that at the time the mayor could only declare a disaster for seven days and any extension must come before the council for approval. The Clerk reported that staff had checked statutes and consulted the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), and "TDEM confirmed that that you don't have to renew" the declaration every 30 days and that it is up to the council to determine when to terminate it.
Council member Randy Haskins moved to amend agenda item 2.1 by deleting the words "for an additional 30 days" from the posted language; the motion was seconded and the amendment was adopted by voice vote. The council then voted to approve the amended disaster declaration. The votes were recorded as voice votes of "Aye" and the presiding officer stated the motions carried.
The amended declaration keeps the emergency authority in place until the council votes to end it; council members and staff said the change is meant to give the city flexibility to speed procurement, permitting and other steps needed to secure water supplies.
After the vote the council entered executive session to discuss an audit of the Aransas Pass Chamber of Commerce and later reconvened in open session with no action taken.
