By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
A group of local elected officials traveled to Austin this week to meet with state legislators and state agency administrators about issues important to the region.
Members of the Del Rio City Council met Monday to finalize the agenda for meetings with legislators who represent Val Verde County and Del Rio in the Texas Legislature. Local leaders will also meet with the executive directors and staff of several state agencies.
“Our main purpose is to have a game plan going into the ‘Val Verde County/Del Rio Days’ in Austin. We do have a legislative agenda that was prepared by the city’s state lobbyists, Andrade-Van De Putte and Associates, and they’ve been working with the state agencies that have been identified as priorities,” Assistant City Manager Manuel Chavez told council members at the start of the meeting.
Chavez said city staffers also reached out to county, school district, hospital district, Laughlin Air Force Base and Del Rio Chamber of Commerce representatives, some of whom will join city officials for the meetings in the state capital.
City’s lobbyists’ advice
Minerva Sanchez, of Andrade-Van De Putte, joined the council via Zoom and spoke in detail about the agenda for the Austin meetings.
Sanchez reviewed the planned agenda for the two days of meetings, which begin with delegates arriving in Austin Tuesday and meetings with the executive director of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, the executive director of the Texas Military Preparedness Commission and the executive director of the Texas Economic Development & Tourism Department with the office of the governor.
Sanchez said she was aware that city staff had prepared some questions, but also encouraged Mayor Al Arreola and County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr., who attended the council meeting, to take the lead in expressing the community’s needs to the heads of the state agencies.
Agenda
On Wednesday, local delegates were scheduled to meet with representatives of the Texas Water Development Board and with Texas Rep. Eddie Morales (D-Eagle Pass). Local leaders are also scheduled to meet with Texas Sen. Roland Gutierrez (D-San Antonio) and with representatives of Ports-To-Plains and the Texas Department of Transportation.
Andrade-Van De Putte representatives told council members if one of the local delegates has more information about a particular topic, that person could serve as the “point person” for questions or discussions about a specific topic.
The “talking points” developed by city staff and previously approved by council members begin with discussions of funding for county-wide emergency management communications equipment including an emergency warning system.
Key needs
Among the other priorities delineated by the council are funding for the construction of a four-lane highway on U.S. Highway 90 east and west of Del Rio and on Highway 277.
City leaders say they also want to speak to state elected representatives about eliminating a bill that caps property taxes. The bill, local leaders say, limits the revenue growth by 2.5 percent for Texas taxing entities.
The mayor, city council members and city administrators say they also will speak about obtaining an international bridge permit for a second international bridge, the need to recruit more agents for the Border Patrol and other federal law enforcement agencies and infrastructure needs identified by the National Park Service for placement at the Amistad National Recreation Area.
The group also plans to address the need for continued support of Laughlin Air Force Base and its pilot training mission, including the upgrading of facilities on the base like housing for personnel stationed there and weather shelters for aircraft.
The group’s agenda also includes addressing wind farm encroachment bills, grants for improvements along the San Felipe Creek, working toward a four-year university in Del Rio, funding for drainage and flood mitigation and resuming discussions of a groundwater conservation district.
Among other concerns local leaders may discuss are the Ports-To-Plains/Interstate 27 initiative, improvements at Del Rio International Airport, extension of regulatory authority for the protection of military installations from encroachment, additional resources and funding for mental health, support for a joint law enforcement training facility shared by the Del Rio Police Department, local, state and federal agencies, federal reimbursement for migrant-related expenses, funds for the construction of a walking bridge over U.S. Highway 90 and the railroad, funding to enhance local medical facilities and services and funds to extend East De La Rosa Street to connect to Lowe Drive through Highway 90 for students walking to and from the Del Rio Middle School.
Owens said Tuesday he, County Commissioner Pct. 2 Juan Carlos Vazquez and County Commissioner Pct. 3 Beau Nettleton will be attending the sessions in Austin.
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