EMC MUD #3 AND EMCID TAG TEAM

Would this be tolerated from a City or County government?

In their March 10, 2016 Board of Directors meeting  of East Montgomery County MUD # 3 , Directors considered an Order presented by MUD District Attorney David Marks declaring 3 board members re-elected. While three seats open for election were Phil Maybee, Ken Parmer and Jim Deaton,the order was made possible by the fact that their were no voters present within the boundaries of EMC MUD #3.

MUD 3 is located along Gene Campbell Blvd just of FM 1314 and is home to a light industrial area that hosts the massive WAL-MART Distribution center attracted years ago with a juicy County Property Tax Abatement agreement.

The minutes record that after discussion Director Phil Maybee moved  the Order be adopted and Phil Parmer seconded the motion which was carried unanimously.

However, the board had also set in motion the call for a Road Powers Bond election for November 2016.

The Board Secretary recorded the following in the minutes of January 14, 2016  “Mr. McCrady next stated that he will begin the process of preparing the District to hold a Road Powers Bond Election in November 2016.”

The Mr. McCrady referred to  is Frank McCrady, CEO of East Montgomery County Improvement District ( EMCID). McCrady apparently took it on himself to begin the process mentioned above.  Once the Board later established there were no voters in MUD #3 then one would think the only course for the Board was to abandon plans for a November election until voters mover in.

One would be wrong.

Based on information received via Open Records from Montgomery County Elections Central , EMC MUD # 3 and EMCID it has emerged that EMC MUD #3 has called for a Road Bond election for  November 8, 2016. But this time they have a voter.

Tracy Parkhurst first registered to vote in north east Montgomery County at Meadow Lake Road, Cleveland TX on May 20, 2016.

Next Parkhurst registered to vote in the MUD District, itself inside the EMCID at 20125 Gene Campbell Blvd, New Caney,Texas effective August 3, 2016.

20125 Gene Campbell Blvd is a mere clearing by the side of the road right next to a fenced compound holding MUD District tanks and pumping station.  The land underneath 20125 is actually tax exempt land owned by the Government entity known as EMCID.

Parkhurst has taken up residence on the lot behind a newly installed mail box in a modest  camper RV at the location.

We contacted MUD#3 attorney David Marks for public records related to the resident and the lot asking for rental agreements among other things. MUD #3 had no document responsive to some of our requests so we sent an additional request to EMCID, also represented by David Marks.

We inquired to EMCID if the the property at 20125 Gene Campbell Blvd had been designated a Public Park, RV park or campground and if there was a rental agreement in place for the location. We also requested receipts for expenditure related to the voter location.

Via email from their Director of Communications  we received 4 receipts in response covering expenses  for

electrical service to the lot $1954.00

crushed concrete pad $842.00

wastewater system  $935.86

dumpster service  $1100.00

Absent from the Open Records response from EMCID was any reference to rental agreements or campgrounds or even mention of the voter herself.

We pressed Kelley Mattlage for clarification via email and left voice mail messages. Finally after a couple of days we received a telephone call from EMCID CEO Frank McCrady in person.

Yes, he was calling in response to the Open Records request. No there was no action taken by the board designating 20125 Gene Campbell Blvd a Public Park, RV Park or campground. He said

According to McCrady, There was no rental contract between the district and Tracy Parkhurst.  How did Parkhurst come to be a resident then?

McCrady explained the basis for the verbal  six month agreement,

“She needed a place to stay and we needed some things taken care of in the District, You know how it works”

Asked if the things needed to be taken care of included voting, McCrady replied  “yes, You know how it works, that how MUDs are done, you know how it works”

So faced with the need for a voter in this case , action was taken, this time by a Government Entity rather than a developer,  to recruit a needy  compliant voter. McCrady appears to have even cut out the favored RENT-A-VOTER middle man Stingray Services favored by the MUD Industrial Complex and took care of business themselves.

Beside giving away Government property for private purposes, a thing prohibited by the Texas Constitution consider  a far more important aspect.

Can any other form of Government like a City or a County recruit voters to vote in accordance  with the officials desired outcome at taxpayer expense?

If that unlikely scenario is intolerable under law that why would this be any different?