Wake Village Mayor Mile Huddleston spoke out Tuesday about plans his city has to start a water agency with six other Texarkana area towns. Presently, Wake Village, along with the cities of New Boston, Hooks, De Kalb, Maud, Avery and Annona are considering the possible formation of a new regional water supply agency known as the Wright Patman Regional Water Supply Agency.

Because the seven cities are currently involved in a lawsuit with Texarkana, Texas, and Texarkana Water Utilities, 76th District State Judge Jim White of Mount Pleasant has placed a gag order on all parties involved. As of Tuesday afternoon, White said that because the same seven cities seeking to start the agency are also part of the lawsuit, the gag order would apply to the agency as well.

Huddleston cited the gag order as the reason he couldn't talk about the lawsuit as it relates to the proposed agency. However, he agreed to address concerns about the agency brought up earlier this week as expressed in two previous Gazette articles.

The Wake Village City Council and the governments of the other six cities involved plan to meet at their respective city halls at 7 p.m. Thursday to consider adopting a resolution establishing the agency. A legal notice, recently published in the Texarkana Gazette, generated some local concern about the role and authority of the proposed agency.

Specifically, the notice drew concerns about the agency's "power and authority to investigate, negotiate and obtain permits and/or contracts for water resources in the state of Texas or with any state, any Indian Nation or tribe, and/or any other entity lawfully created for the acquisition and transportation of water supplies to meet the existing or future need of the agency and its members."

Texarkana, Texas, resident Oran Caudle previously said that these powers seem too broad and excessive as they relate to utility construction, financial bond issuing, land condemnation, contract awarding and property transfers. However, Huddleston said the primary reason for starting the agency with the power and authority as provided in the resolution's language would simply be to ensure a basic need for waters these and other cities will have far into the future. It will also help make sure these cities receive water at the most affordable rates.

"I nor any other city official can predict what our water needs will be 50 to 100 years from now. But every city needs water and it's a major responsibility of any city to provide it for its citizens," Huddleston said. "You need to make sure your citizens have water to fight fires, shower and drink and we have to be able to obtain water that's affordable."

Huddleston added that the agency's membership won't be limited to the seven charter city members. "Once we get the agency established, any city -- Nash, Clarksville, Redwater, Atlanta, whoever -- anybody will be welcomed to join it," he said. "These seven cities are just the starting point because whoever else wants to join can come right on in." Huddleston said having several cities as part of one agency helps prevent any one city or one public utility (not referring to Texarkana Water Utility per se) from gaining a sole monopoly on water, which would enable it to be the sole beneficiary of supply and demand.

"If Wake Village, for example, were to get control of all the water rights around here, it could charge other cities whatever rates we wanted," he said. "But these seven cities believe more can be accomplished economically and the quality of life can be better served by the cooperation and participation of all cities."

Huddleston further added that the agency isn't intended in any way to spur the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir construction. "That isn't the purpose of this agency at all," he said. "This agency isn't being sought as being part of a plan to building a back door deal to getting Marvin Nichols started."

Huddleston also said the agency selected Wright Patman for a name because Lake Wright Patman happens to be the nearest lake. "Wright Patman would be our first option (as a water source)," he said. "But in order to secure our water source for the future we need to keep our options open (referring to the resolution's provision to seek water out of state if necessary)." However, Huddleston said that the agency's ability to seek and buy water outside its region will be limited by whatever financial constraints it may have.

Huddleston also said that attempting to name the agency after any one particular city would, in effect, almost suggest a monopoly, which wouldn't be the agency's purpose. "We simply believe that by working through the agency collectively, each city could do much more and provide water at much more affordable rates as compared to just going to one entity -- TWU or anybody else for that matter," he said. "We just want a system where everyone has a say so, where everyone benefits equally, where everyone is treated fairly and where no one has a monopoly."

Caudle previously expressed concerns about the agency destabilizing water rates in the area. However, Huddleston said that his city and the other cities have a right to be concerned about that issue the same as those who are satisfied with the current status quo. "This isn't knocking TWU, but we have the same concerns (as our critics), especially if we don't have a seat at the table," Huddleston said.

Huddleston said that any profit earned by the agency will be passed back to its member cities in direct proportion to what each city had to pay for their water supply. "No city in the agency will be charged more than what it will cost to produce the water," he said. "Beyond that, each city will be able to charge its residents according to whatever it may cost to maintain the city's own water system."

Huddleston also said that the reason no public hearing has been held on the proposed agency is because the Texas Local Government Code Chapter 422 doesn't require them. He said the reason each of the seven city councils are meeting simultaneously Thursday is to symbolize their joint effort.

The membership of the agency's board will depend on the number of cities wanting to join the agency after it is created. The board will consist of one person from each member city appointed by the mayors of those cities. The agency will not be funded by the Texas Water Development Board for its day-to-day operations. However, the agency may eventually seek money from the Texas Water Development Board for capital improvements if needed. Daily operations will be funded by water charges collected from residents using the system.