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ater and Sewer: A Small Town’s Ever-present Dilemma
Geez! Water pressure is low again. Beware! There is a major water break on High Street. Why doesn’t the city ever do anything about this! Does the city even care? Yes! The answer is yes! Every mayor (Ralph Shipman 73-77; Harold Rhoades 77- 79; Lloyd Button Moore 79-87; L. J. Coney 87-89; Luther (Smitty) Smith 89-2000; David Rutherford 2000; Creed Merritt 2000-2001; Bill Colwell 2001-2002; Jimmy Cooper 2002-2013; Phillip Rutherford 2013-2018; Paul Helms 2018-present) and council person since incorporation in 1973 have sought grants and funding for improvements to Roxton’s water and sewer systems. Your council and city manager consistently reach out to grant writers, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Equality (TCEQ) seeking information about grants that Roxton could be eligible for.
Roxton’s Water Superintendent Craig Hatanville works closely with TCEQ to assure that the city is in compliance with regulations and standards. He and Mark Armstrong hold TCEQ certifications as required. As with all towns, TCEQ technicians take samples of Roxton’s water for lab processing on a regular basis. Since Roxton’s incorporation 53 years ago, the town has received $1,366,250 in grants and a $1,000,000 loan with 0 percent interest for water and sewer improvements. With a small tax base, grants and loans are usually the only avenue small towns have to improve infrastructure of this magnitude. Listed here are the grants the town has received and the scope of work for each.
April 1, 1973 (Paris News Headline: Roxton, County’s Newest City, Is Proud) “Incorporated in 1973, the city’s newest utility improvement is construction of a sewer treatment plant. Project spokesman Charles West said the $75,000 plant is being constructed with $56,250 grant funds and $18,750 from a bond issue already approved. The treatment operation is expected to meet Roxton needs for about 25 years and was planned for flexible expansion to meet city growth.
Thursday, July 1, 2004 (The Roxton Progress Headline: Roxton Receives $210,000 Grant)
“The Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA) today announced it has awarded 15 grants to rural cities and counties across the state for infrastructure and public community facility improvements.
Thursday, July 7, 2005 (The Roxton Progress Headline: Work Begins!) “The City of Roxton has been trying for about 10 or 15 years to get a grant to replace sewer lines. Finally, a grant was approved, and on June 30 work started to replace sewer lines near the sewer plant, north and west toward 3rd street. This is the part of the line that the engineer stated needed replacing the most.”
Thursday, October 5, 2006 (The Roxton Progress Headline: Roxton Receives ORCA Grant)
“The Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA) honored Roxton on Sept. 28, 2006, at the Ark-Tex Council of Governments meeting for having secured a $350,000 grant from the agency for a new water line project. These are important dollars for small communities in Texas.”
October 2006 (The Roxton Progress Front Page: Tired of Red Water? You Can Help”)
“The City of Roxton has applied for a STEP Grant to be used for the replacement of existing water lines. This grant furnishes supplies and depends on citizens to volunteer for at least half of the labor to complete the project. This grant is called a “Sweat Equity” grant. Let’s show the state Roxton needs this project, and its citizens are willing to ‘roll up our sleeves and help.’” The city received the $750,000 grant. And this writer can verify that Roxton did, indeed, show up with shovels, water, sandwiches, and small equipment. We did our part.
Texas Water Development Board July 2008 (Information Release)
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) issued a $1,000,000 financial assistance commitment to the City of Roxton originating around July 2008.
Loan Details & Overview
• Commitment Amount: $1,000,000
• Approval / Issuance Date: July 1, 2008
• Repayment Period: Standard long-term financing extending through July 1, 2027
• Current Status: The City of Roxton regularly schedules and approves its ongoing TWDB loan payments through its municipal utility budget.
What did the city of Roxton improve with these funds?
The City of Roxton utilized these funds for comprehensive water system improvements specifically directed through its Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) initiatives.
The $1,000,000 commitment—formally structured as the Combination Tax and Revenue Certificates of Obligation, Series 2007—was focused on upgrading the municipal infrastructure to resolve critical utility vulnerabilities. The improvements primarily targeted:
• Water Line Rehabilitation: Replacing aging municipal pipes to minimize widespread water loss and fix continuous line leaks.
• Distribution Overhauls: Modernizing the delivery pipeline system to stabilize structural pressure throughout the community.
• TCEQ Standards Compliance: Upgrading local disinfection and filtration capabilities to comply with the stringent structural guidelines mandated by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
Because small communities frequently face financial overhead implementing these complex overhauls, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) further authorized specialized consulting fees to bring in structural engineering and financial firms like McConnell & Jones and Weaver & Tidwell to ensure the water system upgrades were successfully executed.
• 0% Interest Structure: Because the $1,000,000 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund commitment was locked in as a no-interest (0%) loan, the balance decreases linearly with every payment. The city does not accumulate compounding interest or trailing overhead fees.
• The Maturity Timeline: The certificates of obligation require consistent annual principal repayments through July 1, 2027.
• The Final Stretch: Because the loan matures in mid-2027, the remaining balance is in its final phase. It represents only a minor fraction of the original million-dollar amount. The city is currently budgeting its final rounds of allocations to clear the obligation entirely.
September 326 AND THE LATEST, GREATEST NEWS . . . Mayor Helms just got word that a $750,000 grant the city applied for from The Department of Agriculture has been awarded to the city. More infrastructure improvements are on the way.
Roxton’s Water Superintendent Craig Hatanville works closely with TCEQ to assure that the city is in compliance with regulations and standards. He and Mark Armstrong hold TCEQ certifications as required. As with all towns, TCEQ technicians take samples of Roxton’s water for lab processing on a regular basis. Since Roxton’s incorporation 53 years ago, the town has received $1,366,250 in grants and a $1,000,000 loan with 0 percent interest for water and sewer improvements. With a small tax base, grants and loans are usually the only avenue small towns have to improve infrastructure of this magnitude. Listed here are the grants the town has received and the scope of work for each.
April 1, 1973 (Paris News Headline: Roxton, County’s Newest City, Is Proud) “Incorporated in 1973, the city’s newest utility improvement is construction of a sewer treatment plant. Project spokesman Charles West said the $75,000 plant is being constructed with $56,250 grant funds and $18,750 from a bond issue already approved. The treatment operation is expected to meet Roxton needs for about 25 years and was planned for flexible expansion to meet city growth.
Thursday, July 1, 2004 (The Roxton Progress Headline: Roxton Receives $210,000 Grant)
“The Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA) today announced it has awarded 15 grants to rural cities and counties across the state for infrastructure and public community facility improvements.
Thursday, July 7, 2005 (The Roxton Progress Headline: Work Begins!) “The City of Roxton has been trying for about 10 or 15 years to get a grant to replace sewer lines. Finally, a grant was approved, and on June 30 work started to replace sewer lines near the sewer plant, north and west toward 3rd street. This is the part of the line that the engineer stated needed replacing the most.”
Thursday, October 5, 2006 (The Roxton Progress Headline: Roxton Receives ORCA Grant)
“The Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA) honored Roxton on Sept. 28, 2006, at the Ark-Tex Council of Governments meeting for having secured a $350,000 grant from the agency for a new water line project. These are important dollars for small communities in Texas.”
October 2006 (The Roxton Progress Front Page: Tired of Red Water? You Can Help”)
“The City of Roxton has applied for a STEP Grant to be used for the replacement of existing water lines. This grant furnishes supplies and depends on citizens to volunteer for at least half of the labor to complete the project. This grant is called a “Sweat Equity” grant. Let’s show the state Roxton needs this project, and its citizens are willing to ‘roll up our sleeves and help.’” The city received the $750,000 grant. And this writer can verify that Roxton did, indeed, show up with shovels, water, sandwiches, and small equipment. We did our part.
Texas Water Development Board July 2008 (Information Release)
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) issued a $1,000,000 financial assistance commitment to the City of Roxton originating around July 2008.
Loan Details & Overview
• Commitment Amount: $1,000,000
• Approval / Issuance Date: July 1, 2008
• Repayment Period: Standard long-term financing extending through July 1, 2027
• Current Status: The City of Roxton regularly schedules and approves its ongoing TWDB loan payments through its municipal utility budget.
What did the city of Roxton improve with these funds?
The City of Roxton utilized these funds for comprehensive water system improvements specifically directed through its Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) initiatives.
The $1,000,000 commitment—formally structured as the Combination Tax and Revenue Certificates of Obligation, Series 2007—was focused on upgrading the municipal infrastructure to resolve critical utility vulnerabilities. The improvements primarily targeted:
• Water Line Rehabilitation: Replacing aging municipal pipes to minimize widespread water loss and fix continuous line leaks.
• Distribution Overhauls: Modernizing the delivery pipeline system to stabilize structural pressure throughout the community.
• TCEQ Standards Compliance: Upgrading local disinfection and filtration capabilities to comply with the stringent structural guidelines mandated by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
Because small communities frequently face financial overhead implementing these complex overhauls, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) further authorized specialized consulting fees to bring in structural engineering and financial firms like McConnell & Jones and Weaver & Tidwell to ensure the water system upgrades were successfully executed.
• 0% Interest Structure: Because the $1,000,000 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund commitment was locked in as a no-interest (0%) loan, the balance decreases linearly with every payment. The city does not accumulate compounding interest or trailing overhead fees.
• The Maturity Timeline: The certificates of obligation require consistent annual principal repayments through July 1, 2027.
• The Final Stretch: Because the loan matures in mid-2027, the remaining balance is in its final phase. It represents only a minor fraction of the original million-dollar amount. The city is currently budgeting its final rounds of allocations to clear the obligation entirely.
September 326 AND THE LATEST, GREATEST NEWS . . . Mayor Helms just got word that a $750,000 grant the city applied for from The Department of Agriculture has been awarded to the city. More infrastructure improvements are on the way.