Bay City Tribune

Residents of Country Estates were reassured their southeastern Bay City subdivision would get more streetlights during city council's regular meeting Thursday night.

Council also approved an interlocal agreement with the Matagorda County Hospital District to provide about $40,000 worth of earthwork at the new Matagorda Regional Hospital property.

Matagorda County residents Mike Pruett and Stephen Zapalac got the council's nomination to represent the city on the Matagorda County Appraisal District board and a Highland Drive man was told his wildly fluctuating city water bill would be adjusted.

Mayor Richard Knapik recognized about six Country Estates residents at the meeting, explaining they were under the impression the subdivision - and the issue of needed streetlights there - was on the agenda.

While it wasn't, councilman Clarence Fenner - also a Country Estates resident - addressed the group, noting in a brief history that the city approved installing streetlights in the area in 1994. Country Estates was annexed in 1975.

But lights are now needed in Country Estates where nine new homes - eight of those occupied - have been built and five more are planned, Fenner said.

"That's the challenge," he told the residents, adding that he, the mayor and Public Works Director Clark Young are working to solve the problem.

The city has an action plan that includes at least three more streetlights. The city is waiting for AEP to estimate the cost, Fenner said, and when the utility does, the issue will go before council.

"We hope to have the problem rectified by the next council meeting," Knapik told the group.

Young said the request for the interlocal agreement with the hospital district, which already has approved the contract, calls for rough grading work and seeding of Bermuda grass on the new regional hospitals 44.9-acre property.

Council unanimously approved the new project that Young said is in addition to the $1.6 million in work the city has done on the site.

Councils choice of Pruett, nominated by Van Vleck Independent School District, and Zapalac, a Tidehaven ISD nomination, to the appraisal district board is part of a countywide process to select five directors among six candidates.

In addition to Pruett and Zapalac, the other board candidates are: John Connor, from Palacios ISD; Dr. Warren Criswell, Bay City ISD; William Roe, Matagorda County; and Paul Smith, Palacios ISD.

"These are all fine gentlemen, but it would be my preference (for the city's picks) to live within the city's ETJ (extraterritorial jurisdiction)" council member Brent Marceaux commented.

Council spent more than an hour in closed session on legal matters, but cited attorney-client privilege about the discussion when it convened back into open meeting.

Highland Drive resident Bill Johnson waited through the closed session to talk to council about his city water bill that jumped from an average consumption of about 1,200 gallons a month to 10,000 gallons in July.

Knapik agreed that the bill was wrong, telling Johnson that he would get it adjusted.