General Board Meeting Recap: April 16, 2025
- Muducation
- Apr 24
- 8 min read
Phone Boxes, Phantom Resolutions, and the Case of the Missing Invoice
Program Note: Someone built a “phone box” directors must now deposit their phones in during meetings. Nothing says professionalism like gluing your iPhone to a kindergarten art project.
2:24 – Public Comments:
The real action kicked off early. Former resident of 16 years, Sarah Teale, delivered facts and fire, despite resistance from Director Jones, who acts like only current residents have a right to speak—unless you're from another neighborhood filling out a park survey. Then your input is golden. Make it make sense. Teale, unfazed, reminds the board that Public Information Requests are legal, valid, and a right.
Meanwhile, in South Padre...Catherine Franke showed up to make a public comment to reminisce about the CASE conference. You remember—the one her and Jones didn’t actually register for. Franke and Jones booked a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, sleeps 8 condo on the beach . Jones shows up 2 days before the conference begins, skipped the sessions, evidenced by Jones return flight on the day the conference started — and billed the taxpayers for her vacation on the beach. Must’ve been a “leadership retreat.”
Consent Agenda - The Rubber Stamp Express:
The board now hides bill paying in the consent agenda, so they can be passed with zero discussion. Rocco and Norrell think mistakes should be caught before meetings and conveyed to them. That would be illegal if it forms a quorum, but when has that stopped them?
Avila argues for separate motions for minutes and payment of bills —ignoring legal advice and the purpose of a consent agenda. Rocco and Norrell are holding payments at the committee level without a board vote. Spoiler: only the full board can do that. Making decisions at the committee level outside of a public meeting is a violation of the Open Meetings Act. These guys are winging it like it’s karaoke night.
24:16 – “Public Records Are Expensive” Says Avila:
He claims the district has spent $17,000 on public info requests. Jones says it’s $18,000. Neither presents documentation. We assume the number feels right to them. Neither of them bothers to take accountability for driving up costs with their entrenched lack of transparency. Maybe try posting board meeting documents (all of them) prior to a meeting - so after meeting requests are unneeded? Their “I’m rubber and you're glue, whatever you say bounces off me and sticks back to you” tactic comes out in full force each time this issue resurfaces.
25:29 – Deed Restriction Theater:
Rocco, with his usual neighborhood-gossip-as-policy approach, complains about parking on the grass. A yellow truck, parked near a home for sale, is apparently ruining property values. And thus, the entire enforcement policy is justified. Sound planning, folks. So yes, all policy now hinges on curbside aesthetics. Except….Rocco’s yard.
26:37 – The Phantom Resolution:
Rocco refers to a “certificate of resolution” that 3 board members have not seen (because it’s not in the board packet). Jones gives the secret nod. Everyone else is in the dark, including the public. But don’t worry, it’s just how your rights will be governed.
Rocco motions to accept the cherry picked contractor, Sage Management, despite being presented with the facts that the district will be paying almost 10 times more than the same service Sage provides to Fern Bluff.
In this week’s thrilling installment of Law & MUD Order, Director Rocco locks horns with Director Flores over which enforcement service we can supposedly use. Rocco claims he bravely rang up multiple vendors, only to be met with uproarious laughter. That’s right—grown professionals allegedly laughed at him over the phone. One even said, “I’m not used to carrying a gun and I don’t plan to start,” which seems like a polite way of saying, “Y’all sound like a hot mess.”
And just as the MUD soap script demands, Rocco delivers his trademark catchphrase: “Nobody wants to work for us!” Cue dramatic music. But wait—enter stage left: a Public Information Request! Turns out nobody contacted any other vendors. PIR response? No Responsive Records. Translation: he didn’t call anyone, but he did summon some imaginary rejections.
Faced with inconvenient facts, Rocco reaches for the ol’ Fear and Fabrication Manual and alleges that a former enforcer had people stalking her at night, armed and in a car, no less. Not sure if this was an episode of Dateline or just MUD board fan fiction. But don’t worry—Jones swears they have evidence. It’s probably filed right next to Bigfoot’s birth certificate and the missing
deed enforcement records that Sage absconded with during their last reign of terror in this district.
28:42 – Steak, Lobster & Lies:
Rocco defends his surf-and-turf powwow with Sage Management as a “yearly vendor planning session.” Translation: dinner with the contractor, Catherine Franke, and himself. No, board members are not allowed to wine and dine vendors with taxpayer money. But ethics are hard. He also claims contractors fear working here because of “guns and stalkers.” Evidence? None.
31:00 – Let’s Vote On a Mystery Doc!
The attorney calls for a vote on that elusive deed resolution. Three directors still haven’t seen it. Avila wants to file it with the county “for transparency.” Yet the district still hasn’t provided a signed copy or published it on the website. Irony: engaged.
32:26 – Actual MUD Work:
The engineer presents a lead & copper pipe mitigation plan. Remember when Rocco said he knew the guy who laid the original pipes and could help identify the homes? Right. No follow up, no name, no help. Just Rocco trying to stay relevant.
Also: Lift station rehab plans for Dagama & Sun Chase are underway—good preventative work to avoid another million-dollar Hatch meltdown. Cost: $135,680, within budget. The infrastructure committee (Rocco & Avila) completely missed the cue to vote. Because they weren't listening. Again.
38:00 – Sidewalk Saga:
The board approved repairs for the El Salido sidewalk—but the signed proposal vanished. Inframark’s response: “No idea.” No surprise. The board’s busy shuffling paper during meetings, not paying attention.
40:43 – Sun Chase Playscape - The Case of the Missing Invoice:
Contractor sent a $95,000 invoice to 1000 Old Mill Rd—Inframark’s office. Inframark claims they never got it. Classic.
Jones suggests an investigation. Rocco wants relevancy, jumps in with concern. Avila wonders if they should hire an attorney to investigate why mail didn’t get delivered. Yes, really.
Meanwhile, Jones blames committees. Avila tries to blame Director Flores. Rocco worries about restating the district’s financials. Jones then randomly says the money for the grand opening party was paid?
Plot twist: The invoice lists Kelley Masters’ phone number—a former director and the one who saved children’s lives by stopping the district from opening a $50K deathtrap treehouse bought by Jones, Franke, and Dudo. That equipment was uninsurable and unsalvageable.
Jones voted against the playground that replaced her dangerous one. So of course, she’s now grasping for someone to blame.
Reality check: The bookkeeper, Artesian Financial Services, is responsible for tracking not-to exceed amounts, paying bills, and supporting audits. They've never once provided not to exceed tracking. This is on them.
Spoiler: The money should still be in the bank because the project wasn’t paid. Let’s not pretend this is Enron.
56:16 – Spring Clean-up or Spring Screw-up?
Let’s revisit last year’s Spring Clean-up Event, or as Inframark prefers to call it: Oops. The Waste Management contract clearly calls for 5 dumpsters, staffed by actual employees of Waste Management. Inframark’s contract also stipulates coverage of this event. What did we get? Unstaffed chaos and contractual breach—by both Inframark and Waste Management. This isn’t speculation—it’s in the meeting minutes with all supporting docs.
Rocco questions who was on the trash committee back then? There wasn’t a trash committee. You know why? Because a functioning board didn’t need one—they read contracts. Shocking, we know. Post-mortem was done. Result: enforce the operator and waste management contracts. Radical idea.
Jones & Rocco’s Solution? Kick the can to fall and figure it out then. Because reading a contract now would just be too proactive. Only David Flores has cracked a cover. Inframark’s Base Fee Service Agreement.
1:02:42 – Clocking Out Public Comments
Rocco wants to drop speaking time from 3 to 2 minutes. His logic? Other MUDs do it. (Mom: “If other MUDs jumped off a bridge…”)
Flores defends the people’s right to speak. Avila just wants the lobster story to go away. Jones says it’s the “same people.” Norrell jumps in because one time, someone said something mean about her. Boohoo. So now, they all want shorter public comment time because feelings got hurt. We ask again: who has the thinnest skin? Avila or Norrell?
1:06:52 – Director Gag Order
Jones wants to limit director speaking time. Why? Because Director Flores exists. The board already voted in old Zac Evans Rules of Order resolution—clearly unread. It covers this exact thing.
But hey, why follow the rules you adopted when you can just eject Flores from meetings by mob vote? That’s democracy, Rocco, Jones, Avila and Norrell style.
And let’s be clear—Jones may have the title, but Rocco’s the one steering this clown car. She’s just the PINO: President In Name Only.
1:10:08 – PIR Panic Attack
Norrell “can’t find the money” for public records costs on the Attorney’s invoice. Pro tip: it’s in the Coats Rose invoice for PIR work. You know, the thing you’re supposed to be reviewing as part of the bills and invoices committee?
Hanoi claims the bookkeeper came up with $17,000 in PIR costs over some unknown amount of time. Does he really believe that cooking up some figures will amount to the removal of the people’s right to know?
Yes, imagine that—people wanting transparency. The horror.
Transparency isn’t optional—it’s the law. And no, you can’t rewrite the Public Information Act from your little dais. That requires an actual legislature.
1:21:21 – Avila’s Laptop Light Show
Avila brings a presentation for the public, but the projector’s broken. It’s been on Inframark’s to do list since 2023. So he swings a laptop around to show people on either side—because obviously, everyone loves tiny fonts.
He’s “deeply concerned” that MUDucation had the full board packet the day after the last meeting. He reads a letter from the bookkeeper who has spun a ‘what if’ conspiracy blaming AI and check routing numbers. Let’s break it down:
• Routing numbers are not classified. They’re printed on every check.
•Signatures are public. See: every public document ever.
Interesting accounting aside: The board signs blank checks. Yes, you read that right. The bookkeeper fills them in later. The attorney explains this is an unusual practice. Is that lawyer speak for possibly illegal? It’s certainly a rubber stamp. The bills paid by these blank checks have no oversight or vote of approval from the board.
Avila’s real concern? MUDucation published the full board packet. How? Through a legitimate open records request. Everything that went up onto MUDucation was deemed public information by the District. Which he would have known if he bothered to read his own premeeting documents. The resident that requested the document tried to explain - but was silenced, because that would have been too easy. Better to silence the audience and play with the innuendo that the information had somehow been “leaked”.
Another clue to the legitimate request should have been apparent in Norrell’s ‘summation’ of the attorney’s spreadsheet. She totaled the number of PIR requests per person. Does she think there is a limit to the number of requests? There is not a limit Norrell - did you take your mandatory Public Information Training? Maybe you and Avila could take it together? It appears you both lack any understanding of the Act.
The Final Word
The MUDucation team is composed of experienced, community-minded folks committed to shining a light on corruption, waste, and self interest masquerading as governance. We don’t publish anything unless we receive it through legal and legitimate channels. We bring receipts, because that is the only way to see what is the actual truth - not just gossip, stories, and innuendo. We’re not a pack —we’re a public service watchdog. Stay tuned to see what we can sniff out to make our community more aware. “An informed citizenry is at the heart of a dynamic democracy.” -Thomas Jefferson
Stay sharp. Stay involved. Stay MUDucated.
