By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Commissioners court members voted Wednesday to seek a November referendum on the city’s plans to build a second international bridge.
The court voted unanimously during its July regular term meeting to place two issues regarding the proposed second international bridge before county voters on the ballot of this year’s November general election.
County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. initiated the discussion. After reading the heading of the agenda item – “discussion and possible action on referendum to be put on the November election concerning the second international bridge” – Owens told the court, “We’d talked about this probably three months ago, and the deadline is in August, so I figured I’d put this on now in case I miss something, we could take care of it.
“What we’d talked about the last go-round, was putting items on the (ballot); one (item) would be a vote whether the citizens of Val Verde County believe a second bridge is necessary, for or against. Then another item on there also, if the citizens of Val Verde County – and when I say the citizens of Val Verde County, it doesn’t matter where you live in Comstock, the city of Del Rio, inside Val Verde County – they would take a vote whether they believe (the bridge should located) north or south,” Owens said.
He said the court also discussed previously whether or not such a vote would be binding, and he addressed that issue.
“It (the results of the election) would be binding to the commissioners court of Val Verde County. That’s who it would bind, the decision of the voters of Val Verde County. The city of Del Rio, there isn’t a whole lot I can do about that, or the county can do about that, but it would be binding to commissioners court, whatever the decision the citizens of Val Verde County come up with, what they vote on,” the county judge said.
He added he doesn’t know whether or not the court needs to pass a resolution to call for the referendum.
“If the court is all right with moving forward with both of those referendums or items to add to the election, I would like to take a vote on that, that way we can move forward with that, and if there’s another (step) we need to take in the process, and we need to bring it back, we’ll bring it back, and at least we’ll have enough time to get that done,” Owens said.
He added, “But I would like to take a vote by commissioners court on whether they believe or want both of these items to be put on the election in November.”
As soon as Owens finished speaking, Commissioner Pct. 3 Fernando Garcia said, “Okay, I’ll make a motion that we put both of these items as a public referendum on the November election.”
Commissioner Pct. 4 Gustavo “Gus” Flores immediately gave the second.
Owens asked if there were any other questions, then said he would take a roll call vote on the motion, polling each member of the court individually.
All four of the commissioners and Owens voted in favor of Garcia’s motion.
After the vote, Owens said, “It is unanimous. It is a five-zero vote for both those referendums to be placed on the November ballot.”
Owens asked County Clerk Teresa Esther Chapoy to determine whether or not the court needed to take further action, such as approving a resolution at a future meeting.
Cynthia Reyes, a member of the county clerk’s office, was in the audience and told Owens the order calling for the referendum must be done by Aug. 18.
She said her office “would need help with the wording” of the referendum for the ballot from County Attorney David Martinez.
“We will put that on an order, and all of you will have to sign it,” Reyes told the court.
Martinez pledged to work with Chapoy and her staff to create the documents needed to set the referendum.
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