Bee Cave City Council unanimously appointed local developer Don Walden Tuesday to serve as its Place 2 representative on the West Travis County Public Utility Agency board of trustees. The WTCPUA provides water and wastewater to residents of the city of Bee Cave, Municipal Utility District 5, or Lake Pointe, and a portion of Hays County. The five-member board has two appointees from Bee Cave—including Mayor Pro Tem Bill Goodwin—two appointees from Hays County and one appointee from West Travis County MUD No. 5. Although board member Mike Murphy—who has served for the four years the utility has been in operation—informed the board Aug. 9 of his intention to resign, he agreed to continue to serve the agency until a replacement is appointed. Although Walden’s interest in the open position was posted as an Aug. 23 agenda item, the council agreed to post a notice of the position to attract more interest. Walden, along with Jon Cobb, Fred Goff, Peter Golde and Jeremy Wright submitted applications by the city’s Sept. 16 deadline. Goff later withdrew his application. During the meeting, Wright cited his business experience as a chief financial officer as a qualifying factor. Cobb said his work involving water agencies and the desire to have new members other than those residents who were instrumental in the WTCPUA's founding as reasons for his application to serve the board. He also said a recent Community Impact Newspaper web story inspired him to get involved. Walden referred to his role as a developer in the area at the time the agency was created and his advocacy for a publicly owned water system as reasons for his application. In November 2010, the Lower Colorado River Authority announced its intent to divest itself of its water and wastewater utility systems, including the systems covered by WTCPUA's current service area. The WTCPUA was formally created in 2012. “I still maintain the [WTC] PUA is the best answer and a great successor to Lower Colorado River Authority’s failed management operations,” said Walden who developed Rocky Creek, Falconhead and other major residential neighborhoods in the area. Walden’s term will expire Sept. 30, 2020, and Goodwin’s term expires Sept. 30, 2018.