Trey Wilson Terminates Attorney-Client Relationship With BexarMet

On May 9, 2009, I formally terminated the Attorney-Client Contract entered in 2005 by and between R L Wilson, P.C. Law Firm and the Bexar Metropolitan Water District. Termination of the contract, and our resignation from representing BexarMet, was intended to be immediate. Accordingly, BexarMet is no longer one of our firm's clients.

I provided legal services to BexarMet since late 2002, and R L Wilson, P.C. served as the District's Water Resources Counsel from Octber 2005 until early 2009. In that capacity, we represented the District before state and federal courts, and various Texas state agencies on matters relating to acquisition, sale and permitting of groundwater water rights; service area (CCN) permitting and boundary issues; water service agreements; wholesale and retail water supply contracts; and the design, financing, construction, and operation of water production/conveyance/transportation facilities.

During our tenure BexarMet changed drastically, and -- often for acts which contradicted what we considered to be a prudent course -- endured numerous operational, managerial, financial, and regulatory challenges. These and other concerns prompted legislative intervention during the 80th Regular Session of the Texas legislature (House Bill 1565 (Puente/Uresti)).

HB 1565 created the Bexar Metropolitan Water District Oversight Committee to provide ongoing oversight of the District, and to recommend further reform measures for the consideration of the 81st legislature. On January 9, 2009, the Oversight Committee issued its Report to the Texas Legislature. The report paints a somewhat disturbing picture of BexarMet's internal workings, and figured largely into our decision to terminate our firm's relationship with the District.

BexarMet was formed by an Act of the Texas Legislature in 1945 to provide water services to historically underserved areas of the San Antonio metropolitan area. The District has grown from an initial subscriber base of 4,765 residential connections in 1945 to more than 87,000 residential and commercial connections. More than 260,000people in Bexar, Atascosa, Comal, and Medina counties depend on the District for their water needs.