City of Zavalla prepares for swearing in of new mayor, council

ZAVALLA, Texas (KTRE) - Zavalla has faced turmoil over the last year when it comes to their water and sewer system, and the financial status of the city. At the beginning of May, five new city council members and a new mayor will take office.

Brenda Cox served as a member of the Zavalla City Council about five years ago. When the former mayor, Carlos Guzman resigned, Cox said she didn’t want to run but knew the city needed help. She ran unopposed.

“No one else stepped forward, and I had been on the council, so I have a little knowledge of what is going on. So I’m going to try and help. I’m looking forward to helping a situation,” Cox said.

Cox said she won’t know what the current state of the city’s water and sewer system and financial situation is until she is sworn into office, but she knows it needs work.

“I just know what is going on in a roundabout way. We have a new council; I cannot make those plans by myself. We are going to have to have workshops and put all of our heads together to see what course we can take, what we can do,” Cox said. “We’ve just got a lot of work. Hopefully we can get together and get it done.”

The GUI water system in the city is more than 30 years old. In the last year, the system has failed several times and experienced leaks throughout creating water pressure issues. The GUI system is uncommon and only 6 people in the state have the license to operate it. Last November, the city went 10 days without water, and when the water was restored, citizens were asked to preserve and boil their water.

She said the council will look into writing grant applications for money to fix the issues, should the city qualify and if it would present a feasible solution.

“We’ve got to have change, or we’re going to stay like we are,” Cox said.

Cox said she wants to have transparency and accountability while she is in office.

“I would like the citizens to come forth, come see me, come talk to me, give us suggestions, give us comments, give us criticisms. We need more involvement from citizens instead of negativity. We’ve got to be forward and be forward and be positive,” Cox said.

Incoming council members and the mayor will be sworn into office on May 9th. Cox said they cannot take action until five days after they are sworn in.

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