By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
All seven members of the Del Rio City Council were present.
Here’s what happened at the meeting:
Citizens speak to council about rezoning request
Four Del Rio residents addressed the council during the “Citizen Comments” portion of the meeting.
Three spoke against a request to rezone a property at 114 Fletcher Drive from residential multiple family to commercial, and one spoke in favor of the request.
Those speaking against the request said they worried the new business to be located at the Fletcher Drive site, an events center, would cause unwanted noise, litter and alcohol-fueled bad behavior in the neighborhood. The resident who spoke in favor said she appreciated that the owners of the building planned to offer the events space as a free venue for gatherings following a funeral.
The rezoning request itself was considered later in the meeting.
Mayor, council make announcements
Mayor Al Arreola reminded members of the business community and interested citizens to sign up for the upcoming Ports-to-Plains Alliance Annual Conference, which will be held in Del Rio and Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico, Sept. 8-10.
According to the Ports-to-Plains Alliance website, the conference “will focus on future interstate funding, I-27 implementation, corridor development and North American trade connectivity.”
Councilwoman Carmen Gutierrez asked citizens “to stay tuned” to the city’s website and social media pages to keep up with changes to the city’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026-2027 budget.
“Please keep monitoring for changes,” she said, noting the council’s next meeting will be Sept. 1.
Mayor honors departing Mexico consul with key to the city
Mayor Al Arreola presented Paloma Villaseñor with a framed set of keys to the city as a gift marking her imminent departure as the head consul of Mexico in Del Rio.
Arreola called Villaseñor “an inspiration with everything she does around the community.” He said Villaseñor will be posted next in Mexico City, where he said she will certainly continue working on behalf of Del Rio.
The certificate of appreciation that accompanied the keys praised Villaseñor’s work on special projects on behalf of autism awareness and underscored her efforts in collaborating with many local nonprofit organizations, businesses and governmental agencies to further their work, both here and in Ciudad Acuña.
Villaseñor thanked Arreola and told the council and audience she has served as consul here for the past six years and will now serve in the main offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Mexico City.
She departs the city Monday and will begin her new job Sept. 1. She said she will miss her work here and will keep the area close to her heart.
Interim city manager gives project updates
Interim City Manager Manuel Chavez said he first wished to recognize the city’s nine newest police officers, who are going through the Del Rio Police Department’s Field Training Officer program following their successful graduation from the DRPD Academy.
Chavez said city staff will recognize the 680th Battalion, whose members have contributed a total of 1,750 volunteer hours working on cleanup projects for the city, in a ceremony Wednesday morning at City Hall.
Finally, Chavez said reconstruction work on the city’s historic Paul Poag Theatre began Monday, Aug. 24. Chavez said he hopes the city will be able to begin scheduling events there “soon.”
Council denies rezoning request for events center
City council members voted 2-2-3 on a request to rezone a property at 114 Fletcher Drive from multiple family district (R-M) to local commercial district (C-1).
The rezoning request was made by Donato B. Guajardo III, representing Guajardo Family Properties LLC.
Guajardo said he is planning to rename the former G.W. Cox Memorial Funeral Home as the Prickly Pear Stone Garden Event Center, which would be used as a hall where families could hold get-togethers and serve meals after a funeral at no cost to them.
He said he also wished to open the site as a venue for other events such as weddings, quinceañeras and birthdays.
Two members of the council announced they would abstain from voting on the issue: Councilman LeRoy Briones and Councilwoman Elsa Reyes.
The council spent some time discussing the pros and cons of granting the rezoning request.
Eventually, Councilman J.P. Sanchez made a motion to approve it, with Mayor Al Arreola giving the second. Councilman Leno Hernandez and Councilwoman Carmen Gutierrez voted against the motion, and Briones, Reyes and Councilman Randy Quinones abstained.
The motion to approve the rezoning request failed.
After the vote, City Attorney Ana Markowski Smith told the council any council member can ask to have the rezoning request put back on the council agenda for a future meeting.
Council hears proposed changes to special permits ordinance
City Planning and Zoning Director Janice Pokrant told council members about several changes staff wishes to make to the city’s zoning ordinance, mainly dealing with special exceptions and special use permits.
Pokrant said the goal of the changes is “to make sure that we have a right review process and appropriate tools” to help council members make decisions about zoning changes.
Pokrant said the three questions looked at when reviewing land use are “is it the right location, is the use compatible with what’s around it and are there impacts that need to be addressed?”
Pokrant said she will present the changes to the ordinance again for the council’s final approval at a later meeting.
Council approves two resolutions dealing with city health insurance
City council members voted 7-0 to approve a resolution authorizing Interim City Manager Manuel Chavez to enter into a contract with One80 and Companion Life to provide stop-loss insurance for the city for Fiscal Year 2026-2027.
A representative of the company explained the stop-loss insurer assists the city in paying claims that go beyond a certain dollar amount.
City council members also voted 7-0 to approve a resolution authorizing Chavez to adopt the City of Del Rio Self-Funded Health and Dental Insurance premium rates for Fiscal Year 2026-2027.
Council members approve purchase of three vehicles for transportation
City council members voted 7-0 to approve a resolution authorizing Interim City Manager Manuel Chavez to approve the purchase of two 2023 Stock BraunAbility ProMaster transport vans and one 2024 Stock Starcraft 7.3L V8 gas 14,500 GVWR transit bus for a total of $478,895.25 for the city’s transportation department.
Council approves contract negotiations for Buena Vista Pool rehabilitation
City council members voted 6-0 to approve a resolution authorizing Interim City Manager Manuel Chavez to negotiate a contract with Connected Home Solutions for design-build services for the Buena Vista Pool rehabilitation project.
After the heading of the agenda item was read, Mayor Pro Tem Randy Quinones read a conflict-of-interest statement, informing the council he was recusing himself from the discussion and abstaining from the vote because he has an interest in the company being considered for the contract.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.
