After a roughly two and a half hour meeting, North Texas Municipal Water District board members passed three agenda items on Thursday surrounding the issue at hand between the district and four member cities.

The cities of Garland, Mesquite, Plano and Richardson petitioned the Public Utility Commission of Texas to review the contract between member cities and the NTMWD, saying it is not in the public interest. This petition was filed in December. Earlier this month, the NTMWD filed its response with the PUCT, asking for a dismissal of the petition from the four member cities due to a lack of jurisdiction.

Today the four cities have filed another motion to dismiss the NTMWD’s motion to dismiss the original filing. The PUCT is seen as a third party in the matter.

At tonight’s board meeting, the NTMWD agreed to hire Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend for legal support services in response to the petition filed by the four member cities. Funding for this consultant is not to exceed $200,000 which will come from the Regional Water System 2016-17 operating budget, according to NTMWD documents.

The board also approved additional funding not to exceed $35,000 to continue to retain consultants. These consultants would help with a possible amendment to the rate methodology in the contract between the member cities and the NTMWD. These consultants would only be used if an agreement is reached.

“An additional meeting may be scheduled in the near future with city officials to discuss the path forward for a possible amendment to the contract,” read NTMWD documents. “Therefore, it is requested that additional funding in an amount not-to-exceed $35,000 be authorized to continue to pursue a solution to allow for an amendment to the contract.”

The most discussed item at the board meeting was a confidentiality agreement which would allow the 13 member cities to continue discussions. Under the agreement, these discussions could not be used for or against either side if the petition moves to a legal hearing.

Some board members were in opposition to the agreement and requested an amendment be added stating the cities of Garland, Mesquite, Plano and Richardson abate the PUC filing to continue discussions under the confidentiality agreement. Those in support of this amendment argued for not spending an additional $50,000 to conduct meetings that are unlikely to result in a solution while the PUC filings are still overhead.

According to board members and district documents, member cities, consultants and NTMWD staff have met seven times in the past two years incurring approximately $300,000 in total costs to “prepare for and conduct the meetings,” yet no solution has been made.

Board members against the amendment said this would likely stop progress and conversations between district staff and the member cities. The four member cities have been clear that they will not sign the confidentiality agreement if it meant dropping the PUC filing, but would like to continue conversations with the member cities, board members said at the meetings.

In the end, the confidentiality agreement passed without the amendment.

The confidentiality agreement will now be sent to the 13 member cities, representatives from which must sign the agreement in order to move forward. Moving forward would mean the member cities would continue to meet and try to solve the contract disagreement amongst themselves while the PUC continues its process.