I was knocking on doors in Volente Hills and heard that another candidate is campaigning to have the MUD enforce neighborhood deed restrictions.
Let me be clear: this is a disaster for taxpayers and homeowners.
Opponents claim I think the MUD is "only for water." False. Texas law gives MUDs broad power to handle water, drainage, and parks. But when it comes to deed enforcement, the MUD does not get a blank check.
The law says a MUD may enforce a restriction only if it is "necessary to sustain taxable property values." It doesn't say we can sue you because a board member thinks your yard is ugly.
Using a MUD to enforce cosmetic rules is like calling in a military gunship to stop teenagers doing donuts in a parking lot. It’s a massive abuse of power. The law lets MUDs sue residents for $200 a day plus attorney’s fees. It's designed to ruin people. Short of this, the only enforcement action the MUD can do is to make threats.
Look at Fern Bluff MUD in Round Rock. They sued a resident over a car cover. The MUD lost, got hit with massive legal fees, and is still fighting two years later. A MUD has an unlimited budget of your tax dollars to sue you. Once bureaucrats get that power, they can't admit defeat.
If your neighborhood has an HOA, enforcing deeds is their job. They have the power to levy minor fines, unlike the MUD. If they don't want to put in the work or pay a contractor, that's their choice. MUD taxpayers should not foot the bill. 1,100 homes in our MUD don't even have an HOA, and many residents chose that on purpose.
The Vote 3 Team believes in limits. We focus our time and money on what every resident actually depends on:
- Water and wastewater infrastructure
- Drainage and stormwater
- Maintaining the parks we already own
We won't ignore severe violations that actually reduce property values, but we won't write blank checks to lawyers, either. Here is our compromise: The board will need three votes absolutely to move forward with enforcement. We are going to figure out what it takes to bring cases in JP Court so costs are low. And when the judge rules, we accept the verdict and move on. No endless lawsuits against our own neighbors.
Just because the government can do something doesn't mean the government should.