MUD 18 Newsletter
Summer 2020
www.mcmud18.com

MUD 18 Website: The new website for MUD 18 was fully launched in 2020. Analytics are prepared monthly, and data indicates that the greatest usage occurs around holidays. The website is intended to provide the MUD 18 community with the most current information and to maintain compliance with State legislative requirements. Access to the MUD 18 website is www.mcmud18.com.

Board of Directors: The MUD 18 Board of Directors consists of 5 members elected by registered voters in the District for staggered four-year terms. Candidates for the directors’ election scheduled for May 2, 2020 were certified as unopposed and no election is required. Pursuant to the Order of the Election of Directors, the candidates were declared elected at the May 2020 Board meeting. Nancy Busen and Lou Tichacek will serve another term.

MUD 18 Taxes: As of May 2020, 97.4% of 2019 taxes have been collected for the District. Although few, unpaid taxes are turned over for collection and homeowners are contacted by letter and phone calls.

Watch the Weather and Water Smarter: Texas summers are generally hot and dry. Water between Midnight and 6 AM to help maintain a consistent water pressure in our wells and to encourage your lawn to soak up moisture and avoid run-off. Run-off from watering a lawn can waste a significant amount of water. Avoid short, frequent periods of watering to encourage the roots of plants and trees to seek water at lower depths. With an automatic irrigation system, have someone monitor your watering system while you are away in case of rain For more details, check Texas A & M website at http://aggieturf.tamu.edu.

Trash & Recycling: The COVID19 pandemic affected the Bentwater community as residents complied with quarantine guidelines. Because more people dined at home, and children and adults were studying or working from home, household trash and recyclables increased almost 17%. Waste Management was able to keep to a regular schedule and very few pick-ups were delayed even though the company dealt with their own work restrictions.

Waste Management picks up on all holidays but Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year. If trash pick-up falls on Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year on a regularly scheduled trash/recycle day, pick-up will occur on the next regularly scheduled day. Recycle pick-up only occurs on Thursdays. If a holiday occurs on a Thursday, trash will be picked up on Monday but recycle will not be picked up until the following Thursday. To schedule a heavy trash pick-up, please contact Waste Management at 1-800-800-5804.

Upgrade of Fire Station No. 55 on FM1097 at the West Gate: Texas Department of Insurance has approved the upgrade of the Montgomery County ESD from a Class 4 to a Class 2 (Community’s Public Protection Classification) effective April 1, 2020. Homeowners in Bentwater should notify their insurance carriers of this upgrade as it may decrease your homeowner’s insurance rate. You and your insurance carrier can verify this upgrade at http://www.mcesd2.org/content/iso. This site will take you the Texas Department of Insurance Document that you will need for your insurance carrier.

Encroachments and Easements: Prior to building structures on any Bentwater property, residents should review the Bentwater Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions on the POA website. Sections 2.02-2.05 deal with easements. Residents may petition the MUD 18 board for Consents to Encroachment of water, sewer, and utility easements.
Need to Report a Problem? Don’t assume the problem has already been identified or reported. If you observe a water leak, sewer odor, discolored water, open manholes, alarms are sounding, or other problems, please help us by calling: Hays Utility Service @ 936-588-1166.

Hays has someone in Bentwater every day, seven days a week. They can and will respond 24 hours a day. Their general office hours are from 8:00AM to 4:30PM Monday through Friday.

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Meetings Open to the Public:
Our regularly scheduled monthly meetings are the 3rd Tuesdays at 9:30AM in the Country Club Cypress Room. Meetings are open to the public. The agenda is posted on our web site and the message board in the breezeway entrance to the Country Club Grill near the Golf Pro-shop. During the COVID19 restrictions, meetings of MUD18 have been conducted by Zoom. If you wish to attend a meeting, please contact Susan McFarland for the meeting ID code. Minutes from meetings are published on the MUD 18 web site.
Your MUD 18 Board:

• Rex Cambern – President
• Lou Tichacek – Vice President
• Susan McFarland – Treasurer
• Gary Montgomery – Secretary
• Nancy Busen – Assistant Secretary

Please be advised that collection service has been delayed within Montgomery County MUD 18/Bentwater. We will be returning to the community today Friday, June 5, 2020 to complete service.

The following streets will be recovered: W. Pine Dr., Marseille, W. Lake Place, Lake Bluff, W. Shore Ln., Westlyn Ln., W. Oaks Ct., W. Shore Ln., W. Shore Dr., Waterberry Way and Bentwater Dr. W.

We apologize for any inconvenience the delay in service may cause. Thank you for your patience and flexibility while we work to complete service.