The Jonestown City Council took no action March 25 after holding a closed executive session on a possible lawsuit against Jonestown One Stop Food Mart.
The Council openly discussed taking legal action against the gas station and convenience store after a test on a city vehicle found water in its gas tank. According to city staff, the city had only bought gas from Jonestown One Stop.
Jonestown One Stop owner Yousef Boukercha has denied the city’s claims, referring to a quality test he funded by U.S.T. Suretest, which passed the station for a leak detector test. According to city documents, city code enforcement officer Bob Stevenson had a station attendant perform a “stick test” on the diesel tank, which measured about two inches of water.
Dodson said though the city did not take action after discussion March 25, he did not rule out the possibility of the city filing a lawsuit in the future. “I won’t say it’s dead,” he said.
Other Council action March 25 included:
• The Council cancelled May elections since the three incumbents—Joe Aaron, Robert Moore and Lance Wedell—are running unopposed.
• The Lago Vista Chamber of Commerce, which plans to change its name to include Jonestown, is set to receive a quarterly $2,000 allocation from the city after the Council voted on the issue. Further discussion with Donna Jo Priem and the Toni Sharp included ways to notify members of the now-defunct Jonestown Area Chamber of Commerce on transferring funds from the chamber to tourist-related expenditures. Sharp said creating a city tarp for local farmer’s markets or creating tourism literature could be a good use of $10,923 left over from the chamber. The meeting is noon April 22 at True Grits Texas Bar & Grill. Any previous members of the Jonestown chamber are invited to attend.
• The Council approved Lina Wintz of the parks department to spend up to $4,000 for equipment and supplies to build a gate, fence and carport for an addition to Jones Brothers Park. The parks department account includes in excess of $100,000, according to a city memo.
• The Council opted to buy a 600-watt amp for about $9,500 for electrical work at Jones Brothers Park. The amp will allow a strong electrical current for events at the park including the city’s annual Oktoberfest.
• Gary Mermelstein will move from an alternate to a member of the city planning and zoning commission after member Tricia Anglea resigned. Anglea resigned because of time constraints, according to a city memo.