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 honors one of nation’s top youth athletes
Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to designate Aug. 4, 2026, as “Brooklyn Fletcher Day” in Val Verde County. County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. invited Commissioner Pct. 2 Juan Carlos Vazquez to introduce Brooklyn’s mother, Stephanie Blackwelder, who spoke to the court about her son’s accomplishments. Blackwelder told the court Brooklyn earned his first All-American title at the 2026 AAU Junior Olympic Track and Field National Championship in Des Moines, Iowa, where he placed second in the nation in the 13-year-old triple jump event. She said Brooklyn competes with the Code Blue Spartans Track Club, a local youth track organization. She said he also won the Region 19 triple jump championship, earning the right to compete in the national championship. Blackwelder gave special praise to Brooklyn’s coach, Jaylan Miller, and to Vazquez, who has supported Brooklyn since he began competing in 2019.
NEWS — Fletcher leaps to All-American finish at AAU Junior Olympics
Court proclaims Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month, sets ‘Shine a Light’ walk
Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to approve a proclamation designating September 2026 as Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month. County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. invited Carmen Abreu, with West Texas Counseling & Guidance, to read the proclamation into the record. Commissioners court members also voted 5-0 to allow West Texas Counseling & Guidance to use the lawn and sidewalks outside the county courthouse to host the inaugural “Shine A Light” suicide awareness walk on Saturday, Sept. 19. The community is invited to participate.
Court hears budget requests from elected officials during workshop
Commissioners court took no action on requests for additional funding from County Clerk Teresa Esther Chapoy and County Tax Assessor Collector Elodia “Loly” Garcia during a workshop on the proposed Fiscal Year 2026-2027 county budget. Chapoy asked the court to consider giving her two chief deputy positions, two assistant chief deputies, one for elections and voter registrations; and two for the rest of the office’s functions. Garcia also asked the court to consider reclassifying some of her employees, making one of her chief deputies an office manager and creating an assistant chief deputy spot. County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. told both elected officials that the court would have to decide their requests. He then called for motions on each of the two requests, but no other member of the court moved to approve them. Owens thanked the department heads for speaking out on behalf of their employees.
Court approves tax rates, Fiscal Year 2026-2027 county budget
Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to set the county property tax rate for the coming year. County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. first opened a required public hearing on the county’s proposed property tax rate for the coming year. No one commented on the tax rate, and Owens closed the hearing. The court later took a record vote on the tax rate, with each of its members voting to approve, on the overall proposed county property tax rate of $0.4977 per $100 of property valuation. Owens noted the tax rate did not increase and is the same as the current year’s rate. The court also took a roll call vote, and each member voted to approve the county’s Fiscal Year 2026-2027 budget. Owens admitted the budget was “not perfect,” but said the court has made major strides in increasing employee pay since 2019.
Court hears presentation on annual report community health report
Commissioners court members took no action after hearing a presentation on the 2025 Annual Report from the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS). The report was presented by Paloma Sanchez, the TDSHS public health nurse for Val Verde County. Sanchez said the department’s goal is “improve the health and wellbeing of Texas families.” The report, which was presented in pamphlet form, was given to members of the court, with copies available for the public. Sanchez said in 2025, TDSHS personnel recorded 25 foodborne illnesses in Val Verde County, had one rabies positive animal, less than five tuberculosis cases, 228 newly reported sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and 23 vaccine preventable illnesses. Sanchez also introduced several other members of the TDSHS team.
Court hears from citizen on Cienegas Road light, again denies request
Commissioners court members took no action on a request by Commissioner Pct. 4 Gustavo “Gus” Flores to install an LED streetlight at the intersection of Cienegas Road and Owens Road. The court first heard from county resident Lina De Los Santos, who said she owns several properties in the area where Flores is seeking to install the streetlight. De Los Santos, who spoke under the “Citizens’ Comments” portion of the agenda, said the area is very dark at night, she has received complaints from tenants and said she believes a light should be installed to improve public safety. Flores has been attempting to install new streetlights along a section of Cienegas Road since February.
Court denies rezoning requests for battery storage facilities
Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to deny four requests to rezone properties northwest of Del Rio, in the Lake Ridge and Brite Ranch areas, to accommodate a battery storage facility. The court denied rezoning requests for 645 Las Brisas Blvd., 6770 Las Brisas Blvd., 5982 U.S. Highway 90 West and 229 Holdup Pass. The stated use of the rezoning was as the site for battery storage facilities. County Engineer Carlos Velarde told the court the rezoning request had been presented to the Amistad Land Use and Zoning Commission on Sept. 2.
Court proclaims September 2026 as Hunger Action Month
Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to approve a proclamation designating September 2026 as Hunger Action Month. The court voted after hearing a short presentation from Angie Osterman of the South Texas Food Bank. Osterman said representatives of the South Texas Food Bank have traveled to Val Verde County in September for the past several years “to create awareness about hunger in our communities.” She said one out of three persons in Val Verde County deals with food insecurity, and she noted the food bank has served the county for 20 years. Osterman also introduced Thomas Putnam of Catholic Charities, one of the organizations partnering with the South Texas Food Bank to serve Val Verde County. Putnam said more than 6,000 persons in the community are registered with the program, about 20 percent of the community.
Court approves burn ban recommended by county fire chief
Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to approve a recommendation by Val Verde County Fire Department Chief Jorge Vargas to prohibit all outdoor burning in the unincorporated areas of the county for 90 days “due to drought and dry conditions” and effective Sept. 9.
Court postpones request for use of county annex for caregiver information luncheon
Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to table a request by Cornerstone Caregiving to host a luncheon at the Judge Antonio “Tony” Faz III County Annex, 315 E. Chapoy St., at noon on Friday, Oct. 2. Juan Garza, operator of Cornerstone Caregiving, told the court his company specializes in home care, with a focus on veterans. Garza said many veterans don’t know that they might qualify for home provider services that the Veterans Administration (VA) pays for. On a question from Commissioner Pct. 4 Gustavo “Gus” Flores, Garza said Cornerstone is a private, for-profit company, but noted the company has a contract with the VA to be able to offer caregiver services to qualifying veterans at no cost. On a question from Commissioner Pct. 2 Juan Carlos Vazquez, Garza said the luncheon is a chance for him to inform local veterans about how to enroll in a provider program. County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. asked if there would be an issue allowing a private company to use the county annex. County Attorney David Martinez recommended the court table the request until he could investigate the issue further, noting the court can reconsider the request at its next meeting in two weeks.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
