Harris letter backfires; board schedules special meeting March 2

As one board member remarked, “Harris could save the membership and himself a lot of trouble and expense if he simply did the right thing and resigned from the board.”

Send your questions, comments and news tips to roundup.editor@gmail.com, to Mr. O'Dell at codell@austin.rr.com or click on the "comments" button at the bottom of the story. Call the Dripping Springs Water Supply office at 512.858.7897 for the meeting location and agenda

By Charles O'Dell
Contributing Editor

In a desperate last ditch effort to head off being removed from office at a special membership meeting to be held in about two weeks, Dripping Springs Water Supply Corp president, Steven Harris, mailed a rambling letter to the membership containing statements that further outraged members and caused concern of possible libel and slander suits against the corporation. (Read the letter and related story here.)

So serious are the concerns about Harris’ statements contained in his letter that a special board meeting has been called for next Wednesday night, March 2nd at 7pm in the boardroom.

While the agenda item is vaguely and erroneously worded in violation of the open meetings act, the board meeting will consider substantial financial risk to which Harris has exposed the corporation by his destructive behavior, and in particular his February letter to the membership.

The March 2nd meeting precedes a special membership meeting already slated for March 10th to be held at the nearby First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall at 7pm, when charges against Harris and fellow board member, Larry Brewer, will be discussed and a member vote taken on whether to remove the two of them from the board.

The March 10th meeting was scheduled months after more than ten percent of the membership signed a petition last year calling for the removal of Harris and Brewer. Harris had refused to allow an agenda item calling for a special meeting until the corporation attorney finally advised it was necessary. Those supporting removal of Harris and Brewer include former board president, Chuck Sellers, former board member Oran “Pug” Rippy, and current board member Jim Walden.

Signed proxies of members who cannot attend the March 10th special meeting are requested to be given to members Clarence Cobb, Craig Young, Ron Kelly, Jon Cobb, Dennis Dement, Johnny Hudson or board member Jim Walden. Reports are that many proxies have already been received by those seeking to remove Harris and Brewer.

In a response to Harris’ claims recently mailed to the membership, those endorsing removal of Harris and Brewer noted Harris’ manipulation, contradiction and falsification of information referenced in his February letter to the membership.

These included claims made about the General Manager’s employment contract and retirement package that Harris negotiated; false statements and innuendos Harris made about the corporation’s current and a previous CPA; and repeated and unsubstantiated claims of irregularities and malfeasance by the General Manager.

The response pointed out egregious violations of Harris’ fiduciary responsibilities to the membership, excessive corporation legal expenses run up by Harris and Brewer (amounting to $160 per member in 2010 alone), Harris’ repeatedly exceeding his authority in his incessant attempts to micro manage corporation operations, and repeated harassment and retaliation against employees and members, including interfering with the member’ right to vote for removal.

The March 2nd special board meeting is open to the public but most of it will likely be conducted in executive session.

As one board member remarked, “Harris could save the membership and himself a lot of trouble and expense if he simply did the right thing and resigned from the board.”

For additional information you are asked to call: Ron Kelly (936) 635-0111 or (512) 858-7686, Craig Young (512) 940-0706, Jim Walden (512) 784-7154, Jon Cobb (512) 848-9473 and Johnny Hudson (512) 858-7177.