By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
All five members of the court were present.
Here’s what happened at the meeting:
San Felipe resident criticizes city’s response to train car collision
Del Rioan Arturo Talamantez spoke to county commissioners court members during the “Citizens’ Comments” portion of the court’s meeting on Thursday. Talamantez, who said he formerly worked for the railroad, sharply criticized the city of Del Rio’s response to a recent collision between two railroad cars on July 23 on the tracks south of U.S. Highway 90 across from the San Felipe Springs Road and Jap Lowe Road. Talamantez said he believed the Del Rio Fire Department did not take the incident seriously, saying that one of the tanker cars damaged in the collision contained 30,000 gallons of gasoline. Talamantez said he believes residents of the neighborhood near the collision should have been notified in person about the situation or evacuated.
AEP Texas Foundation donates $5,000 to area food banks
Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to accept a donation of $5,000 from the AEP Texas Foundation for area food banks. Jimmy Earnest, AEP Texas internal affairs manager, told the court that through the AEP Texas Foundation, AEP supports education, health care, safety, cultural activities and food banks in the communities AEP serves. Earnest said the $5,000 check is a donation to the South Texas Food Bank on behalf of Val Verde County. Angie Osterman, South Texas Food Bank director of marketing and development, thanked the court for its ongoing support and said the donation will help local food pantries in the eight counties the South Texas Food Bank serves.
Court discusses flood response, damage repairs
County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. and members of county commissioners court spent some time discussing the response to the recent flooding, caused by several days of rain earlier this month. Owens said Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) officials, as well as representatives of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, contacted him to offer assistance. Owens said TDEM officials also came and toured areas of the county that incurred flood damage, including a number of roads in outlying areas of the county. Owens said he had made a rough estimate of $2 million in damages done to county roads as a result of the flooding. The county judge also urged commissioners court members to keep track of all the expenses they and their crews incur as they make repairs to county infrastructure like roads and bridges, as the county may at some point be eligible for disaster reimbursement from the state.
Court votes to allow commissioners to help residents tally flood damage
As part of its discussion on damage from the flooding earlier this month, county commissioners court members voted 5-0 to allow commissioners and their staffs to help county residents fill out a survey on the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) web site. The survey, called the “iSTAT,” allows property owners to detail flood and storm damage to their properties, including the monetary amounts of repairs needed. County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. said filling out the survey is not a guarantee residents will be reimbursed, but added “a threshold of dollars” will need to be reached so that the state might offer reimbursement to local property owners at some point. County Attorney David Martinez suggested the use of the county’s two community center and two libraries as central points where commissioners might have events informing residents how to complete the flood damage surveys.
County judge discusses response to train car collision
County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr., in an agenda item to discuss the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) response to recent flooding in the area, said he also notified TDEM of a collision between two rails cars on the railroad tracks south of U.S. Highway 90 on the east side of the city. Owens said both he and Commissioner Pct. 2 Juan Carlos Vazquez went to the scene of the collision to offer their assistance, and told the court and audience that although one of the cars, a tanker, was damaged in the collision, none of the gasoline it was carrying spilled or leaked as a result of the accident. Owens said the Del Rio Fire Department responded to the collision and noted there were several ambulances called in case they were needed. He said the following day, Union Pacific crews offloaded the gasoline into other transport vehicles and moved the damaged car.
Court rejects proposed budget for county appraisal district
County commissioners court members voted 5-0 to reject the 2027 budget presented by to the court by Val Verde County Appraisal District Chief Appraiser Jackie Casanova. Casanova gave a presentation about the budget to the court, noting it represented an 8.23 percent increase, $137,494, over the appraisal district’s 2026 budget. County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. and members of the court questioned Casanova about the budget, asking for details about the retirement plan for the appraisal district’s employees. Following the discussion, the court voted to reject the budget. Casanova said the court will need to pass a resolution to reject the budget, and Owens said he would place it on the agenda of the court’s next meeting.
Court grants permission for museum to obtain beer and wine licenses for events
Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to grant permission to the Whitehead Memorial Museum to obtain a beer and wine license from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) to sell beer and wine on the grounds of the museum for three upcoming events at the facility. The first is the museum’s annual Oktoberfest celebration, planned for Sept. 25. The second is the Draculina Fest event planned for Oct. 2, and the third is the Renaissance Fair planned for Oct. 9.
Court declines vote on commissioner’s request for streetlights
Commissioners court members once again refused to second a motion by Commissioner Pct. 4 Gustavo “Gus” Flores to approve the installation of three LED streetlights, one at 109 Owens Road, one at 2727 Cienegas Road and one at 2917 Cienegas Road, with the expense, $3,985.84, to be funded from the Precinct 3 operating budget. The motion then died because there was no second to Flores’ motion. Flores has been seeking approval to install the new streetlights since February.
Court hears presentation on ‘the importance and value of dark skies’
Commissioners court members took no action following a presentation on “the importance and value of dark skies,” given by D’nese Fly, outreach coordinator with the International Dark Skies Association. Commissioner Pct. 1 Kerr Wardlaw had invited Fly to give the presentation.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.
