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Council approves amendment to Hudgins family groundwater lease
Summary
Bertram City Council approved an amendment to a 2024 groundwater lease with the Hudgins Family Trust that adds small additional properties and restarts the 50-year lease period; council members noted that use of the water during that period would make the lease perpetual.
Bertram City Council voted to approve an amendment to a groundwater lease with the Hudgins Family Trust, trustee Jeremiah Hudgins, that adds additional parcels and effectively restarts the 50-year lease clock.
Council members discussed the practical effect of the change. As one council member summarized, the amendment “adds additional properties” and “restarts the clock on the 50 year lease,” and staff clarified that if the city begins using the water within that 50-year term the lease would convert to a perpetual water source for as long as the water is utilized. The motion to approve the amendment passed on a council voice vote.
The lease amendment was introduced as Action 4.1 during the meeting; staff said the original lease was executed in January 2024 and this amendment brings small, existing properties into the agreement. The council did not provide a revision to fee or fiscal impact details during the meeting.
