Wednesday, March 10, 2010

UPDATE: Flower Mound Eminent Domain

The Dallas Morning News reports on the eminent domain case in Flower Mound and another in Haltom City.

Both cases involve running pipeline through town owned property. Flower Mound would have to give up municipal land for a 30 foot pipeline easement behind one of the Fire Stations. In Haltom City the pipeline company wants to run the pipeline through parkland, streets and a future nature area.

Many are saying these lawsuits could be landmark cases. Robert Brown, Flower Mound's Attorney had this to say.

The case "could have far-reaching consequences around Texas, particularly for those municipalities that do not agree with pipeline companies that want to locate and install natural gas pipelines in parks, across fire station properties, in front of city halls and at other municipal properties," Brown said in a written statement.

Flower Mound Town Council Member Tom Hayden agrees and has other concerns about future gas drilling activity.

"We need to defend our town," he said. "If we didn't do that, it would set a dangerous precedent."
In Flower Mound, Hayden said granting the right of way could open the door to other pipelines, including ones that could transport wastewater from gas drilling sites to a centralized collection facility.
"That doesn't mean it's going to happen," he said. "But I don't want to have the possibility that town land could be used for that."

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

When's the last time your "good neighbor" tried to take your property? ...or the property of the city you live in?

Anonymous said...

Williams didn't try to take my property. They tried to pay Flower Mound for the right to use the town property. The Town refused the offer and Williams pursued the issue in court, where they will certainly win. Hayden and Filidoro took my money (and yours) when they voted "no" to the offer and authorized the town attorney to start his meter running on legal fees representing us in this idiotic case. It's the Stafford Estates case all over again. And what, exactly, does the town hope to win in this case? What tangible benefit is gained by denying Williams the right to put a pipeline under Shiloh Road, alongside existing pipelines? Absolutely nothing. It's ALL political.

Anonymous said...

What is the Stafford Estates case? Did they go to court over eminent domain? Did they go to court over anything?

Anonymous said...

Maybe the governement will give me the right to buy your home for $20, would that piss you off, or would you just be being "political" at that point? It's all "political", just like you want something, that is "political" too. Politics by definition is representing an interest, you have interests, we have interests, get a new argument, the "political" one is getting real old.

Anonymous said...

The last time I checked the vote was 4-0, so apparently Wallace and Dixon took "your money" and "mine" as well, let's go lynch all of them you genious.

Anonymous said...

You know, it hurts your credibility just a tad when you spell genius with the letter "o". And the vote on Williams' proposal was 2-2. The 4-0 vote (the Saturday morning vote) was to authorize the same law firm to waste our money on this idiotic case that lost so much for us on the Stafford case. Given your spelling ability and your apparent affinity for lynching, I'm guessing you're the product of a Southern education?