By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
City council members on Tuesday approved the submission to the state of a required plan for the city’s transportation department.
City Secretary Mari Acosta announced the agenda item, “an ordinance to approve the submission of the Title VI Plan for the city of Del Rio to the Texas Department of Transportation.”
After Acosta read the heading, Mayor Al Arreola called for a motion.
Councilwoman Carmen Gutierrez made the motion to approve the ordinance, and Councilman Jim DeReus gave the second.
When Arreola asked if there were any questions, Gutierrez pointed out what she called “a minor correction” in Spanish phrasing on one of the submission documents.
Avila, who stepped to the podium to answer possible council questions, told her, “Thank you, councilwoman. I will make sure that correction gets made.”
“Are there any other questions?” Avila asked.
Hearing none, she thanked the council for their approval of the ordinance.
Council members then unanimously approved the ordinance.
In an informational handout included in the council’s agenda packet, Avila wrote the updated Title VI Plan will replace the existing Title VI Plan and will be uploaded to the city’s website.
The ordinance notes the city is a recipient of federal funds through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which operate under the U.S. Department of Transportation. Because the city receives those funds, it is required to file an agency-wide Title VI plan every three years.
Title VI, according to the plan’s preamble, “ensures that no person shall on the grounds of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age or disability be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any department program or activities.”
Other information included in the Title VI Plan for the city notes its transportation department serves an estimated Val Verde County population of 47,585, offering a fixed route bus system consisting of 25 different stops, covering 13 route miles, inside the city “which includes most medical facilities, social service agencies and major retail centers.”
The city’s transportation department also operates a “demand and response” service, described as “a shared curb-to-curb service for seniors, individuals and members of the general public,” which travels to San Antonio, San Angelo, Eagle Pass and Uvalde, often for medical appointments.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.
