Justice Department approves BexarMet dissolution vote
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 27, 2012
CONTACT: Mark Langford at 210-932-2568
Justice Department approves BexarMet dissolution vote
(SAN ANTONIO) — The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday approved the results of November's dissolution election for the Bexar Metropolitan Water District, clearing the way for the troubled utility to become a part of the San Antonio Water System.
Sen. Carlos Uresti, who authored legislation providing for the election, said the Justice Department's clearance of the election was an important formality in the process of abolishing BexarMet and represented the "final nail in the coffin."
"Overcoming this important and last hurdle means the transition can finally get underway," Uresti said. "The process of making BexarMet a part of SAWS can proceed with determination and certainty."
Last November, ratepayers voted overwhelmingly in favor of dissolving BexarMet, by a margin of 74 to 26 percent. Under Uresti's bill, BexarMet's assets, liabilities, contractual obligations, equipment, and personnel will be absorbed by SAWS.
BexarMet customers, many of whom were already served by SAWS' wastewater system, will continue to receive water from SAWS in a process that Uresti described as "seamless."
Uresti, who co-chairs the BexarMet Oversight Committee, passed the dissolution election bill in the 2011 legislative session after years of working to reform the utility, which suffered from a decade of mismanagement, water quality problems, and inadequate customer service.
"That is all behind us now," Uresti said. "It's a new day and a new beginning for BexarMet customers. Now it is up to SAWS to fulfill its obligations."
Senator Uresti represents Senate District 19, a 50,000 square mile area extending from the city of San Antonio in Bexar County to the Lower Valley of El Paso County. The largest legislative district in the nation, it spans two time zones and contains nine of the 14 border counties in Texas and all or part of 23 counties.