By Karen Gleason
About a dozen property owners met with county officials Tuesday to ask the county to extend city water lines to the Moreno Valley Subdivision south of the Del Rio city limits.
County officials pledged to do what they could to help, but pointed out the subdivision is illegal, and the county may not legally do work in it until the developer provides paved roads and installs water and sewer/septic services.
The meeting was held in the county court-at-law courtroom and included the property owners, Sandra Fuentes, a leader of The Border Organization; Val Verde County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr., Val Verde County Commissioner Pct. 4 Gustavo “Gus” Flores, Val Verde County Engineer Carlos Velarde Fernandez and City of Del Rio City Planner Janice Pokrant.
Juan Vasquez, a Moreno Valley property owner and a leader in The Border Organization, spoke first.
“Today there are families living in Val Verde County without safe drinking water and waste services. This is against state law and in violation of state model subdivision rules. We are
here today to say to you that we are expecting the county and especially you, Commissioner Flores, to take immediate steps to correct this problem.
“We are not asking for a favor. We are asking you to comply with the responsibilities as a county commissioner. Will you bring the county into compliance with the state law?” Vasquez asked.
“In the first place, the land that you all bought is in an illegal subdivision. The roads were never dedicated to the county . . . The person you all bought that land from, you need to hold him liable, because I guess some of you all didn’t do your homework. This is an illegal subdivision,” Flores replied.
During the meeting, Flores repeatedly emphasized obtaining a grant to extend city water lines to the Moreno Valley properties would be a long process. He noted a grant obtained by the county to serve property owners on Vega Verde Road took years to achieve and the water lines there serve established property owners with houses, wells and on-site septic systems.
“It comes back to money. Money for a water extension has to come from the state,” Flores added.
Fuentes said she believed it is the responsibility of the county to “go after the developer.”
Owens pointed out the county engineer has sent a letter to the developer, Keith S. Hicks, a resident of Eagle Pass, informing Hicks that Texas law forbids the sale of a lot in a subdivision if the lot lacks water and sewer services unless the lot is platted or replatted as required by the Texas Local Government Code subdivision statutes.
Hicks was given seven days to reply to the letter or the case would be referred to the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
“I think we can all agree that you all need to get water. That’s not an issue. How we get there is what we’re disagreeing about,” Owens told the group.
He said the issue would be discussed again Wednesday during the December regular term meeting of county commissioners court.
