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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Weatherford Municipal Utility Board Regular Meeting - July 30, 2026

City Council & Boards — Thursday, July 30, 2026

BodyWeatherford, Texas

SessionCity Council & Boards

DateThursday, July 30, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 59:07

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:01

Bill asked us to come up with All Saints Church.

0:04

Father Bill is here to lead us in our invocation.

0:06

Thank you for being here, sir.

0:10

Thank you, Mayor.

0:11

My pleasure.

0:11

Let's pray.

0:13

Father, we thank you so much for our city.

0:15

We thank you for this day.

0:17

We pray that you would bless each person here, especially bless our utility board members and their families.

0:25

Pray that you would continue to bless our great city through Christ our Lord.

0:29

Amen.

0:31

Thank you again for being here, sir.

0:33

It is uh 12 p.m.

0:34

I'll call the meeting to order of the municipal utility board for the city of Weatherford to announce we have a double quorum present.

0:40

All members are in attendance.

0:42

We'll shift down to item three on the agenda, which is pledges of allegiance to the United States and Texas flags be led by Dr.

0:48

Tom Novak.

0:50

Please join me in addressing our nation's colors.

0:53

I pledge allegiance to the flag.

1:01

One nation.

1:23

Alrighty, let's shift down to item four on the agenda, which is presentations and proclamations.

1:29

We have uh two items for A is service awards, and then four B is presentation on the Parker County Public Utility Agency formation and timeline, and both will be uh introduced and facilitated by Rick Schaefer.

1:44

Thank you, Mayor and Board members.

1:46

And if I could, I'd like to have Mr.

1:48

Jones come join me.

1:54

So Casey's here today to receive his 20 year service award.

1:58

Wow.

1:59

Yes.

2:00

Um Casey is uh one of our electrical electronic technicians uh in the water utility, and basically he's responsible for maintaining our power systems, our equipment, our infrastructure, all our uh instrumentation, both at our treatment plants, at our pump stations, just throughout the the water utility.

2:20

Um like many of our staff, Casey is rotates being on call, so he's one of the individuals that uh responds 24 7 to any after hours emergencies that that may come up, uh, as due from time to time.

2:33

Um Casey is one of three licensed electricians that we have in the water utility, um, and I I believe that's even across the entire city.

2:43

I think it's all our licensed electricians are all in the water utility.

2:46

Um, and he's the only one with a master's electrician license.

2:51

Um, which so to become a master electrician, you have to first complete four years of apprenticeship, pass a journeyman exam, then you do two additional years of training, uh, again under another master electrician.

3:07

Um basically have to log over 12,000 hours of documented on-the-job training before you're then eligible to take a second exam uh to be able to receive your master's electrician's license, which is the highest level uh that that you can attain.

3:24

So I also want to point out that Casey is the thaw the third longest tenured employee in the water utility.

3:32

Uh and on a personal note, uh both Casey and his wife are avid hunters, uh very skilled, long-range shooters, uh, and enjoys the challenge with that.

3:43

Yeah.

3:46

So Casey, thank you for your 20 years of service, and we look forward to several more, sir.

3:51

All right, Casey.

3:52

Yeah, if it's like my house, I've got a feeling she's a better shot than he is, don't y'all think?

4:05

Thank you, Casey, for your service.

4:06

We appreciate you.

4:10

All right, and item 4B is presentation of the Parker County Public Utility Agency formation and timeline, Mr.

4:16

Schaefer.

4:16

Is that you again, sir, with the introduction of that?

4:19

All righty.

4:21

Thank you again, Mayor and board members.

4:23

So several years ago, uh Parker County formed a water committee uh to address the water supply issues across all of Parker County, and this effort has been led primarily by Commissioner Larry Walden.

4:37

Um, but our city manager James Hotop has served on that committee since its inception.

4:43

Um, somewhat recently, board member Davis has joined that committee as well.

4:49

Um Chad Marvett and myself have been in attendance um throughout this process.

4:54

Um, and the recommendation from that committee has been to form a public utility agency or PUA.

5:01

And today we do have Commissioner Larry Walden and then also Jessica Brown from Freeze and Nichols here today to provide an update on that process.

5:10

But I do want to make a couple of points first.

5:13

Number one, there was a similar presentation that was made to City Council on Tuesday night, as some of you are obviously aware.

5:31

Uh for consideration.

5:33

I do want to point out that city staff are in support of this recommendation and for several reasons, which we'll touch on in this presentation today.

5:42

But one of those reasons is while Weatherford has sufficient raw water supplies, particularly through our contract with Tarrant Regional Water District, our infrastructure to move that water does have its limits, right?

5:56

There's capacity limitations on that infrastructure that was built.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Water And Wastewater Management█████████████████████████████████████████████63%

Procedural████████████17%

Engineering And Infrastructure████████████17%

Economic Development██3%

Summary of Proceedings

Weatherford Municipal Utility Board Regular Meeting - July 30, 2026

The Weatherford Municipal Utility Board met on July 30, 2026, at 12:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting included service awards, a presentation on the Parker County Public Utility Agency (PUA) formation, approval of minutes and consent agenda items, a public hearing on the water quality report, a resolution to apply for a $21 million Texas Water Development Board grant, and quarterly performance dashboards. The board adjourned at 12:59 PM after recognizing outgoing member Lindsey Hester.

Presentations & Proclamations

Service Award: Casey Jones, an electrical/electronic technician, received a 20-year service award. Rick Shaffer (Director of Water Utilities) highlighted that Jones is a master electrician, the only one among three licensed electricians in the city's water utility.
Parker County Public Utility Agency (PUA) Formation: Commissioner Larry Walden (Parker County Precinct 3) and Jessica Brown (Freeze and Nichols Engineers) presented the PUA initiative. The goal is to address long-term water supply challenges across Parker County, leveraging regional collaboration, bonding capacity, and state/federal funding. Key points: Weatherford's population qualifies for about 25% voting share (capped at 25% to prevent dominance by any single entity); initial cost-sharing based on entity size; a two-thirds majority required for major decisions; and an optional 180-day exit provision before debt is issued. Board members Rod White and Mayor Pro Tem raised concerns about voting power, noting that Weatherford has invested heavily in water infrastructure. Commissioner Walden emphasized the need for local leadership and noted that no other entity is planning for the county's future water needs. No action was required on this item.

Approval of Minutes

Minutes of June 25, 2026: Approved unanimously with a motion by Tom Novak and a second by Rod White.

Consent Calendar

6(a): Authorized the City Manager to execute a contract with Garver, LLC for professional engineering services for the Lead and Copper Rule Compliance Program, in the amount of $998,910. (Motion by Ken Davis, second by Zack Smith; passed.)
6(b): Authorized the City Manager to execute a construction contract with Ace Pipe Cleaning for the 2025 Trenchless Wastewater Rehabilitation project, in the amount not to exceed $150,149.71. (Motion by Ken Davis, second by Zack Smith; passed.)

Public Hearing

2025 Annual Water Quality Report: Rick Shaffer presented the required consumer confidence report, which was distributed to customers in June via billing inserts and online. No members of the public spoke during the hearing. No action was required.

Regular Agenda Items

8(a): Considered authorizing the Water Utility to apply for a Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) Water Supply and Infrastructure Grant of up to $21,000,000, and adopting Resolution No. R2026-14. Rick Shaffer explained the grant scoring: up to 10 points based on median household income and an additional 10 points for a “shovel-ready” project. Staff recommended the Dr. Paul Phillips Water Purification Plant Phase 3 (raw water pump station and pipeline), which is fully permitted and bid-ready at an estimated construction cost of $45 million. If awarded, the grant would reimburse the city for construction costs. Board member Ken Davis noted the phase 3 initial capacity is 18 million gallons per day, expandable to 22 million, meeting needs beyond 2050. Mayor Paschall emphasized that the council’s 2023 decision to accelerate this project made it shovel-ready. The motion by Lindsey Hester, seconded by Tom Novak, passed unanimously.

Staff Reports

Quarterly Performance Dashboard:
- Electric (Joe Farley): Weatherford’s residential electric rate has remained at 13¢/kWh for four years, below the national average of 18.4¢. Reliability metrics (CAIDI and SAIDI) exceeded targets due to two major substation outages in February 2026, but remain better than state and national averages.
- Water (Rick Shaffer): Combined water and sewer rates are about 20% below regional averages. Water production was 5% lower this fiscal year due to rain, while wastewater treatment volume was 5% higher. Non-revenue water loss decreased from 15% to just over 9%, meeting the board’s goal, thanks to distribution system targeting and satellite leak detection. City Manager Chad Marbut suggested converting the quarterly in-person dashboard review to an annual in-person presentation with quarterly memorandum updates. The board expressed no opposition to this change.

Key Outcomes

Votes and Decisions:
- Minutes approved.
- Consent agenda items 6(a) and 6(b) approved.
- Resolution R2026-14 (TWDB grant application) approved unanimously.
Directives: Staff will adjust the dashboard reporting frequency to annual in-person reviews with quarterly written updates, pending formal board approval at a future meeting.
Recognition: Board member Lindsey Hester was recognized for his service as he is resigning due to relocation outside the city. Mayor Paschall thanked him for his diligence and preparedness.

Meeting Transcript

Bill asked us to come up with All Saints Church. Father Bill is here to lead us in our invocation. Thank you for being here, sir. Thank you, Mayor. My pleasure. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for our city. We thank you for this day. We pray that you would bless each person here, especially bless our utility board members and their families. Pray that you would continue to bless our great city through Christ our Lord. Amen. Thank you again for being here, sir. It is uh 12 p.m. I'll call the meeting to order of the municipal utility board for the city of Weatherford to announce we have a double quorum present. All members are in attendance. We'll shift down to item three on the agenda, which is pledges of allegiance to the United States and Texas flags be led by Dr. Tom Novak. Please join me in addressing our nation's colors. I pledge allegiance to the flag. One nation. Alrighty, let's shift down to item four on the agenda, which is presentations and proclamations. We have uh two items for A is service awards, and then four B is presentation on the Parker County Public Utility Agency formation and timeline, and both will be uh introduced and facilitated by Rick Schaefer. Thank you, Mayor and Board members. And if I could, I'd like to have Mr. Jones come join me. So Casey's here today to receive his 20 year service award. Wow. Yes. Um Casey is uh one of our electrical electronic technicians uh in the water utility, and basically he's responsible for maintaining our power systems, our equipment, our infrastructure, all our uh instrumentation, both at our treatment plants, at our pump stations, just throughout the the water utility. Um like many of our staff, Casey is rotates being on call, so he's one of the individuals that uh responds 24 7 to any after hours emergencies that that may come up, uh, as due from time to time. Um Casey is one of three licensed electricians that we have in the water utility, um, and I I believe that's even across the entire city. I think it's all our licensed electricians are all in the water utility. Um, and he's the only one with a master's electrician license. Um, which so to become a master electrician, you have to first complete four years of apprenticeship, pass a journeyman exam, then you do two additional years of training, uh, again under another master electrician. Um basically have to log over 12,000 hours of documented on-the-job training before you're then eligible to take a second exam uh to be able to receive your master's electrician's license, which is the highest level uh that that you can attain. So I also want to point out that Casey is the thaw the third longest tenured employee in the water utility. Uh and on a personal note, uh both Casey and his wife are avid hunters, uh very skilled, long-range shooters, uh, and enjoys the challenge with that. Yeah. So Casey, thank you for your 20 years of service, and we look forward to several more, sir. All right, Casey. Yeah, if it's like my house, I've got a feeling she's a better shot than he is, don't y'all think? Thank you, Casey, for your service. We appreciate you. All right, and item 4B is presentation of the Parker County Public Utility Agency formation and timeline, Mr. Schaefer. Is that you again, sir, with the introduction of that? All righty. Thank you again, Mayor and board members. So several years ago, uh Parker County formed a water committee uh to address the water supply issues across all of Parker County, and this effort has been led primarily by Commissioner Larry Walden. Um, but our city manager James Hotop has served on that committee since its inception.

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