LEWISVILLE – After hearing vehement protests from public officials and residents, Upper Trinity Regional Water District board members overwhelmingly rejected a controversial proposal on Thursday that some equated to censorship.

The water district's proposed amendment would have created procedures for censuring and disciplining board members for conduct deemed harmful to the district, its programs and members.

It also would have allowed the district to bill members for costs incurred as a result of their conduct.

Flower Mound officials and residents led the opposition, calling it an attempt to discourage board members from questioning district policies. Just hours before Upper Trinity's board meeting, the Flower Mound Town Council adopted a resolution opposing the bylaw change during a special meeting.

The district supplies water to several Denton County cities.

Thomas Taylor, the water board's executive director, said it was merely a code of conduct and wasn't intended to stifle debate.

The amendment was recommended by a committee as a way of addressing ongoing heated disagreements between the district and its largest member, Flower Mound, over the proposed Lake Ralph Hall. Flower Mound officials say they would be stuck with most of the costs of constructing the lake.

With little debate among board members, Upper Trinity's board voted 21-3 to kill the proposal moments after it was introduced. Board members expressed a desire to seek more conciliatory solutions to the internal conflicts.

Portions of Thursday's packed meeting took a marked departure from the typical mundane and sometimes complex discussions of water usage rates and engineering studies. With television cameras rolling, the meeting featured heated exchanges, outbursts of applause, references to a fascist government and even political theater when a Flower Mound council member donned colonial headgear and wig to make a point.

Paul Stone, a Flower Mound council member, also poured some bottled water into a plastic bowl to symbolize the Boston Tea Party revolt that helped fuel the American Revolution.

Laurie Long, another Flower Mound council member, said the proposed change was tantamount to "handing over the strings to management and saying, 'Let us be your puppets.' "

"Is that what this group wants to be? A group of yes-men?" she asked.

Jack Stufflebaum, a Flower Mound resident, compared the proposal to German laws during World War II, saying the only thing it was missing was the "power to imprison and execute" people.

Mayors from Krum and Copper Canyon also spoke out against the proposed policy.

"We want independent thinkers. We want people to scrutinize," said Larry Lamonica, Krum's mayor.

Flower Mound officials say less costly alternatives exist to the new lake in Fannin County, which has not yet been approved by the state. But the water district's management says the lake is a needed future water source for growing areas of the county.

The impasse between the town and the water district has resulted in legal action, opposing Web sites, dueling public relations campaigns, strongly worded correspondence and special meetings during the past two years.

Some board members said the item should never have been on the agenda for a vote. They said the intention was to include it in the work session before the meeting for discussion only.

"It needed to be fine-tuned," said Richard Lubke, Highland Village's board representative. He added that it had been in the planning stages for more than a year.

Upper Trinity was created by the Legislature for planning long-range water supply strategies regionwide. The board has 27 members who are appointed by cities, other water suppliers and the county.

The water district provides water to Flower Mound and 17 other cities and towns, including Highland Village.

The district also provides hazardous waste removal and other services.

Mr. Stone said after the meeting that had the board approved the measure, Flower Mound would have asked the state attorney general's office to rule on its validity.

The town already has a pending request with the attorney general to review a prior bylaw change that removed two Upper Trinity board members because of alleged conflicts of interest.

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