Published: November 10, 2009 03:28 pm      

Deen discusses Deer Creek issues

Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of stories showing the various sides of the Deer Creek and Dyegard water system issues in East Parker County. This story only reflects the views of Hudson Oaks Mayor Pat Deen. A previous story included the views of the Willow Park mayor and future stories will include the mayors of Aledo and Annetta.

Crystal Brown

cbrown@weatherforddemocrat.com

Hudson Oaks Mayor Pat doesn’t see eye to eye with Willow Park Mayor Kenneth Hawkins when it comes to the Deer Creek and Dyegard water systems.

In Sunday’s Democrat, Hawkins said Doyle Handley offered the Deer Creek system to Hudson Oaks and Aledo before proposing its sale to Willow Park. Deen said Hudson Oaks was never offered the system and even if it had, they would have turned it down.

“What really went above the radar is when they applied to expand the CCN (Certificate of Convenience and Necessity, the legal paperwork required for changing ownership of a water system) by several thousand acres to control growth in the eastern Parker County quadrant,” Deen said. “A city should not have the ability to control that much outside their city limit in terms of controlling growth.”

Deen said the cities of eastern Parker County see Willow Park’s control of those water systems as threat to future growth. So Hudson Oaks, Aledo and the Annettas joined together to for a coalition to stand up for the rights of their respective cities and the residents in the Deer Creek and Dyegard system areas which have no representation on a city council.

“Willow Park’s decision to enter into a for-profit water ownership raised questions and concerns to all those around us of why they would do that,” Deen said referencing Willow Park’s purchase of Deer Creek.

As for the Dyegard system, Hudson Oaks was negotiating the purchase of the system, which lies in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), when Willow Park bought it. Now future residents of Hudson Oaks will purchase water from Willow Park, a city where they have no representation.

“That’s unacceptable,” Deen said. “It’s one thing to reach out to them to work with them, but at the end of the day they have no say what so ever to the elected officials who are establishing those rates. That is fundamentally wrong. You should have say in those who have decision impacting your life. [Willow Park] shouldn’t have that control and shouldn’t want it.”

As the city’s prepare for mediation Friday, Deen said the best option is for the Parker County Utility District to purchase both systems so all the residents have proper representation. But he is concerned Willow Park has already made up its mind.

“Dyegard is in our ETJ and some in Willow Park’s ETJ, that’s why I think PCUD is viable purchaser in that system,” Deen said. “We are willing to work in anyway possible for it to be equitable. As for Deer Creek, PCUD now has legislative authority to own a retail system. They are the perfect buyer for that.”

PCUD is made up of country representatives and their only customer at this point is Hudson Oaks, who purchases surface water from Weatherford through the utility district. Deen said PCUD could establish and operate the Deer Creek and Dyegard systems and provide direct representation to the residents in establishing rates and managing the system.

Deen said he has been meeting with Hawkins for several months trying to move forward the PCUD purchase of the water systems and PCUD has previously submitted two proposals to Willow Park for the purchase.

“Neither of which received any response of any kind what-so-ever,” Deen said.

Hawkins said in Sunday’s Democrat that he and the mayors of the other city’s came to a “hand shake” agreement for the purchase of Deer Creek for a set cash price by a given date, but the coalition did not take action by the agreed date. Deen disagrees.

“It was agreed just to meet [together] by a certain date,” Deen said. “That has already been addressed by the trial last December which we won by jury. The verdict of that was Willow Park breached first on the contract and then the coalition breached after that subsequently to Willow Park’s response.”

He wouldn’t discuss any details on possible negotiations to take place in Friday’s mediation.

“I will not get into mediating this in the media,” Deen said. “That is what the mediation is set for. I expect this to be worked out this Friday.”

And as to Hawkins remarks that it’s the lawyers dragging out the dispute, Deen said “absolutely incorrect.”

“I can appreciate Mayor Hawkins comments that the mayors are elected to make executive decisions, but what is more correct is the mayors along with the councils work together to make decisions,” Deen said. “Our attorneys on behalf of the coalition of mayors have not made any decisions on our behalf. It has been our decisions that have us where we are today.”

Following Friday’s mediation, additional court dates are set in the future for rate hearings concerning both Deer Creek and Dyegard. Since the residents have no representation on the Willow Park council, the only way for their grievances to be heard concerning water rates is at the state level.

At a special meeting Monday night, Willow Park consolidated part of their water rate tiers to lower the water price. Deen questioned why the city waited so long to implement the change.

“I commend them for lowering the rates, but it’s all about consistency,” he said. “I attended a meeting of Deer Creek residents on water rates. These people were in tears with bills as high as $1,200 or $1,500 and on fixed incomes. They didn’t know what to do. Where were those lower rates back then? And what’s to say once this is settled, they won’t raise the rates once again.”

Deen stated several times he believes it is fundamentally wrong for a city to own a water system that lies within the boundaries of another city and questioned Willow Park’s concern about their public image.

“So much is put into a city’s image and who you are and how you work with people,” Deen said. “That should be a big focus and reason to get this resolved. I sincerely want a good working relationship with Willow Park and will do whatever it takes to do so, but they need to meet us halfway on this.”