Magnolia Ridge, a large-scale subdivision managed by Magnolia-Tex Acquisition Company, LLC, located off FM 1488 near the intersection of Buddy Riley Boulevard in Magnolia, has stalled development in recent months. No residents have moved in as of yet.

In a previous story reported by the Tribune on Sept. 21, the Magnolia Ridge subdivision accrued several months of unpaid water bills.

In an e-mail dated July 15 from Councilman John Bramlett to Kelley and Mayor Jimmy Thornton, Bramlett wrote, “I need to (sic) how we have allowed Magnolia Ridge to have free water over the last seven months. This is not a mistake and I want to know how this was allowed for all these months. They are not being treated like the other citizens in Magnolia.”

The bill was eventually paid on July 17.

Kelley previously told the Tribune that Magnolia Ridge “didn’t pay for awhile” and that former City Secretary LuAnn Drake, who received disconnect lists from the utility company TNG Utilities via e-mail, “didn’t tell us, and we didn’t know.”

He also stated that “once we found this out, I talked to the mayor and he said we’d give them a couple of days and then cut them off.”

However, in an e-mail dated March 25, 2009, sent from Kelley to Jennifer Smith of TNG, Kelley wrote, “Please send me the (cutoff) list. Jennifer, please call me with the details on the Magnolia Ridge bill.”

In an e-mail later that day addressed to Drake, Smith says she “added Ryan to my contacts” but will “still cc you on everything to keep you in the loop.”

This was nearly five months before Magnolia Ridge eventually paid its bill, which Kelley previously stated was “a few thousand dollars.”

Smith said the three Magnolia Ridge accounts, which were opened in October 2008, represent the three water meters in the development.

After 60 days of non-payment, an account is added to the disconnect list, Smith said.

Magnolia Ridge’s accounts were added to the list in March 2009.

Kelley stated in the previous article that Magnolia Ridge was not cut off “because she (Drake) didn’t tell TNG to cut them off.”

However, in an e-mail dated March 25 from Drake to Smith, Drake wrote, “Ryan has instructed me to remove Magnolia Ridge from the disconnect list.”

Smith confirmed that she received the e-mail requesting Magnolia Ridge’s removal from the list and she complied.

Kelley said in a phone interview last week that the e-mail is “not true.”

“I did not tell her to not cut them off,” he said. “We as a staff should have followed the rules. I did not actively ask anyone to not follow the rules. The fact that it was allowed to go on so long was not good and I still don’t know exactly why that happened.”

He added that the situation was “taken care of to our satisfaction and all the bills were paid.”

The responsibility for the disconnect list was that of Drake’s, Kelley said.

“Their water meter should have been turned off. It wasn’t my job. It was LuAnn’s job. There’s no way I can know what everyone is doing all the time,” he said. “As City Administrator during that time, I’ll take responsibility for it. We ought to do what the ordinance says.”

The ordinance Kelley referred to regards the city’s utility rules and regulations. To view the ordinance, visit www.cityofmagnolia.com.

To view the e-mails between Kelley, Smith and Drake, go to 'Checking Magnolia's E-mails.'

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