LCRA to honor George Russell for board service during Aug. 18 meeting

Former Marble Falls Mayor George Russell will be honored for his six years as an at-large member of the Lower Colorado River Authority board of directors when the current board meets at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18. At-large members can only serve one, six-year term, which, for Russell, ended in June of this year.

“I was very proud to be part of that organization and the progressive thinking of that organization,” Russell told DailyTrib.com. “The LCRA board is one of the best boards I’ve ever served on.”

Russell was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott and approved by the Texas Senate in 2015. Replacing him on the board is Carol Freeman of Llano.

The LCRA board is expected to pass a resolution honoring Russell, who has served a long list of boards and held numerous positions over the years. He was city manager of Marble Falls and Georgetown and served three terms as mayor of Marble Falls. He spent 29 years as director of Regional Administrative Services for the Texas Department of State Health Services.

As a volunteer, he was vice chair of the Texas Tech University-Hill Country Board of Advisors, a member of the Hill Country Children’s Advocacy Center, and on the board of directors for Baylor Scott & White-Marble Falls. He is a life member of both the National Guard Association of Texas and the University of Texas Ex Students Association. He is also a member of the Marble Falls Rotary Club.

Both George and wife Cynthia plan to be at the Aug. 18 meeting, which will be held at the LCRA General Office complex board room in the Hancock Building, 3700 Lake Austin Blvd. in Austin.

The resolution is Item 2 on the agenda.

Resolution of the Board of Directors Of the Lower Colorado River Authority Honoring George W. Russell

Whereas, George W. Russell served on the Lower Colorado River Authority Board of Directors from June 2, 2015, to June 6, 2021, having been appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott as a representative of LCRA’s service area from Burnet County; and

Whereas, George demonstrated his commitment to public service by joining in LCRA’s work to serve Texans. He is a gifted problem-solver and peacemaker whose contributions to discussions were always measured and highly valued. Through his leadership as vice chair of the Planning and Public Policy Committee, George shared his extensive civic knowledge and contributed to building a resilient LCRA that is able to continue delivering critical services even when navigating unprecedented challenges. George wanted to learn about LCRA’s issues in detail. On the Energy Operations Committee, George’s attentiveness to stakeholders helped strengthen relationships with wholesale power customers, and through his service on the boards of LCRA WSC Energy and WSC Energy II, he supported efforts to increase cost-effective power sales to benefit LCRA’s wholesale customers; and

Whereas, George’s experience as an elected official in Highland Lakes communities fit well with LCRA’s stewardship role. His service on the Water Operations Committee contributed to increasing the region’s water supplies. His participation on the Water Conservation Incentives Program Review Committee led to more water conservation as a result of cost-sharing projects. During his six years serving on the LCRA Board, George helped oversee investments of more than $2.3 billion in capital projects to benefit Texans. During his tenure, LCRA undertook projects such as Water Management Plan amendments, dam rehabilitation projects and transmission facility acquisitions. George’s service on the LCRA Transmission Services Corporation Board of Directors and the Transmission Committee helped LCRA move forward with plans to invest more than $2 billion in transmission projects over the next five years to help ensure reliability and support growth throughout the state; and

Whereas, George knows the importance of teamwork, and he always came to meetings prepared and ready to work with his fellow Board members to solve problems. He drew upon his public office expertise and always served on LCRA’s Board with a basinwide perspective. His goal was to help make LCRA even better through his service. George’s participation on the Land and Community Resources Committee assisted the Board in fulfilling its land management responsibilities and providing opportunities for people to experience LCRA parks. George possesses a great sense of duty, and one of his favorite LCRA events is Veterans Recognition Day.
His propensity to volunteer and help others drew him to participate in LCRA Steps Forward Day and to serve on the Community Development Partnership Program Review Committee to provide grants that help emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund capital improvement projects;

Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved that LCRA and the LCRA Board of Directors are grateful to George W. Russell for his leadership on the LCRA Board that has helped LCRA serve the people of Texas. The directors will miss his kind and compassionate personality, his quiet humor and his genuine friendship, and they wish him enjoyable days ahead with the love of his life – his wife, Cynthia – as they take to the open road in their RV and embark on truly memorable journeys.

Approved this 18th day of August 2021.

Timothy Timmerman, Board Chair
Phil Wilson, General Manager