ROBSTOWN, Tx — Residents along Bauer Road and Highway 77 in Robstown have waited more than four decades for the city to deliver on promises made during their 1981 annexation—basic utilities like water, sewage, and gas that never arrived.
Bill and Myrtis Noble, who have lived in their Bauer Road home for 50 years, remain without gas service despite requesting it when lines were installed years ago.
"We just got to live with it," Myrtis Noble told 6 Investigates. "No need to fight the city because you ain't going to get nowhere with it."
The situation has grown dire for some.
Joe Ocanas has been without functioning showers or toilets since his septic tank collapsed during the 2021 Texas freeze, forcing him to rely on friends and neighbors for basic necessities.
"When are you going to act on your promises?" Ocanas asked the city. "We have been paying taxes all these years—year after year. Now what?"
When Ocanas brought his concerns to a city council meeting, he was told nothing could be done. Other affected residents declined to speak publicly, fearing retaliation after years of "futile" efforts to secure services.
The service plan for the annexed area is governed by Chapter 43 of the Texas Local Government Code. Under the law that was in effect in 1981 the service plan that is part of Ordinance 683 was valid for 10 years. The citizen should have raised the issue within 2 years of knowing that the City had not provided such services. The fact that it has been more than 40 years since the annexation, it is too late to legally bring a complaint.
While Mayor David Martinez expressed sympathy, he pointed to budget constraints as the barrier to action, though he promised to prioritize improvements if future finances allow.
The legal reality is stark. Chapter 43 of the Texas Local Government Code required municipalities to provide full services to annexed areas within 2.5 to 4.5 years, with the service plan valid for 10 years until 1991. The window for legal complaints closed decades ago.
Some residents argue that ongoing tax collection creates a continuing obligation to provide services, but without timely legal action, their options remain limited.
As Ocanas, now three years without proper sanitation, put it: "We have been paying taxes all these years. Year after year. Now what?"
