EAST TAWAKONI HISTORY

The City of East Tawakoni, Texas was established June 6, 1967.  East Tawakoni is located on the eastern shores of Lake Tawakoni and is the youngest municipality of Rains County; this resort area offers residents the benefits of a relaxed rural community while providing easy access to Dallas.

In 1967, thirty residents voted for incorporation and fifteen residents voted against it. At that time City records reflect that at the time of incorporation, East Tawakoni had over 200 inhabitants.  The city showed steady growth over the years and by the year 2009 boasted 825 water customers, permanent/week end residents with 548 registered voters as of March, 2009.

On February 6, 1968, city residents voted 38 to 32 in favor of selling alcoholic beverages.  Rains County had been legally dry since the early 1900’s, and the East Tawakoni local option election was the first to be called in the county in over 60 years.

Though East Tawakoni is showing signs of maturity, the growth process has not been painless. In 1970, three years after its birth, the town lost its city hall to a fire which destroyed the entire building including all city records. City officials met in J. H. Sturm’s garage until a new building was constructed later that year.

One of the most exciting things to happen in East Tawakoni was the annexation of Blue Heron Cove in 1986.  The city has annexed several subdivisions through the years, but the Blue Heron Cove annexation doubled the size of the city limits to a total of 2-square miles.

Although East Tawakoni buys water from the city of Emory, tax money has been used to purchase a water distribution system and finance a sewer plant.   The city also has its own police force, a voluntary fire department, 2 city parks, sewer and garbage pickup. Street improvements ranked high on their list of priorities and were completed in 2004.  Several bond issues have financed improvements to the city services through the years. City taxes in the small city have ranged from $0.4089 (1994) to $0.4522 (2008). Rate based on per $100.

The 1st city official’s election was June 27, 1967

1967 elected Grady A. Whitehead as Mayor,

Elected aldermen: Raymond Briggs

A L Williams

D A (Doc) Vincent

A O Murphrey

T E Bell

Whitehead resigned as mayor in 1973 and John A Smith was appointed

Smith served until Nov 1974 when A L Busby was appointed following Smith's resignation

Busby resigned in May 1978

and Vernon D Van Asperen was appointed.

Van Asperen was reelected in 1980 and 1982, but was defeated in 1984 by elected write-in candidate Allen Blair.

1986 re-elected Allen Blair

1988 re-elected Allen Blair

1990 elected Duane Travis

1992 elected James Buster Thomas

1994 re-elected Buster Thomas

1996 re-elected Buster Thomas

1998 elected Bobbie Harman

2000 re-elected Bobbie Harman

2002 elected Buster Thomas

2004 elected Gary Vaughn

2006 re-elected Gary Vaughn

2007 Vaughn resigned and Mayor Pro-Tem Mark Himelright assume the position

2008 re-elected James “Buster” Thomas

Some of the past secretaries were Mrs. House in 1967 and later were Mimi Owens and Jean Souther (all deceased).  Patsy Marshall served as City Secretary from 1994 – December, 2008.

Marshall retired from the city to become the first woman to be elected as one of the four Rains County Commissioners. City Secretary is now Linda Mitchell.

East Tawakoni is supported by the work of their Mayor, City Council, Economic Development Corporation, The Spirit of East Tawakoni (a non-profit fund raising committee), Planning and Zoning Committee, and Board of Adjustments.  Members of these committees are non salaried citizens working diligently to help their city.

In addition to its use for water supply, Lake Tawakoni has become an important recreation center. Catfishing is one of Lake Tawakoni's sure bets. Its shoreline at spillway crest, totaling approximately 200 miles in length, offers extensive opportunities for recreational activities. Both private and public facilities have been installed around the lakeshore for swimming, boating, picnicking, fishing, duck hunting, and other uses. Certain areas around the reservoir are particularly adapted for summer homes, resorts, and clubs. The reservoir inundates land in Hunt, Rains, and Van Zandt Counties.