Government Services Group

08/13/2024

Just days after approving a stadium design firm, St. Petersburg, Florida began considering an owner’s representative for the Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment. It’s a $6.5 billion dollar undertaking. Several firms are competing to provide services to the city. The owner’s representative will provide professional and throughout the project’s , and phases. The selected company will also serve as the “central point of contact” – along with myriad other functions – on the city’s behalf. But it’s not all about . is critical. The Southern Poverty Law Center is concerned about resident displacement. The community is concerned that the planned affordable housing will not actually be affordable. An - is planned for the site, but residents have practical concerns. So this owner’s representative will need to work closely with the city and the community to ensure that people are heard while economic goals are pursued.


Texas City Management Association
Texas Association of Counties
Texas Water Utilities Association

08/06/2024

With the Rio Grande unreliable, cities are turning up the search for alternatives. The drought drags on so all those water sources that are dependent are either insufficient or approaching it. have already been affected, but they have few alternatives. The same is true of small utilities. Few , and costly ones at that. The search for alternative will put additional pressure on existing supplies. The Valley has 27 districts. As of July, three or four are simply out of water. it’s time for more cities to consider . Beyond that, taping aquifers or other surface water is more of the same thing. Rainfall dependent. There’s , when it’s available. While the rain might not fall into the reservoirs as needed, it can still be collected, cleaned and reused. Bottom line? No easy solutions. The cheap water is gone and we still need more.


Texas City Management Association
Texas Water Utilities Association
Texas Rural Water Association
Texas Department of Agriculture
Texas Association of Counties
Texas Water Development Board

Many of the solutions are costly, putting them out of reach for small towns. But the region's most populous cities are getting innovative.

07/30/2024

I have a friend who works in public . She specializes in , water and related issues. She told me that earlier in her career her firm was retained to develop a for a private company. She knew the area and the issues and told the project manager, a . that concerns about the facility would focus on a nearby . The project manager pointed out that the County facility (same kind) was a mile closer to the river. When she pressed, he said, “Don’t bother me about non-issues, I only want to hear about things that could kill my project.”
That project died.
Public is a critical part of every project. Every has connections to their community and most are sensitive to needs and concerns. But developing new water supplies, treatment and and fixing is a complicated, focused effort requiring specific . That’s where an owner’s rep is especially valuable. Anser Advisory our services include everything from audit-preparation through procurement including communication and outreach. You need to know about # issues that affect your project. An owner’s rep does that. We do that.


Texas City Management Association
Texas Association of Counties
Texas Water Utilities Association
Texas Water Foundation

07/24/2024

Yesterday I told you about U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzales’s meeting with ’s president about deliveries and various security issues. Mexico says it will repay the water owed to the United States “soon.” In the meantime, Senators Cruz and Cornyn have filed to to sanction Mexico for its failure to deliver the desperately needed water . The Rio Grande supplies drinking and agriculture water for millions of people and farms along the South Texas border. In the meantime, while back up exist, plans need to be revisited and revised to ensure operations can continue until “soon” arrives. Need help examining the and finding funding for them? , we can help.



Texas City Management Association
Texas Association of Counties
Texas Water Utilities Association
Texas Department of Agriculture
Carlos Rubinstein
Texas Rural Water Association

A South Texas congressman who is part of a bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers meeting with officials in Mexico City this week says Mexico intends to repay water owed to the United States very …

07/18/2024

Yesterday I told you about U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzales’s meeting with ’s president about deliveries and various security issues. Mexico says it will repay the water owed to the United States “soon.” In the meantime, Senators Cruz and Cornyn have filed to to sanction Mexico for its failure to deliver the desperately needed water . The Rio Grande supplies drinking and agriculture water for millions of people and farms along the South Texas border. In the meantime, while back up exist, plans need to be revisited and revised to ensure operations can continue until “soon” arrives. Need help examining the and finding funding for them? , we can help.



Texas City Management Association
Texas Association of Counties
Texas Water Utilities Association
Texas Rural Water Association
Carlos Rubinstein

A South Texas congressman who is part of a bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers meeting with officials in Mexico City this week says Mexico intends to repay water owed to the United States very …

07/17/2024

U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, was scheduled to meet with Mexico’s president in Mexico to discuss water owed to the United States, according to The Border Report. It’s always better to negotiate rather than litigate, but Mexico is just as dry as South Texas—delivering about a quarter of the water required by treaty. It’s not just about water, though, security is a pressing issue on both sides of the border. Both issues have had a terrible impact on Texas. Agriculture continues to be hit hard by the loss of water. The sugar producers have literally dried up and there is no end in sight. While we’re looking for a solution with Mexico, we have to bring new ideas to what we can do. We can work with Mexico, but we must work with each other.




Texas Department of Agriculture
Texas Water Development Board
Texas City Management Association
Texas Rural Water Association (TRWA)
Texas Association of Counties

U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, was scheduled to meet with Mexico’s president in Mexico on Monday to discuss water owed to the United States, Border Report has learned.

07/17/2024

Federal representatives are moving toward withholding aid for their failure to provide water as agreed to in an 80-year-old . According to the article, “the next cycle deadline of October 2025 fast approaching, Mexico has fallen so far behind that its reservoirs no longer contain enough water to meet the deficit.” We share the Rio Grande with and we also share these awful weather patterns. Four years into the current water cycle has received about a year’s worth of the water that it’s entitled to and planned on. The shortage coupled with the weather patterns has harmed Texas , communities and businesses. Conservation? Yes, but there are no easy solution to this challenge. We must find new, , water supplies for all our users.

The U.S. House of Representatives is another step closer to withholding American aid funding from Mexico as the water crisis between the two countries worsens.

07/11/2024

There’s rich-guy time. There’s university time. And, there is utility time. While managing for today, utility directors must plan for the future. While managing facilities and costs and personnel today, utility directors must jumpstart construction projects that will service the future. Those projects, including sources and facilities are harder than ever to secure. New funding often requires collective applications adding a level of practical and political complication which takes management away from that critical job of current operations. That’s where an owner’s representative can make all the difference. From specifications to changes, from benchmarking to audit, the right owner’s rep can make a tough job accountable on a continuous basis. , we do that today so that you have the future you planned.




Texas Water Utilities Association
Texas Association of Counties
Texas City Management Association

07/11/2024

Texas has been through a lot. Torrential rain. Hurricanes. Crippling cold. Drought. Through it all the Texas Miracle has continued. The Texas Miracle is driven by many things not the least of which is water. Water fuels our economy including , services, residents, , and more. It’s part of our quality of life, too. But water is a major challenge for us. Reliable power is too, but water drives the future and many of our sources are already tapped out. The state has invested in new supplies, encouraging communities to to development them. There are plans and there is funding and they are focused on ensuring there’s enough for the future. and water critical for our vibrant economy and for our ongoing population boom.

Texas 2036
Texas Water Development Board

Water demand is expected to increase by 9% in the next several years, while the supply is expected to decrease by 18% over the next few decades.

07/09/2024

Our thoughts are with the folks dealing with the aftermath of hurricane winds and water. As my friend Carlos Rubinstein said, let us pray for those affected.

has issues that cannot cure in the short term and given inconsistent rainfall overall, may not provide a speedy recovery. In the interim, though, The Texas Tribune has found that leaking pipes cost of tens of billions of gallons of treated water every year. repair has been extensively covered in the media and there was the massive federal investment—funding is still available—to jumpstart critical efforts. Those funds can be matched, too. There’s funding in Texas for , as well. Finding and fixing leaks.

Texas is not alone across the U.S. Anser Advisory is helping utilities get set then get funding to do what needs to be done.
Texas City Management Association
Texas Association of Counties
Texas Rural Water Association
Texas Water Utilities

The lost water costs the cities millions and heightens the state’s water supply challenges.

07/03/2024

The 80-year old Texas/Mexico treaty regarding sharing water from the Colorado and Rio Grande Rivers is in jeopardy. There has been scant rainfall so water levels are low and Mexico has filed to deliver so the agreement is in trouble as are the Texas entities that rely on it, especially agriculture. Mexico has delivered about 30 percent of the required water threatening agriculture in the Rio Grande basin. Anser Advisory water consultant and my friend Carlos Rubenstein, a former Texas Commissioner water master says that we’re all in a bad place.

Read on!
Carlos Rubinstein
Texas Department of Agriculture
Texas Rural Water Association
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Texas Water Development Board

A conflict is flowing down the river

07/02/2024

solutions. The best choice everywhere.
Northern Colorado’s population will double by 2050, creating growing need for water supply. With a growing population and limited water supply, Northern Water must invest in creative strategies that meet future demands sustainably.
NISP is an innovative water supply partnership that will provide our growing communities with the water they need to maintain a high-quality way of life and thriving economy in Northern Colorado. NISP will supply 15 cities, towns and water districts in Northern Colorado with 13 billion gallons of water annually—enough for 80,000 families.
Florida and California have collaborated on regional water supply development for decades. It can work. It depends on the people at the table and the identification of shared goals.



Texas Water Development Board
Texas City Management Association
Texas Association of Counties
Texas Rural Water Association
Texas Water Foundation

Northern Colorado faces a growing challenge; NISP is a good plan. Northern Colorado’s population will double by 2050, creating growing need for water supply. With a growing population and limited water supply, Northern Water must invest in creative strategies that meet future demands sustainably.....