TRA - About Agency Structure

The Trinity River Authority of Texas was created in 1955 by the 54^th Legislature. The political subdivision of TRA includes all or part of seventeen Texas counties within the Trinity River Basin.

When TRA was created by the state legislature, it was assigned three overall functions. The first function was the creation and maintenance of a basin wide master plan for the entire Trinity River watershed.

The second major function assigned by the legislature was serving as a local sponsor for federal water projects. The authority has successfully sponsored four US Army Corps of Engineers multiple-purpose projects.

The third function assigned by the Texas Legislature was providing water and wastewater related services within the Trinity River Authority territory.

Services currently provided by TRA include wastewater treatment, water treatment (potable water production), reservoir facilities, recreation facilities and as a conduit for tax exempt financing for cities in the areas of water and wastewater treatment; and for industry in the areas of air and/or water pollution control.

The Authority exists without the benefit of a direct tax base or state and federal appropriations. TRA provides services only to parties requesting service and only to the degree that service is actually delivered. If an operating project of TRA’s inadvertently makes a profit, the surplus is returned to the customer entities served by that particular project in the form of cash or credit toward the next year’s billings.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

All powers of the Authority are exercised by a twenty-four member Board of Directors appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. Each of the Authority’s directors is appointed to a six-year term. Every two years, eight of TRA’s directors are up for reappointment or replacement in accordance with the wishes of the governor in office at that time. The Authority’s statute specifies that three of the Board members must be appointed from within Tarrant County, four from Dallas County, one each from the remaining 15 counties within the political subdivision, and the remaining two are selected to serve at-large from anywhere within the political subdivision. The TRA Board has six regularly scheduled meetings and can call special meetings as required.

President of the Board of Directors - John W. Jenkins

Vice President – Hector Escamilla, Jr.

Chairman, Executive Committee – Edd Hargett

COMMITTEES

Any matter to be considered by the TRA Board of Directors passes through the appropriate functional committee before it is considered by the full Board of Directors.

Executive Committee—The Board President, Vice President, Chairman of the Executive Committee and four other directors are elected by the board members to serve as officers and Executive Committee members. Four other directors are elected by the Board to serve as chairpersons for the four primary functional committees of the board.

These members are empowered to act in between the six regular meetings of the full Board as long as their actions are ratified by the full Board at the next regular meeting, if the action they take has not been specifically restricted by the full Board.

Resources Development Committee—This committee is concerned with the planning, design and construction of the Authority’s revenue oriented projects; the Authority’s provision of financing services to others; master planning responsibilities; and federal water project activities.

Administration Committee—This committee is concerned with the Authority’s internal business and management activities including the annual budget, annual audit, and the administrative activities.

Legal Committee—This committee is concerned with the Authority’s legal activities, particularly the manner in which legal matters are handled, litigation, legislation, and the Authority’s land rights activities.

Utility Services Committee—This committee addresses issues related to the Authority’s existing revenue oriented projects; the expansion or enlargement of the Authority’s existing projects, and the sale of water from Authority projects.

VINCENT CRUZ, JR.
Director
1-Place 1, Tarrant County

LOUIS E. STURNS
Chairman, Legal Committee
1-Place 2, Tarrant County

LESLIE C. BROWNE
Director
1-Place 1, Tarrant County


KARL R. BUTLER Director 2-Place 1, Dallas County	VACANT Director 2-Place 3, Dallas County


PATRICIA T. CLAPP Director 2-Place 3, Dallas County	JACK C. VAUGHN, JR. Director 2-Place 4, Dallas County

		MICHAEL CRONIN Chairman, Utility Services Committee Place 3, Kaufman County

*NANCY PERRYMAN* Director Place 4, Henderson County