General Board Meeting Recap: February 19, 2025

Timestamp 20:29 – Payment of Bills

Chris Rocco motions to accept the recommendation by the Bills & Invoices Committee (which consists of… drumroll… Chris Rocco and Carroll Norrell) to pay the bills.

Hanoi Avila asks about receiving the accountant's report. Rocco responds with a hard NO. Just vote, no need for details!

By 21:12, Carroll jumps in to assure everyone that they met with the accountant and had an extensive discussion on every single item—so just trust them! No transparency needed. Just rubber stamp it!

David Flores, clearly still clinging to the radical idea that fiduciary responsibility matters, asks if the district is paying for services in advance. Rocco, caught off guard, tosses the question over to the new operator, Elizabeth, who frantically searches for the second payment in question. So much for that extensive discussion.

Timestamp 38:10 – 1:02:26 – Sidewalks Over Sewers

The Infrastructure Committee (Hanoi Avila & Chris Rocco) is thrilled to announce a resolution… about sidewalks. Because, obviously, the district’s top concern isn’t crumbling sewer lines or failing lift stations—it’s pedestrian walkways.

David Flores asks the obvious question: Why are we prioritizing sidewalks over essential repairs?

At 44:55, Flores attempts to explain the district’s actual financial numbers. At 45:00, Avila, in a heroic display of insecurity, immediately interrupts to shut him down. Beth Jones tags in with her classic "That’s not on the agenda!" routine, and before you can blink—motion by Jones, second by Avila—to remove Flores from the meeting.

This is what governance looks like in their world.  Let that sink in. If they don’t like what you’re saying, they’ll simply vote to eject you. For the people? Not even close.

Timestamp 1:29:54 – The Transparency Kill Switch

Beth Jones resurrects the March 31, 2021, communications policy, proposing some exciting new rules to:

• Limit which board members can speak to contractors

• Centralize communication power under the president

Jones claims this will “streamline communication and reduce costs.”

Translation: “We’re making sure only a select few control information. And by ‘select few,’ we mean Beth and Chris, primarily.”

But don’t worry, this isn’t about secrecy. No, no. It’s about “efficiency.” Just like how locking the public out of discussions is about “order” and booting board members mid-meeting is about “decorum.”

Timestamp 1:35:06 – The Board’s Vacation Fund

Beth Jones is bringing back CASE Conference attendance!

For those unfamiliar, this is when board members take a taxpayer-funded trip to South Padre Island under the guise of “training.” The last time this happened, Beth Jones and Catherine Franke racked up $3775 which included Beth’s 2 personal vacation days prior to the conference start. To be fair, Catherine and Beth shared the 3 bedroom, 2 bath condo on the beach for 1 night of the 4 nights rented.  Beth left South padre on the day the conference started.   See receipts here  and case agenda here.

Expensing a luxury retreat on the public dime?

Timestamp 1:37:31 – The Deed Enforcer Returns

Chris Rocco motions to release a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a Deed Enforcer.

* The RFP was NOT included in the board packet.

* No board member saw the document before voting.

* Zero discussion took place before it was approved.

The entire Board voted YES to a mystery document that only Beth Jones and Chris Rocco had control over without ever seeing it? Blind votes or Walking Quorum?

This is the return of the “target, strong-arm, and intimidate” system—where Jones, Rocco and the enforcer decide who’s in the crosshairs and all other board members are prohibited from questioning the enforcer.  

No transparency. No accountability. Total control.

Imagine a world where the rules don’t apply to them but apply harshly to you. Oh, wait—that’s not the future. That’s right now.

Timestamp 2:06:44 – Information Management Committee Report

And here’s Chris Rocco again, giving a report on what they (him and Carroll) discussed.

NEWS FLASH, CHRIS. You’re not on that committee. That’s Hanoi and Carroll’s committee. But hey, why let details get in the way of your airtime?

Do Hanoi or Carroll even realize they are partners on said Committee? It is no wonder the website is not in compliance with Texas State Law...  

Timestamp 2:07:48 – The Hanoi Avila Defamation Tour

The Audit Committee had no report.

Instead, Hanoi Avila took the floor—to air his personal grievances. He read from his personal  cease and desist letter - which he received over his false and defamatory claim that Linda Fabre cost the district over $300,000 in open records requests.

FACT CHECK: That is a demonstrably false statement.

Let’s rewind:

• In April 2019, the board—including Chris Rocco—hired Bickerstaff, Heath, Delgado & Acosta to handle open government issues.

• Bickerstaff’s invoice1 and invoice2 do NOT support Avila’s accusations. 

• The total costs recorded on spreadsheet - include billable hours from both Bickerstaff AND the district’s attorney, Bill Flickinger—who was providing oversight.

• In September 2020 - legal fees recorded on the spreadsheet include Bob Heath in his role as the personal attorney for former board director Luis Zervigon—who was under investigation by the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) for election interference.

• Zervigon resigned in October 2020, but the district continued paying for his legal defense with taxpayer money until 2021. Estimated cost including Flickinger billing ~ $30,000.

Yet Avila insists there are plenty of records to back up his claims.  We’ll find out soon. His so-called evidence has been requested under the Public Information Act. We’ll see if his plentiful records actually exist—or if this was just another round of performative outrage.

Final Takeaways

• The district lost 11% of its water this month—costing taxpayers ~ $16,000 in lost water revenue. Meanwhile, the operator responsible for water accountability continues collecting $54,235 per month.  

• Your property, Their control. The Deed Enforcer will report directly to Jones & Rocco—who will make decisions about what violations to pursue.

• Board Members Can’t Keep Up: Certain directors seem dazed and confused— losing their place, zoning out, and generally struggling to keep up with what's happening. Shouldn't that concern everyone?

• Silence dissent, control the narrative - if you question them, they’ll eject you from the meeting. If you don’t play along, they’ll strip your ability to communicate.