Brownwood News – On the November 3rd election ballot will be six candidates vying for three spots on the Board of Directors for the Brown County Water Improvement District #1. Voters can vote for one, two, or three candidates. The top three vote-getters will be elected to the Board. We sent a questionnaire to all six candidates. Below are their responses.
DENNIS GRAHAM
Please give your name, occupation, how long a resident of Brown County, and any other biographical information you care to provide.
Dennis Graham, age 69, occupation: National Sales. 30+ wonderful years combined living in Brownwood. Kimberly and I have been together for 31 years and married for 26 years. We have two sons, our oldest lives in Austin and our youngest resides in Clearwater, Florida.
I am well into my 42nd year with Airgas. My Dad and I sold our business to Airgas in 1990, Airgas bought my tenure and credited me with prior years in business. I have served in many roles from Branch Manager to President. For the last several years I have managed National Accounts.
I am a member of the Coggin Ave. Baptist Church, and the Brownwood Kiwanis Club (Past President).
If incumbent, how long have you served on the Board of the Water District?
Eight years, currently serve as Board President.
Why do you wish to be re-elected to the Board of the Water District?
Our primary role is to ensure we have excellent drinking water for 40,000 residents and more than enough water for our industry, manufacturing, and farming in Brown County. We also strive to keep expenses down and provide water at the lowest price possible.
It’s public information, so I will share the cost of treated water for Brownwood, Bangs, Early, Zephyr, and Brookesmith.
1,000 gallons of treated water is sold for $1.72. This would equate to 4,000 small bottles of drinking water, at an average retail price of $1.50 each for an estimated total price of $6,000 for 1,000 gallons of bottled water. So I would say $1.72 per 1,000 gallons of treated water is a bargain. BCWID #1 operates at cost, we do not make a profit, which many citizens may not be aware of. Our price at $1.72 per 1,000 demonstrates a very lean, safe, and efficient operation.
Many thanks goes out to our BCWID #1 employees, we are very grateful for their loyalty and dedication, they deserve the recognition for a job well done. BCWID #1 provides a safe place to work for 21 employees who are dedicated to being the best they can be and our safety record and the low cost of water demonstrates their commitments.
My goal if re-elected:
*** Identify opportunities for improving our efficiency and any needed projects at Lake Brownwood. Maintaining our water treatment plant, so it operates at 100% efficiency.
*** Continue making improvements at Lake Brownwood. This is a short list of projects, over the last few years we have improved Flat Rock Park, building new picnic tables with BBQ pit and covered awning. Added additional boat ramp, with new boat slips, volleyball area, new bathrooms, plus a small pavilion. Flat Rock Park has been improved 1,000% over what it was for many years. New Lake Patrol Office, a very much needed boat for the Lake Patrol. Added a new Lake Patrol Boat House with power lifts, so the boats can be lifted up when not in use, this will prolong the life of our boats. We added defibrillators for our Lake Patrolmen for use during an emergency situation. Ensuring our Lake Patrol Officers have all the necessary training and equipment to safely do their job and provide emergency assistance, if needed.
*** Recently we approved 24 new spaces around McCartney Island that will be available in January 2021. These are the first spaces to be made available by BCWID in many years.
*** I would like to be re-elected, so I can continue working with our Board and management on identifying new opportunities for improving our overall efficiencies. We should continue to operate BCWID #1 with safety as our number one priority and protect and provide water for the good people of Brown County.
What do you see as the biggest issues facing the Water District? And what do you hope to accomplish if elected?
Ensuring we have water for future generations on down the road, we should manage our water wisely and explore options for secondary supply of water for the future. Continue education on many ways to conserve our precious water. Use of water will continue to go up as our population grows in Texas and we must plan now for the future.
One of the biggest issues we have had long before I was elected is the fact that all citizens in Brown County do not have the opportunity to vote in our election. We spent many hours in the past working on this issue, but ran into roadblock after roadblock. This is an issue we should continue working on as we move forward.
My #1 focus is safety for our employees, providing the training and equipment to do their job safely. Keep the cost of water down, manage our expenses, protect our lake and continue providing the best quality and safest drinking water possible.
“Protect Your Water, Protect Your Future.”
Thank you for your vote.
JIMMY JONES
Please give your name, occupation, how long a resident of Brown County, and any other biographical information you care to provide.
Jimmy C. Jones, businessman. I am a graduate of Brownwood High School and moved back to Brownwood in 1997 after building and selling Jones Custom Labels in Dallas, TX. Since returning to Brownwood, I have built and sold several successful businesses including the most recent business, Brownwood Climate Control and Storage.
I am married to Ann Jones and we were blessed with two sons — Marc and Jason, and a precious daughter-in-law Stacy, Marc’s wife. We are fortunate to live on the beautiful shores of Lake Brownwood.
We are members of the Brownwood First United Methodist Church where I have served on several boards. I am also a Kiwanian and honored to have held several offices including local President and Lt. Governor of the Texas-Oklahoma region.
In incumbent, how long have you served on the Board of the Water District?
I have served on the Board of the Brown County Water District for six years. I am currently the secretary of the board. I believe living on Lake Brownwood is an asset to the Board and the District.
Why do you wish to be re-elected to the Board of the Water District?
Water is the most valuable commodity to any town or city. I want to be re-elected as I believe my experience as a proven successful, conservative businessman who lives on the lake provides value to the board and to the water customers. The Board must always be planning for the future to insure adequate, quality water that is sold to our wholesale customers at the lowest cost while providing an updated water system, maintenance and trained personnel to get the job done.
At the same time, the Water District MUST meet the State of Texas and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) rules and laws for water or we will be penalized.
Lake Brownwood provides a great revenue source for Brown County through property tax as well as tax revenue for the school districts of Bangs, May, and Brownwood plus sales tax dollars. It is imperative that the board provides the necessary manpower and equipment to monitor the lake usage and safety for the increased lake traffic as well as the residential and commercial growth around the lake.
What do you see as the biggest issues facing the Water District? And what do you hope to accomplish if elected?
The biggest issues are providing indefinite, adequate, and quality water at a reasonable price. Adequate water includes identifying additional water sources in the event of another drought. I believe my business experience coupled with the knowledge I have gained while serving on the board will help the board and the District accomplish these goals as well as the challenges I have previously mentioned.
I ask for your vote!
JAMES McMILLIAN
Please give your name, occupation, how long a resident of Brown County, and any other biographical information you care to provide.
James E. McMillian, Age 37, Owner/Operator McMillian Rustic Furniture. Born and raised in Brownwood. Married to Amber McMillian. Children: Emily, Colton, and Brinley. Parents are Ed McMillian and Margie McMillian.
If incumbent, how long have you served on the Board of the Water District?
I was appointed to the Board in July of 2019. I did serve as an employee of the Water District for five years. I resigned in August of 2016 to grow my business.
Why do you wish to be elected to the Board of the Water District?
I believe that I have a unique perspective being a former employee that has worked in all departments of the Water District. I know the inner workings of the Water District and the challenges that are involved.
What do you see as the biggest issues facing the Water District? And what do you hope to accomplish if elected?
Our main goal is always to provide clean, dependable and affordable drinking water for all the citizens of Brown County. In the near future, we will face a rebuild of our PALL Membrane Plant. The plant was put into service in 2008. These membranes are expected to have a 10-year life. They are still in great shape; but age will get to them at some point. Our employees have done a great job maintaining them.
We will have to look at issues with the erosion of the spillway and address it at some point also. Lake Brownwood is one of Brown County’s biggest assets. We need to promote the lake as much as we can. We also need to protect our lake from invasive species like Zebra Mussels.
Brown County Water Improvement District #1 is also in the Region F Water Planning Group. We are currently the only entity that has a surplus of water in the region now and for the next 50-year planning cycle. We must work to protect this surplus now and for the future.
Also filing for election to the Board of Directors of the Brown County Water Improvement District #1, but not responding to our questionnaire, are Thomas R. Davis, John W. Hays, and Frank R. Niemiec.