By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
All five members of commissioners court were present.
Here’s what happened at the meeting:
Court hears presentation from CASA of Val Verde County
- Commissioners court members heard a presentation from Andrew Pavlinski, president of the CASA of Val Verde County board, and Carmen Abreu, CASA interim executive director, on the organization’s work in the community over the past three months. Abreu said the organization, which trains volunteer advocates to serve as court-appointed guardians ad litem for children who enter the foster care system, is currently conducting its third training class for volunteers. Pavlinski said CASA is currently serving about 25 children from the area and in addition to the money the organization received from the county, it was recently awarded a corporate grant from the James Avery jewelry company.
Court votes to examine possibility of opening children’s shelter
- Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to allow County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. to begin investigating the possibility of organizing and building a children’s shelter to serve Val Verde County. Owens said he wanted to “put a group together to begin the conversation,” with an eye on constructing an emergency shelter for children from the area. Currently, children removed from their homes because of parental abuse or neglect are sent into foster homes outside the county. Other members of the court, including Commissioner Pct. 4 Gustavo “Gus” Flores, have been outspoken about the need for a local children’s shelter.
Court denies zoning change request in Lake Ridge Estates
- Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to deny a request from the owner of a 4.99-acre tract of land in the Lake Ridge Estates along Las Brisas Boulevard to change the zoning of his property from residential to commercial. The property owner wanted to establish an RV park on the property. County Engineer Carlos Velarde told the court the request was previously considered by the Amistad Land Use and Zoning Commission, which had recommended it be denied. The court held a brief public hearing on the request, but no one spoke for or against the measure.
Court discusses projects for possible state funding
- Commissioners court members discussed, but took no formal action, on developing a list of projects to be forwarded to the office of Texas Rep. Eddie Morales, who previously told the court he would like to see if he could obtain state funding for local projects. County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. asked each of the four commissioners for projects in their precincts that might qualify for state funding. He asked the commissioners to send their recommendations for projects to his office, and he will forward that list to Morales.
Court approves use of security funds for equipment
- Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to approve the expenditure of a total of $50,200 from the county’s security fund for equipment to enhance courthouse security. The court took separate votes to approve $8,000 for TVs and monitors, $37,000 for cameras and $5,200 for a metal detector for the county judicial center.
Court sets Nov. 6 as date for target range groundbreaking
- Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to set a groundbreaking ceremony for the new county target range for 10 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6. The new indoor range will be constructed using county and state grant funds on a piece of property adjacent to the Precinct 3 yard off U.S. Highway 277 north of the Del Rio city limits.
Court approves use of Tony Faz Annex for CASA of Val Verde County
- Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to allow the CASA of Val Verde County organization to use two rooms in the Judge Antonio “Tony” Faz County Annex Building, 315 E. Chapoy St. The court also voted 5-0 to allow 30 volunteers from Laughlin Air Force Base to help clean up the portions of the Judge Antonio “Tony” Faz County Annex Building in preparation for their use by CASA of Val Verde County.
Court approves installation of speed bumps for Bayview Drive
- Commissioners court voted 5-0 to approve a motion by Commissioner Pct. 3 Fernando Garcia to lower the speed limit on South Bayview Drive from 25 miles per hour to 20 miles per hour, create an intersection with stop signs at South Bayview and Burk Road, install eight speed bumps on South Bayview and adjoining guardrails to keep drivers from driving around the speed bumps. Garcia said he was proffering the motion because of repeated requests from South Bayview Drive residents to install speed bumps on the road. A group of residents spoke to the court during its Oct. 8 meeting, saying that private and commercial vehicles often speed on the street.
Court tables action on voter registration manual
- At the request of County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr., commissioners court members voted 5-0 to table action on a written procedural manual for voter registration, presented to the court by County Tax Assessor Collector Elodia “Loly” Garcia as remediation for some of the findings in an audit of her office by the Texas Secretary of State earlier this year. Owens said he received the manual last week and has not time to read all of it and asked the court to table action on accepting the manual until its next regular meeting.
Court hears presentation from veterans service officer
- Commissioners court took no formal action following a presentation by County Veterans Service Officer Enrique Treviño. Treviño presented the court with third quarter statistics from his office, noting that the office is helping more veterans than ever and may need to add staff in the near future. He told the court the demand for services continues to grow every month and thanked the court for its support of the office’s efforts to assist local veterans. Treviño also announced a veterans appreciation luncheon set for Nov. 8.
Court invites community to Halloween events
- Everyone is invited to attend two free Halloween-themed events being hosted by Val Verde County and announced during this morning’s commissioners court meeting. The first event will be held on grounds of the Val Verde County Courthouse, 400 Pecan St., from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24. The second will be held at the Judge Antonio “Tony” Faz County Annex Building, 315 E. Chapoy St., beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31. Both events are free and will include a variety of family-friendly activities.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
