By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
All five members of Val Verde County Commissioners Court were present.
Here’s what happened at the meeting:
Court hears from mental health professionals
• Alejandra Garcia, a licensed professional counseling supervisor with West Texas Counseling and Guidance, a non-profit organization offering mental health counseling based in Del Rio, spoke to the court about May being Mental Health Awareness Month. She said she wanted to highlight the month and give the court information about the services her organization provides in the community. She said the organization opened its operation in Del Rio in 2018 with one full-time counselor seeing 31 clients. In 2025, she said, West Texas Counseling and Guidance saw 514 clients in a total of 5,289 sessions. She said there are grants available to help persons cover the cost of therapy. The organization is headquartered at 906 E. 11th St., and Del Rioans who want more information can call 830-256-8255.
Court proclaims May as Mental Health Awareness Month
• Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to approve a proclamation designating May 2026 as “Mental Health Awareness Month.” County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. invited Rachel Cedillo, director of the local mental health clinic, to read the proclamation, noting her clinic worked very closely with West Texas Counseling and Guidance. Cedillo read the proclamation, which was enacted “to enhance public awareness of mental health and dispel the stigma surrounding it.”
Cedillo read that half of the population would experience some type of mental health crisis at some point in their lives, and mental health challenges are “one of the most common health conditions in Texas, affecting one out of six adults and impacting both the person experiencing the condition and those persons who love and care for them.”
After Cedillo finished reading, Owens and the commissioners signed the proclamation and presented it to Cedillo and to the West Texas Counseling and Guidance staff.
Court postpones action on flood mitigation projects list
• Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to postpone until its next meeting a decision on creating a list of sites in each of the four commissioner precincts where flood mitigation is needed.
County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. noted the court previously discussed the creation of a list of sites in each precinct where flood mitigation projects are needed, part of an effort to apply for state grants for the projects.
Owens said he has already been given four locations in Precinct 1 and six locations in Precinct 2. Owens said he would again put the item on the agenda of the court’s next regular meeting. He said the county still has several months to put the list together.
He said he would like to “finalize the list and get it down to a few projects” to improve scoring for the grant application.
Court discusses public defender office cases, payments
• Commissioners court members took no action following a presentation by County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. on the Val Verde County public defender program.
Owens said he has received calls from persons asking about the amount of money the county is spending on the program.
Owens said last year, the county spent $492,439.74 on appointed attorneys in 767 misdemeanor and felony criminal cases. He said so far this year, the county has spent $272,550 on appointed attorneys in 463 criminal cases.
He said the county’s contract with the public defender office will cost the county about $351,000 this year, adding he had budgeted a total of $624,414 for court-appointed attorney services this year, an increase of $124,000 over last year.
Owens said even though court-appointed attorney services will cost the county more this year, county officials are aware there would be a transition period between judges appointing local attorneys and judges appointing cases to the public defender office.
He said hopefully what will happen is the cases the appointed attorneys already have will be resolved, and local judges will appoint the public defender office attorneys to any new cases.
He said it also seems the cases are being moved through the courts more quickly.
Owens said he would bring more figures back to the court during the budgeting process later this year so the court can further assess if the public defender office is saving the county money.
Court approves contribution to planned cancer center
• Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to contribute $150,000 in hotel occupancy tax (HOT) funds to Val Verde Regional Medical Center to further the hospital’s plans for a cancer treatment facility here.
County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. said county officials have been discussing the center with hospital officials for about a year.
Owens told the court the hospital has estimated the facility will cost a total of $1.1 million to $1.2 million.
The county judge said the hospital set up a non-profit organization to raise funds for the center, and the group has raised a total of $150,000.
Owens said the money must have stipulations attached so that it will be used for a specific purpose.
Court approves groups’ use of Tony Faz County Annex
• Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to approve requests by several groups to use rooms in the Judge Antonio “Tony” Faz III County Annex, 315 E. Chapoy St.
The court first approved a request by the Del Rio Mental Health Group to use a room in the county annex as a site for the group’s monthly meetings.
The court next approved a request to allow the Del Rio High School Eco-Action Club to beautify the grounds around the annex by planting and gardening.
The court finally approved a request by the Texas Department of State Health Services to use a room in the annex to host weekly gardening meetings.
Court takes no action on streetlight request
• Commissioners court members took no action on a motion by Commissioner Pct. 4 Gustavo “Gus” Flores to install six LED streetlights.
Flores again told the court he wants to install the streetlights along a section of Cienegas Road for public safety reasons.
After Flores made the motion to approve the installation of the streetlights, County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. called for a second. No one gave the second, and Flores’ motion died.
Court hires new veterans service officer
• Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to hire Luis Maldonado as the new county veterans service officer.
At the outset of the discussion, County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. asked County Human Resources Director Juanita Barrera if she had a recommendation for the court, then said he would also entertain a motion on the hiring.
Owens noted Maldonado had “scored the highest” following interviews by the commissioners and human resources staff.
Commissioner Pct. 2 Juan Carlos Vazquez made the motion to hire Maldonado, and Commissioner Pct. 3 Fernando Garcia gave the second.
Commissioner Pct. 4 Gustavo “Gus” Flores asked about the hiring process, and Owens said each commissioner had the opportunity, based on the applications turned in, to select individuals to be interviewed.
The interviews were scored, and each commissioner gave those scores to Barrera.
The court also set the new veterans service officer’s salary at $56,185 annually.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
