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PLUMBING & ROOTER LIC# ML16126
Volume 54, Number 218 830-379-2234
T h e Vo i c e of Seguin To d a y
Capturing history
Judge denies petition for temporary injunction against GBRA spending By Cindy Aguirre-Herrera (Seguin) -- After a day and a half in the courtroom, Visiting Judge Stephen Ables denied the attempts by a group of lake property owners wanting to stop what it said was "reckless spending and decision making" by the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority. Judge Ables on Wednesday afternoon denied the request for the temporary injunction filed by the plaintiffs.
Here’s one of thousands of photos taken Wednesday morning of the Union Pacific’s Big Boy Steam Locomotive No. 4014 which made its way through Seguin and down the tracks to Houston. The trip was part of the Great Race Across the Southwest which celebrated the 150th anniversary and completion of the transcontinental railroad. Photo by James Reyes. See more photos on pages 9 & 10
Gary Belzung GBA Leadership (210) 540-7997 • gbelzung@gbaleadership.com
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The hearing which began Tuesday morning followed last week's decision by the judge to temporarily issue a restraining order. The order halted any of GBRA's spending until this latest ruling could be announced. According to GBRA Attorney Lamont Jefferson, the plaintiffs failed to show how stopping the river authority from spending money would cause immediate and irreparable harm to their lives. During his final arguments to the court, Jefferson asked if they really wanted GBRA to "shirk all other responsibilities
for their sake" and not "spend money on anything unless it goes to dams." Of course, GBRA's comments followed the list of concerns expressed to the court by the plaintiff's Attorney Doug Sutter. Sutter, not only represented the group of 300 plus property owners but he himself owns property on Lake McQueeney. Sutter, in recapping the day's events on Tuesday, stated that the group didn't want money to be spent on other things. He says while it's always possible to wait until the trial, the group didn't want to sit back and see millions of dollars wasted when they could be spent on repair or replacement of the dams. Among the most notable arguments was the group's position against GBRA's construction of a new office building in New Braunfels. They said what was initially noted in a press release as stopping construction "indefinitely" later turned out to be a 120 day hold on the $6 million project. Sutter says they not only wanted to hold GBRA responsi-
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ble for excessive spending but they wanted to also stop it from doing what they want, when they want and overall, just changing its mind like in this pursuit of a new building. Other concerns brought forth by the plaintiffs was the money spent on non profit organizations and the spending of funds which personally benefited GBRA officials -in particular board members. Many of the concerns were brought to light thanks to information made public by a Sunset Advisory Commission Report. The commission is tasked with looking into state agencies and making sure that they are being operated correctly and responsibly and even whether or not those various groups still warrant existence. According to Sutter and as reported in the hearing, GBRA spent approximately $5 million on non profits such as the Gorge Preservation Society, the San Antonio Bay Foundation, the Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust and the Guadalupe River Foundation. See COURT, page 6
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