ROBSTOWN, Texas — Heavy rains have historically flooded in residents in areas of Petronilla and Robstown.
To mitigate that risk of flooding, the State of Texas has special taxing districts. These drainage districts are put in place to construct and maintain ditches, canals, and levees, and provide drainage to mitigate flooding.
However, some residents within the boundaries of Nueces County Drainage District No. 2 argue that the district is not doing the things for which they were established.
"I think I would speak on behalf of any Petronilla citizen that when it rains we are not getting what we are paying for," said Eddie Aguilera, a member of the district's citizen advisory board. "I actually have elderly parents that live in that community that have to walk through two feet of water any time we get a big flood. So the concern is there."
Each year, the drainage district collects taxes. That revenue is to be used on projects and office expenses.
6 Investigates dug through thousands of pages of credit card statements and receipts from the district's office staff and commissioners.
Receipts from late 2019 to mid-2022 show over $37,000 was spent on meals, nearly $5,000 on snacks, $24,000 on parties and gifts, and thousands of dollars were spent on donations, flowers, jewelry, and clothing.
"It's very odd to me that these guys, especially a small entity like this with a small budget can afford to do this and especially with tax dollars. How can this even happen?" Aguilera asked.
For more than two months, 6 Investigates tried to pose this question to each of the drainage district commissioners. Commissioners Balde Torres and Jesse Rojas did not respond to requests for an interview, despite saying they would.
Commissioner David Martinez did sit down with KRIS 6 News and said he was shocked by the receipts.
"I'm going to question this now. Go into the office and have a meeting, you know? Set up a meeting whenever you finish doing an interview with the rest of the commissioners we'll sit down and tell them this stops," Martinez said.
Martinez and Torres were elected in November 2020 and sworn in at a ceremony that cost taxpayers over $3,000.
In that year the district also spent more than $8,000 for two additional events at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds. The district didn't say what those events were for.
While some credit card charges are to be expected, such as parts to repair equipment, over the course of two years the staff spent over $1,100 on employee awards, thousands on party supplies, and hundreds of dollars on groceries.
Over the course of two years, $4,564 was spent on snacks, and over $37,000 was spent on meals for workers and commissioners at restaurants such as K-Bob's Steakhouse, Texas Roadhouse, and Kiko's.
After multiple failed attempts to speak with Commissioner Rojas, 6 Investigates tracked him down at a drainage district commission meeting in August and asked him about these charges.
"That was during COVID, and I think a lot of these expenditures were made with the promise that we were going to get some of that money back," Rojas said.
When asked further, he acknowledged the issues.
"Looking at some of those expenditures, I think the upper management that was here during that time are no longer with us because of some expenditures that were made at that time as well," Rojas said.
During this two-year period, many of these charges were made on a card belonging to the previous office manager Sara Garcia. She told 6 Investigates she was fired by the drainage district for making purchases, even though she said the purchases were made at the direction of commissioners.
"A lot of stuff was done and with my credit card, sometimes the commissioners would go eat and they would take my card and they would use my card," Garcia said. "Sometimes they would take it, sometimes they would have to loan it to the other administrative assistants so they could go purchase what needed to be purchased."
The drainage district said they can't talk about a former employee, but Martinez said he was unaware Garcia's card was used by fellow commissioners.
"I'm going to go in and tell them this is not right. I found out a lot of things, and it needs to stop," Martinez said.
Following that August commission meeting, Torres said credit card purchases over the last year should be examined.
The district's accountant said they have tightened their belts and cut down on excessive spending.
"We've been working hard to hamper down on these things and I'm hoping that in the last year, you will see a better reflection," said district CPA Ernest Garza.
These statements resulted in a new public information request. And while spending varied from month to month, documents did reveal an improvement.
For example, during a 12-month period from 2020 to 2021, the district spent over $16,000 on meals. Comparatively, from 2022 to 2023 it spent $4,200. During that same time, it decreased spending on snacks from $4,600 to just over a thousand and party spending from $15,000 to $7,500.
Other charges remain, such as Freedom Fitness memberships.
Some residents, however, argue that these funds could be better spent.
"No business entity would allow something like that, this is just beyond abuse and beyond the confidence that taxpayers give these people that voted them in to take care of what they were supposed to take care of and it's ridiculous," Aguilera said.
Residents say in addition to credit card spending, they have concerns with benefits received by employees and the commissioners. This includes health insurance, covered at 100 percent for all staff.
That insurance costs taxpayers $245,000 per year.
