Many, many of you let City Council know how bad it would be for Wimberley to turn down the $1 million grant to build our own wastewater system, which would only make sense if City Council planned to turn Wimberley over to Aqua Texas and its much-reviled public corporate parent, Aqua America.

Dozens of you actually came to the City Council meeting and more than a dozen stood up to speak on behalf of Wimberley's future, and shared your stories about the real Aqua Texas.

City Council heard you, but barely, voting just 3-2 to accept the free $1 million grant.

Despite that positive vote, City Council still plans to vote soon on accepting the offer from Aqua Texas, even though that would mean giving up the $1 million grant, losing the very low-interest 20-year loan we have already secured through years of effort, losing all the money already spent in designing and planning and the years of work by City Councils and committees, past and current.

Recently someone asked: does it really matter which system as long as we clear up that terrible creek pollution? Yes, absolutely. Going with Aqua Texas would be throwing out the baby with the dirty bath water. (For more on why we should not be considering Aqua Texas, please read 7 Reasons to Tell Council Members: "Don’t surrender Wimberley’s wastewater control to Aqua Texas" and PETITION DRIVE: Say No to Aqua Texas.

Instead of voting to give Aqua Texas control of what are now City-controlled areas of Wimberley, City Council should be considering what Kyle did just recently when they sued to be free of their big-mistake deal with Aqua Texas. Our City Council should be moving to get Aqua Texas out of Wimberley altogether. Why send millions of dollars a year in inflated rates to an out-of-state corporation? That money should be kept right here for the people of Wimberley, and used to fix the problems Aqua Texas refuses to fix.

Will Aqua Texas cost more in the end? Search the internet to find out about the Aqua Texas/Aqua America game plan to buy up small town utilities, and then raise their rates high to make large profits. Why small towns? They have fewer resources to fight back when they realize what they've gotten into.

Nationally, private utility water rates are far higher than public water utility rates, but Texas has some of the greatest differences of all, according to one study (pdf).

Why take on Aqua Texas now – which will add perhaps years to getting our sewer situation resolved, only to stick the next City Council – which a vote for Aqua Texas will almost certainly bring soon – with the job of suing to free Wimberley from this expensive mess?

Please tell City Council to vote NO on Aqua Texas.

- CARD Steering Committee