Chisholm Trail Special Utility District dissolved

The Chisholm Trail Special Utility District has dissolved as a governmental entity. At a public hearing on Sept. 30, the district board members voted unanimously to dissolve and adopted an order of dissolution. The district was officially and formally dissolved this week.

Facing challenges with water availability and financing, the district approached the City of Georgetown in 2011 about the possibility of merging the two water systems. After two years of feasibility studies, public meetings, and hearings, the board voted unanimously in 2013 to consolidate the two water systems.

The merger was approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas in 2014 and the assets and liabilities of the district were transferred to the City of Georgetown water utility. At that time, Chisholm Trail SUD water customers became City of Georgetown water customers, and Chisholm Trail employees became Georgetown employees.

The merger and transfer of service area was approved unanimously by the PUC in 2015 and subsequently affirmed in a series of legal challenges. Senate Bill 248, passed by the Texas Legislature in 2017, allowed Chisholm Trail SUD to dissolve after Aug. 31, 2019, whether or not third-party legal actions were resolved.

Due to the deadline to cancel an election, which was in August, candidates for the Chisholm Trail SUD board will be on the Nov. 5 ballot for residents who live in the former service area of the district. Votes will be tabulated and reported in the election. However, candidates in the election will not be seated or serve on the Chisholm Trail SUD board since the district no longer exists as a legal entity.