Consider and/or act upon Tax Abatement Policy and Guidelines.

Staff Report & Agenda Item Details

Consider and/or act upon Tax Abatement Policy and Guidelines. Tax abatement policy and guidelines should be readopted every two years. This will allow the District to be able to consider tax abatements. Vanessa Cardwell made a motion to readopt the tax abatement policy and guidelines for 2 years. Motioned seconded by Allan Childs. Motion passed. Vote: 8FOR -0-Oppose 3Absent 0 Abstain Minutes of 06-21-2022 Page 3 of 6 Vil Consider and/or act on an Engagement Letter with Smith & Rives, PC for the Audit for the Year Ending September 30, 2022. Smith & Rives, PC submitted an engagement letter for the audit for the 2022 audit. Vanessa Cardwell made a motion to approve the engagement letter for the Audit for the year ending September 30, 2022. Motion seconded by Ronald Cooper. Motion passed. Vote: 8FOR -0-Oppose 3Absent 0 Abstain Vill Update by Allan R Standen, LLC and Vince Clause on Project #2 Free Flowing Artesian Wells in Pecos County. Vince Clause gave a presentation on Project #2 Free Flowing Artesian Wells in Pecos County. Abandoned flowing wells have been a concern for many years because of their potential impact on groundwater resources within Pecos County. The District's understanding of the issues that pertain to flowing wells has evolved as new data is collected, with current research and monitoring efforts focused on flowing San Andres wells. These are the most problematic and require immediate attention, however only account for a portion of historically flowing wells located within Pecos County. On November 16th, 2021, the Board of Directors approved funding to inventory current and historical flowing wells within Pecos County. This work was completed by Allan R. Standen LLC (ARS LLC) in early June of 2022. Included in this report is an inventory of ninety-nine historic and actively flowing wells in Pecos County. Flowing water chemistry samples were analyzed and suggest that degradation of flowing waters and possible commingling of nearby aquifer systems are occurring. There are also six areas with possible localized subsidence and/or collapse that were discovered. Additionally, thirty-four previously undocumented areas that exhibit signs of possible flow were identified. This analysis provides the most comprehensive inventory of historical and currently flowing wells in Pecos County, Texas. All known publicly available sources of data were reviewed, and many forgotten flowing wells sites were rediscovered. Although many of these no longer flow, they still provide important insights into past aquifer behaviors. The San Andres was historically and is currently the primary source of actively flowing wells in Pecos County. These wells have been flowing for several decades and more recent changes in water chemistry suggest that casing in several of these wells has been compromised. This increases the possibility of commingling and localized contamination of groundwater. The overall impact to the groundwater quality of the Pecos River to the north is unknown. As the District continues to look for solutions, an emphasis should be placed on wells with elevated chloride concentrations (> 1,500 mg/L) and those that demonstrate Minutes of 06-21-2022 Page 4 of 6 Xl localized subsidence and/or collapse. An elevated chloride measurement is assumed to signal that dissolution of the Salado Formation is actively occurring. As a dissolution cavity forms, the subsidence and/or collapse risk increases, as has been observed along FM 1053 at the C-107 well site. The process of subsidence and/or collapse triggers unpredictable subsurface mechanics and decreases the chances of a successful plugging. The District should consider sampling the remaining flowing wells to better understand the extent of this potential geohazard. The District should prioritize a site visit to all flowing and possibly flowing wells that are currently unknown to District staff. The visit would confirm the remote sensing analysis and allow for Distri

This motion is scored as EXPANDS_GOVERNMENT (Impact Weight: 9.3/10). Under the Bastiat Liberty Watchdog Index, measures that increase tax rates or fee schedules, issue new debt or Certificates of Obligation, expand regulatory/zoning restrictions on private land use, or authorize unbudgeted spending expansions reduce an official's Freedom Score when voted YES (and reward dissenting NO votes).