Whitehouse council considers water options
BY CHARLOTTE SMITH Editor

Passionate debate marked the regular meeting of the Whitehouse City Council Tuesday night, as members continued to discuss various water source options, and the mayor spoke publicly about the issue of his residency.

Both Mayor Jake Jacobson and council member Mike Adams spoke at Tuesday's meeting during the citizen participation segment of the agenda. Mayor Jacobson told council that he had moved to a new location since receiving a letter from the city regarding the zoning of his current address, and that he was renting a portion of a local citizen's home.

In his remarks, Jacobson said he was disappointed in the actions of some local citizens and officials during this matter, and he criticized the focus on his residency in the wake of other important issues such as water. Jacobson also commented that he felt his privacy had been breached.

In making his statement to the council, the mayor said he wanted to clarify some things that he felt had been reported incorrectly, and he hoped the city could move on to more important matters.

Following the mayor's remarks, council member Adams spoke on the subject of water.

"I've been a member of the council for six years and we've made a mistake - a big mistake," he said. "The City of Whitehouse does not have enough water to meet its needs. Not this year, maybe not for three years."

Adams said he had researched the number of water connections in the city and said it would cost each bill payer $7.56 "to ensure a $6 million insurance policy to have water." Adams was referring to the estimated cost of a 20-year contract with the City of Tyler and the cost of paying a monthly demand fee of almost $20,000 regardless of the amount of actual water purchased.

Representatives of the engineering firm of Stokes & Associates were on hand to discuss the timeline for the Lake Striker plan as well as possible alternatives for the short term, including getting water from the City of Troup.

Ralph Stokes told council that a 16" pipeline from Troup to Whitehouse would cost $3.5 million and could be done in nine to 12 months, depending on right of way issues.

"It wouldn't be wasted," Stokes told council, as Whitehouse and Troup are partners in the Lake Striker option contract and a pipeline between the two cities would be needed eventually.

Although Mayor John Whitsell said Troup would be glad to help, he said his city could not sustain Whitehouse's current usage without another well or two on this end.

State guidelines require that Whitehouse provide approximately 15,060 gallons per minute for its 2,600 connections; the current production is 890 gallons per minute.

The well at Lilly Road is scheduled to come online by Feb. 17 and is expected to pump 300 gallons per minute, which means the city still needs roughly 370 gallons to meet its minimum daily requirement.

Based on its connections, Troup must pump 580 gallons per minute and is currently producing 1,120 from three wells.

Adams reiterated his reluctance to pursue more wells.

"We spend $2.5 million for every hole we put in the ground - that's silly. I don't want to keep drilling wells; that's not the answer," he said.

In a related matter, the council gave approval to publicize notice of intention to purchase certificates of obligation for a proposed well on Mountainview. Adams voted against this item.

If approved, this well should come online in July as the city heads into its peak summer usage. Financial director Jed Dillingham said after the meeting that 20 percent of the Lilly Road's expected production would have covered the purchases the city made from Tyler this past summer.

Jeff Tomlin, director of public works, said water was a concern for him and the state requirements reflected a minimum flow. "It could be 10 times that this summer," he said.

In other agenda items, council voted unanimously to confirm and ratify all actions taken during the Sept. 25 and Oct. 23 meetings due to uncertainty about the mayor's residency and its legal effect.

Council approved this action after Adams called a point of order when Jacobson said he was going to remove the item because he had not been asked or notified about its being on the agenda. After some heated exchange, council voted 3-2 to allow the agenda item (Bill Powers and Danny Hogden voted no, with Adams, Gene Champion and Dale Moran voting yes).

(Due to space constraints, a more detailed story on the council meeting will be in next week's newspaper.)