MOUNT PLEASANT, Texas -- Sulphur River Basin Authority members made it clear at a meeting Wednesday [sic, should be Tuesday, May 20] that public comment is not a regular part of their monthly meetings.

SRBA Administrator Mike Burke interrupted the meeting when a member of the public attending the meeting began posing questions to the board regarding the legality of previously held informational sessions regarding the merits of the Marvin Nichols Reservoir.

"The question of whether or not the river authority violated the Open Meetings Act by holding meetings that were only open to the press and to others by invitation only is now before the Attorney General," said George Frost, a resident from Maud. "I want to know why the SRBA chose not to open their doors to the public and how they decided who it is they were going to invite."

Before Frost could continue, Burke interrupted him and addressed the board. "We have set policy on this board, that in order to speak at the meeting, one must be on the agenda, and in order to be on the agenda one must request it beforehand," said Burke. "We are breaking our policy if we allow him to continue to talk."

Frost apologized, claiming that he didn't think that his comments were disrupting the meeting. "I thought that I read in your bylaws that if it was a short meeting, and the comments didn't last more than five minutes, then the board would allow it," said Frost. "Of course, it is your discretion."

However, SRBA Vice-President Charles Lowry instructed Frost to cease talking and that if he wanted to address the board, he could request to be on the agenda for the June meeting. Frost did so, and also submitted a list of questions that he would like to have answered at the next meeeting.

Since Frost's questions centered around the legality of the informational sessions that the SRBA held earlier this year, Burke advised that the board wait and put him on the agenda until the AG's office had rendered an opinion. "In order to answer some of these questions, we would have to ask our attorney to come here from Austin, and we would have to bear that cost," said Burke. "It almost seems moot since it is already before the Attorney General."

Board members readily agreed to take Frost's request to be on the next meeting agenda off the table.

SRBA President Mike Huddleston was not present at the meeting.