On Monday October 10th, the Fire MUD Plan Committee met without the PGVFD present and discussed a Fire Suppression Rating Study done by Consultant Mike Pietsch. This study listed three scenarios, #1 PGVFD, #2 City of Richmond Fire Department and #3 a combination of the 2 departments. Consutlant Pietsch's senario #3 was then twisted and changed to mean something other than its orginal meaning. NOTE: This has been verified by email to Consultant Pietsch. Several other issues were brought forward. One was did the Pecan Grove area require a Ladder Truck. No answer was offered at the meeting but this issue was answered by the first Consultant Ken Campbell which advised "NO". The Ken Campbell report is still being cover-up by the PG MUD so that it does not see the light of day or resident eyes. Another issue talked about is the fact that the PGVFD has used station 1 as collateral for station 2. NOTE: The PGVFD which had requested a weeks delay so that the PGVFD representative could be at this meeting to answer these questions, but was denied that request so it is unclear what was actually said in answer to this. The PGVFD's answer would have been when station 1 was built in 1983. It was built using borrowed funds just like all businesses. It was paid off and had acquired very large equity value which allowed the PGVFD to borrow money at a very low interest rate to build station 2. This allowed the PGVFD to make the improvements that were needed to improve the communities ISO rating. That project is in progress. A question of who would pay this bill was raised. Simple answer the same people who donate to the department and that paid off station 1. Last discussion was the ever increasing fees the PG MUD charges and would this be the next ever increasing fee. The answer given was that the PG MUD isn't in the business of making a profit. During this meeting of the Fire MUD Plan Committee no votes were ever taken to form any conclusion or recommendations. Since that meeting a Memo has surfaced by PG MUD Director Stolleis with a set of recommendations that according to Stolleis were a consensus. THAT MEMO CAN BE FOUND ON THE "TRUTH FINALLY COMES OUT!" page on this website. BOTTOM LINE: THIS MEMO PUT OUT BY PG MUD DIRECTOR STOLLEIS RECOMMENDS (read above) THAT YOUR PGVFD BE ABSORBED INTO THE RICHMOND FIRE DEPARTMENT OR THE PG MUD WILL CONTRACT ONLY WITH THE RICHMOND FIRE DEPARTMENT.
On Wednesday September 14th, at the Grove Community Improvement Association (CIA) meeting was again attended by a very vocal group raising more questions about the CIA involvement in the Fire MUD Plan. Those in attendance expressed their unhappiness with the thought of the Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire Department's demise and the mandatory fees it would lead to. The biggest questions for the night was, Why is the PG MUD covering up the first Fire Consultant report and is the CIA Board in favor of shipping $500,000 to the City of Richmond? Only answer given by the CIA Board, go ask the PG MUD! One resident then asked but you guys asked for this Fire MUD Plan, why would you ask for a plan if you did not know how it was going to work?
It has now been verified that the Pecan Grove Municipal Utility District is so worried about what the first Fire Consultant's report says about keeping the Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire Department as the district's dedicated first response emergency service provider that the Pecan Grove Municipal Utility District has gone to the Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott to keep the taxpayers who paid for the report from seeing the Ken Campbell report. Cover-up, there is no transparency coming from the Pecan Grove Municipal Utility District.
On Thursday night, August 18th, at the Pecan Lakes Homeowners Association meeting, President Joe Taylor of the PG MUD verified that the first draft study from Fire Consultant Ken Campbell stated that the PG MUD was better off with the Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire Department as the district's first response fire protection and emergency medical service provided. President Joe Taylor then added that the study of the issue on fire protection was stopped because there was no reason to move forward or spend anymore taxpayer money. Thanks for letting the truth see the light of day, PG MUD President Taylor! NOTE: PG MUD Director Richard Stolleis advised the Fire MUD Plan Committee at an earlier meeting that the study by Fire Consultant Ken Campbell was flawed and incomplete.
On Wednesday night, August 10th, at the Grove Community Improvement Association (CIA) meeting a very vocal group attended raising more questions about the CIA involvement in the Fire MUD Plan. Those in attendance expressed their unhappiness with the thought of the Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire Department's demise and the mandatory fees it would lead to. The biggest question for the night was, Why would CIA board assume such a major decision without asking the residents of the CIA what they wanted?
On Tuesday, August 9th at a PG MUD Workshop your PG MUD Board voted to spend $12,000 of your tax dollars on another Fire Consultant Study. The previous $5,300 study done by Fire Consultant Ken Campbell (sought out by MUD Directors Richard Stolleis and John Minchew) was paid to provide a flawed and incomplete report according to Director Stolleis. In less than twenty-four (24) months the PG MUD will have spent $17,300 studying your emergency services that the residents have not been complaining about.
Questions to Consider: Why would the PGMUD waste taxpayer moneys paying for a flawed or incomplete study? What made this study flawed? Why is the PGMUD covering up the Ken Campbell study? Pecan Grove M.U.D. complains about these facts below! By now all residents should have a copy of the PG MUD Newsletter and can verify this information yourself. MANDATORYFIRE MUD PLAN FEE Estimated $120.00! ·It is official. The Pecan Grove MUD is now in the process of setting up a Fire MUD Plan. Fact: MUD Newsletter, "The Board voted unanimously to pursue the creation of a plan". Not look into, create! ·The first estimated cost to you is a mandatory fee of $120.00. Fact: MUD Newsletter, "typical monthly costs for fire service in other Fort Bend County utility districts are in the range of nine ($9) to ten ($10) per unit for residential homes and apartments". Found in Richmond Fire Department fire MUD contracts. ·Not tax-deductible!! Fact: IRS Code. ·This money will not be going to support your Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire Department, your emergency services provider for almost 30 years. Fact: MUD Newsletter, ?PGMUD will provide fire service for the District?. ·Is there something wrong with the PGVFD? No, in fact if you read the good news article found in the column to the right of this article you will see how much work the department has been doing for the community. The PGMUD newsletter that will be coming to you from the PGMUD will say it is about improving your service. Fact: MUD Newsletter, ?To improve services in the District?. ·How could closing down the Pecan Grove Community's dedicated fire department and going to the City of Richmond Fire Department be improving your service? Confused, so are we! This PGVFD gives you first priority service to our 7 square miles. The Richmond Fire Department can never make this claim for Pecan Grove because the Richmond Fire Department's first priority will always be the City of Richmond then the other 70 square miles they already cover now. Fact: Richmond Fire Mud Contracts, ?The parties acknowledge that the City must also respond to requests for Fire Protection Services in the corporate limits of the City and that the City has contracts to provide fire protection services to other entities.? Still confused about how your Pecan Grove Community leadership could be claiming this as an ?improvement?? So are we. Enough for now, there will be more later.
The Pecan Grove MUD Fire MUD Plan will affect you the following ways: 1st. Estimated Mandatory Fee $120.00 for less Fire Protection Will RFD add manpower and equipment to provide dedicated services to Pecan Grove or just use what they already have? 2nd. Loss of First Priority Fire Protection at a higher cost! Will RFD give you PGVFD Service Level for the additional money RFD will get? 3rd. Mandatory Fee must be paid or lose services (failure to pay will get your water turned off)! Fact: MUD, Water service is terminated for failure to pay bill. 4th. Mandatory Fees are never tax-deductible! Fact: IRS Code. 5th. Finally. Ever seen any of the PGMUD fees go anywhere but up and up!
If you feel strongly against this action, please contact the Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire Department at 281-341-6677 and get your name on the petition list to express your displeasure at this proposal. The Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire Department will continue to provide our superior service to this community even while others are trying to close your fire department down!
Your PG MUD believes that the taxpayers of Pecan Grove want a mandatory fee to send $500,000 + dollars out of your pocket annually to the City of Richmond General Fund to be spent on such items as water & sewer, city hall or garbage pickup inside the City of Richmond not Pecan Grove or do the taxpayers of Pecan Grove want this money to be spent on their dedicated fire department services that Pecan Grove already has?
It is very simple do the Pecan Grove residents want the Pecan Grove Volunteer Fire Department they have always had or do you want to use the already shared Richmond Fire Department and hope for the best?
Residents Write Their Feelings
We live in Pecan Grove and have for seven years.
Our volunteer Fire Department is superb. It is terribly frustrating to us that the MUD district can come in and dismantle our loyal, dedicated and outstanding PFVFD. It’s really unbelievable.
Please let us know how we can help. I have forwarded your newsletter to all of our friends in Pecan Grove and Waterside.
Our neighborhoods must stop this over reaching by the Municipal Utility District!!
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