LONGVIEW, Texas — A former state lawmaker is suing the agency that manages a major East Texas lake, saying the organization violated open meetings laws when it tried to sell water to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Avinger resident and water rights activist David Simpson, who served in the Texas House from 2011 to 2017, is suing the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District, which oversees Lake O’ the Pines, a water source for several cities in the region.
The lawsuit claims the organization violated the Texas Open Meetings Act during the past two years by failing to provide public notice of its negotiations to sell water to the North Texas Municipal Water District. The lawsuit also claims that board members have had one or more private meetings and “walking quorums” to discuss the sale of water. A walking quorum is an illegal, informal meeting where members of a public body meet and conduct business without public notice…