Mr. Howell organized a coalition of communities, districts, water supply corporations, cities and counties in early January of 2010 in response to the threat of the Lower Colorado River Authority’s (LCRA) intention to auction their water and wastewater facilities to Investor Owned Utility Companies. This Coalition formed a development corporation, the Coalition of Central Texas Utilities Development (UDC), in order to focus the coalition’s efforts to obtain their systems and in response to the LCRA’s requirement that there be one entity to act on behalf of the Coalition for the bidding and purchase of over $300 million in facilities.

The UDC was successful in splitting up the bid package for the purpose of purchase by individual communities. Leander , for instance purchased the Sandy Creek Water Treatment Plant, which is it’s current source of treated water. The largest system, The West Travis System, which serves west Travis County and northern Hays County, required both a complex “installment” purchase agreement, and a negotiated settlement of a four year old rate case between the LCRA and the City of Bee Cave, West Travis County MUD’s No. 3 and No. 4. A Public Utility Agency was created to accept the ownership and operation of the WTC System and recently, through a successful bond sale, performed on it’s first ownership purchase requirement, as per it’s agreement with the LCRA. The UDC’s efforts with the LCRA’s bid/auction process spanned the last year and, although successful with 80% of the systems, is in an ongoing negotiation to keep the systems in the control of the customers, for the remaining systems.