Message:

I have a colleague (Bill Morris) at RE/MAX Capital City who has very unselfishly invested a great deal of time over the past two years with ABoR Government Affairs.  I am writing today to acknowledge my associate and help Bill to spread a  message by asking you to vote on this important upcoming issue.  

Their work has been aimed at getting the Texas Water Plan funded and the time has come!   I am writing to encourage your vote FOR Proposition 6 on the November 5, 2013 ballot. (Or sooner ... early voting begins on 10/21.)

The impact of drought conditions in Central Texas have reached historic proportions. Austin Water is making plans for even more stringent rationing than we have seen before.   Central Texans are feeling the strain and even with the significant rainfall that we have received over the last few days, the amount of water stored in Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan has only  increased from 33% to 34% of capacity. 

The obvious concerns are what will happen if we run out of water?   Assuming current demand can be met what about the future of growth and development in the area.  Could expanding businesses get the necessary water permits? What it your favorite home builder/developer hit that wall too?  Will employers continue relocating to Central Texas if housing availability or industrial infrastructure becomes a long-term constraint because there simply isn't enough water?  Will the incredible real estate market we have enjoyed continue in that world?

As the most vibrant regional economy in Texas, we certainly understand what growth has meant to our area and livelihood. Other parts of the state are in much more dire conditions, with reservoirs at less than 10% of capacity and groundwater harder to reach and use.

CONSIDER THIS:   Water is a critical commodity in the process of growth and sustenance for any area and the projected figures for the population of Texas indicate that our numbers will double in the next 40 years!

The Texas Water Plan includes 16 separate plans developed by Regional Water Planning Groups. The Water Plan has existed since the late 1990s, but was never funded in any coordinated way. In the 2013 legislative session, an infrastructure bank was created, to be administered by the Texas Water Development Board. No money was deposited into that bank, though. That's why voting FOR Proposition 6 is so important!

If you haven't already, you may have heard misinformation about this proposition but we would like you to have the facts:

• Proposition 6 allocates $2 billion from the State's "rainy day" fund to the water projects infrastructure bank.
• 
  It provides a source for cities and counties and water districts to apply for loans to allow execution of specific water projects designed and prioritized by local planners. Funds will not be grants. They will be loans, and must be repaid.
• 
  Conservation and water reuse are significant components in the plan -- more than 60% of the "new" water supply in Region K, where we work and live will depend on the Highland Lakes.
• 
  Statewide, the identified need for water projects is more than $50 billion!

 This infrastructure bank allows a $2 billion initial deposit to be leveraged many times over in the coming decades, and leaves project control in local hands.

• 
  Revenue forecasters project that income to the state from the boom in oil and gas production will replenish the rainy day fund in less than 2 years, and keep it at or near its statutory limit for years to come.
• 
  Proposition 6 does not increase taxes. Local water planners, and taxpayers in the affected areas, will decide how much money to borrow, how to spend it, and how to pay it back.

The drought and future water demands for the country no matter where you live are certain to become issues.  There is nothing that will happen to improve the situation without effective forward thinking and planning.  Proposition 6 will be a move in the right direction.

Visit www.TexasRealtors.com/MR/Govt/Issues/Water.cfm or www.WaterTexas.com for more information.

This is important: Vote FOR Proposition 6 on November 5!