Mineral Wells Area News

Reporting By Amy Meyer / Mineral Wells Area News

“Turkey Peak will probably be the last lake built in any of our lifetimes.”

—State Sen. Phil King on the importance of Proposition 4

State Sen. Phil King urged Mineral Wells voters last week to support Proposition 4’s $20 billion water fund, calling it critical for projects like Turkey Peak Reservoir. Four days later, conservative members of the Palo Pinto County Republican Party passed a resolution requesting immediate water rate reductions, exposing a deepening divide within the Republican Party’s county leadership over how to address the region’s water infrastructure crisis.

The resolution, which passed 11-9 with two abstentions at the party’s Oct. 21 County Executive Committee meeting, focuses solely on Turkey Peak debt while making no mention of the millions spent rebuilding water infrastructure that catastrophically failed during Winter Storm Uri in 2021.

Compounding the issue, State Representative Mike Olcott, whose House District 60 includes Palo Pinto, Parker, and Stephens counties, has declined to take a public position on Proposition 4, despite initially voting for the legislation that created the water fund.

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Sen. King: “We’ve Got to Be Bold on Water”

Speaking at the Mineral Wells Area Chamber of Commerce’s Friday Forum on Oct. 18, King called Proposition 4 “really, really important” for rural and western Texas communities.

“All of us who live west of I-35 understand how important water is,” King said. “Proposition 4 will establish a dedicated funding source just for new water projects. We’re committing $1 billion a year for 20 years and putting about $2.5 billion up front from the surplus—but it takes voter approval to establish that fund.”

King acknowledged that Turkey Peak faces significant challenges, including construction bids that came in nearly double the original $200 million estimate, forcing the project onto hold. He emphasized that Proposition 4 funding could be critical to completing the reservoir.

“Turkey Peak will probably be the last lake built in any of our lifetimes,” King said. “It’s getting so difficult to build one because of environmental issues, costs, eminent-domain disputes, and lawsuits. So Proposition 4 is really, really important.”

When asked about concerns raised by some conservative activists that Proposition 4 represents excessive government spending, King defended the measure as pragmatic.

“Sometimes we let perfect kill good,” he said. “We can keep arguing over perfection and we’ll never get anything done. We’ve got to be bold on water.”

If approved by voters, Proposition 4 would create the Texas Water Fund, providing grants and low-interest loans for water supply projects statewide. Turkey Peak Reservoir is classified by the Texas Water Development Board as a “new major reservoir” and would be eligible to apply for funding.

Early voting on Proposition 4 and 16 other constitutional amendments continues through Oct. 31, with Election Day on Nov. 4.

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Rep. Olcott Declines to Take Position

State Rep. Mike Olcott voted in favor of House Joint Resolution 7 when it was initially considered by the House. However, he later voted against adopting the Senate’s amendments to the resolution—the procedural step required to place Proposition 4 on the November ballot.

When asked directly whether Rep. Olcott supports Proposition 4, Communications Director Austin Griesinger did not answer but said Olcott opposed provisions that “tied the hands of future legislatures” regarding budget and funding allocations.

“Rep. Olcott voted against the adoption of the amendments because they tied the hands of future legislatures, a policy he does not support, especially when it deals with budgets and funding allocations,” Griesinger said in a written statement. “Rep. Olcott has been very vocal on his opinion that the city should do everything in their power to bring down water rates and keep water use affordable for every resident.”

Parker County Conservatives PAC, has shared voter guides urging a “NO” vote on Proposition 4, labeling it “anti-taxpayer.” When Mineral Wells Area News asked Senator King about the PAC’s handouts, he indicated he was unaware that flyer was circulating.

Griesinger was quick to distance the representative from the group, noting that Olcott “was a founding member of Parker County Conservatives but has not had any influence over the board for more than 3 years,” and that the group’s opposition “is not a reflection of Representative Olcott’s position.”

However, when asked a second time to clarify whether Olcott supports or opposes Proposition 4, Griesinger did not respond.

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Local Resolution: What It Includes—and Omits

At the Palo Pinto County Republican Executive Committee meeting on October 21, conservative precinct chairs pushed through a resolution requesting that the City of Mineral Wells reduce water rates to reflect only the $96 million in bonds actually issued for Turkey Peak, rather than the full $200 million authorized.

The resolution notes that the city increased retail water rates by 148% on Nov. 1, 2023, prior to applying for and receiving approval to issue the bonds. With the Turkey Peak project now on hold due to construction bids exceeding estimates, the resolution argues that ratepayers should only be charged for debt service on the bonds actually issued.

However, the resolution makes no mention of the millions of dollars in water infrastructure improvements unrelated to Turkey Peak that contributed to the rate increase including a new water treatment plant and pipeline to replace facilities that failed during winter storm Uri in 2021, as well as reverse osmosis equipment. It also fails to to mention water rates fund the operations and maintenance of the water district and the water sewer fund. It’s not only the debt.

The city’s 60-year-old water treatment plant, already under TCEQ violations before the storm, froze completely during Uri and left residents without water for days. Leaders say the infrastructure was never designed to last six decades. The rate structure adopted in 2023 funds not only Turkey Peak bonds but also the replacement of that aging, failed infrastructure and critical improvements the resolution does not address.

After debate and two amendments softening its language, the committee approved the resolution 11-9 with two abstentions. The original resolution’s demand that rates “should be immediately reduced” was amended to “request that they be reduced” after Parliamentarian Harrison Whitaker ruled that the committee cannot direct actions of external governmental bodies.

Precinct #27 Chairman Steve Watson attempted to introduce a substitute resolution focusing on broader statewide water policy and urging support for Proposition 4. The substitution failed on a roll call vote of 11-10 with one abstention, further demonstrating how closely divided the committee is on water funding approaches.

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“Old Guard” vs. “Conservatives”: The Factional Battle Faction Goes Public

The meeting’s contentious atmosphere spilled onto social media afterward, with Precinct #17 Chair Terri Glidewell posting a detailed breakdown labeling each committee member as “conservative,” “old guard,” or “newbie” based on their vote.

“Watch the video – the tension in the air and the division within the Executive Committee tells this story better than my words,” Glidewell wrote in a Facebook post shared in the Palo Pinto County Conservatives group. “The ‘old guard’ precinct chairs fought to stop the resolution requesting that the water rates be lowered.” Her post went on to name each precinct chair and how they voted.

The post characterized the 11-9 vote as a victory for what she called Conservative Precinct Chairs, members aligned with the Palo Pinto County Conservative Party, notating it as a separate organization from the official county Republican Party and is led by Steve Gray and Johanna (Joey) Miller. Chairman Barbara Upham has led the Palo Pinto County Republican Party for decades.

The contentious meeting was live-streamed by Brandon Johnson in the Conservative Party’s Facebook group.

Notably, Glidewell has been a vocal opponent of the Turkey Peak Reservoir project and previously led a Public Utility Commission complaint on behalf of approximately 200 ratepayers in the ETJ(extra-territorial jurisdiction – meaning outside the city limits) before withdrawing it after nearly two years. The complaint, which cost the city a six figure legal bill, was removed, citing her fears the PUC would rule in the city’s favor and worried those legal bills could be at the hand of those 200 ETJ customers. She was also instrumental in a 2024 recall election that unseated a city councilman who voted to raise water rates for the reservoir project.

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City Response

Mineral Wells Public Information Officer Brittany Brown acknowledged the city is aware of the resolution but said the city does not have a formal response at this time.

“We want to assure you that the City continues to operate with transparency and fiscal responsibility,” Brown said in a statement. “Our leadership and staff remain committed to maintaining sound financial practices, ensuring rate structures are based on professional analysis, and complying with all state requirements regarding the use of public funds.”

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What It Means

The divide over funding water projects reflects broader tensions within the local Republican Party between state leadership supporting infrastructure investment and local conservative activists focused on immediate rate relief.

Sen. King’s support for Proposition 4 contrasts sharply with the local party faction that passed the rate reduction resolution. Rep. Olcott, representing the district, has positioned himself in the middle—supporting rate reduction but declining to take a clear stance on the funding mechanism that could help pay for projects like Turkey Peak.

The narrow 11-9 vote and near tie on the substitute resolution (11-10) demonstrate how evenly divided the party is on these issues, with funding water infratucture further defining the fault line in local Republican politics. Notably, several precinct chairs are vacant with a battle brewing over which side will decide who sits in them.

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