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Disaster grant’s $350K falls short, Utility says ‘No’ to finance request
By Pearl Cantrell
Monitor Staff Writer
TOOL-Directors of the West Cedar Creek Municipal Utility District denied a request from Kemp city administrator Charles Fenner, to help finance its utility hookup with the District.
The cost of making the connection was estimated at half a million dollars and rising for the District to provide potable water to the residents of Kemp.
The city has been seeking disaster grant funding and has qualified for $350,000, but is coming up short on the rest.
Board president Clifton Smith read the letter, Fenner sent asking the board to consider financing the remaining $150,000 to $200,000 over 15 years at zero percent interest.
While directors admired Fenner’s nerve in asking for exactly what the city needs, money-wise, they had to turn the offer down flat, as being an unwise move on the district’s part.
“I’ll say one thing, he did a pretty good job of going for the gusto in his letter,” general manager Tony Ciardo commented at the close of a long discussion over Kemp’s utility situation.
Ciardo delved into a very candid discussion with directors about a tour of Kemp’s water purification plant he took recently — what he saw, his concerns and recommendations.
“I don’t think the people of Kemp really realize that the city is not big enough to run a water system, efficiently. It’s just too high of a cost (to operate a water plant and system) for just 780 meters,” Ciardo said. “The city (water plant) has got some major, major problems.”
Joe King, speaking on a purely business level, said if any entity were to take on the task of providing the 780 water meters with water service using what’s there now, it would be a “poor investment.”
In addition, the district is not designed to take on a stepchild, financially speaking. “We could get ourselves in trouble,” Smith added.
Ciardo kicked around two different scenarios the board may want to consider, if discussions were to develop. One involved establishing a pressure station near the conjunction of highways 148 and 274, and use the water towers as a kind of floating water system. But to do so would require very strict safeguards, one of which requiring that the Kemp water plant never be fired up, while on the District’s system.
After further discussion, directors concluded that while connecting Kemp to WCCMUD would provide its residents with potable water, it does nothing to address the problem that got the city’s utility in the situation it now finds itself. And that is, too few customers to support too large of an operational cost. That’s why the system is so rundown. “The rates would have to be phenomenally high to support its own independent system,” Ciardo said. “They’re not mismanaging their funds. The costs are very real. They have their hands full and are working their tails off.”
If a much larger entity were to roll all of Kemp’s liabilities into a much larger system, using cost-effective management practices and spreading the cost over a much larger customer base, it could be worked, but that discussion and decision lies with Kemp, the county or the state. Directors agreed with Smith’s assessment.
In other business, directors:
Cancelled the May 12 election due to unopposed candidates. Three seats are open and two have filed unopposed for re-election. The board will appoint someone to fill the third directorship.
Recognized that DalTech won the bid for the Tolosa Plant Expansion with a bid of $128,000. As soon as the final engineering plans are signed and delivered, the company is ready to start, Ciardo said.

Unsanitary conditions lead to animal seizure
Special to The Monitor
WILLS POINT–More than two dozen animals cruelly confined, forced to live in their own filth and not receiving proper water or care were seized March 21 from a puppy mill in Wills Point.
Animals seized included 22 dogs, 11 cats, one pig and one goat.
Four dogs, confined in small crates filled with feces and urine, were confined in the residence without water. A strong ammonia smell could be sensed from outside the residence.
One cat was also found inside, living in what appeared to be a bird cage.
Outside the residence, 18 dogs, 11 cats and the pig and goat were found living in their own waste and other debris inside pens and cages.
The Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Department says they contacted the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Texas March 14, regarding the suspected animal abuse.
The SPCA contacted the owner in an attempt to bring the animals’ living conditions up to Texas Health and Safety Code compliance.
When the owners did not respond, prompting another visit by the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s department, it was determined the animals needed to be removed due to unsanitary conditions infested with mice, roaches and fleas.
A custody hearing will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 29 at the Van Zandt County Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 Courthouse.
The courthouse is located at 145 N. Fifth St. in Wills Point.
For more information on the SPCA, go to www.spca.org.