By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Here’s what happened at the meeting:
All five members of commissioners court were present.
Court approves payment for visitor tracking program
• Commissioners court unanimously approved the expenditure of $4,856.25 to pay for
another year of membership in the Placer.ai event and visitor information program. Other
local entities joining the county in paying for the program are the city of Del Rio, the Del
Rio Chamber of Commerce and the Del Rio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. County
Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. said the program will help the court make decisions about how
to spend county hotel occupancy tax (HOT) funds.
Court approves HOT funds for Brown Plaza events
• Commissioners court unanimously approved the expenditure of $9,000 in HOT funds
for the Brown Plaza Association, with $4,500 allocated for the association’s Cinco de
Mayo event and $4,500 for the Diez y Seis de Septiembre event. County Judge Lewis G.
Owens Jr. said the two events are the second- and third-most attended annual events the
county supports with HOT funds. The most well-attended event is the George Paul
Memorial Bullriding, the judge said.
County approves affidavits for three water projects
• Commissioners court unanimously approved affidavits of posting Notice of Finding of
No Significant Impact and Notice of Intent to Request Release of Funds for three major
county water projects: the construction of a water storage tank in the community of
Comstock in Precinct 3, the construction of a booster station in the San Felipe Pastures
area of Precinct 2 and the extension of water lines along Vega Verde Road in Precinct 4.
Court hears update on planned new sports complex
• Commissioners court members heard an update on work being done toward the creation
of the planned Robert “Bob” Chavira Sports Complex to be sited near the public school
district’s seventh and eighth grade campus off U.S. Highway 90 East. County grants
administrator Carl Esser told the court an archeological survey has been conducted on a
portion of the site, as required by the Texas Historical Commission. He said the company
that conducted the survey found “nothing of significance” regarding archeological
concerns, and the report has been submitted to the state. The court took no action
following the presentation.
Court approves agreement to install light
• Commissioners court unanimously approved an agreement between the county and AEP
Texas to install an LED light near 1853 Lenawee Ave. in the amount of $766.77 to be
paid out of the Precinct 3 operating budget and authorized County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. to sign the agreement. Commissioner Pct. 3 Fernando Garcia said the light was
requested by area residents to illuminate an intersection where several accidents have
occurred.
Court accepts state funds for constable training
• Commissioners court unanimously accepted Law Enforcement Officer Standards and
Education (LEOSE) funds of $1,448.67 to be used for mandated continuing education
and training for Constable Pct. 3 Michael Wancho and $1,449.20 to be used for mandated
continuing education and training for Constable Pct. 4 Gerardo “Jerry” Hernandez.
Court approves county-wide 90-day burn ban
• Commissioners court unanimously approved an order prohibiting all outdoor burning in
the unincorporated areas of Val Verde County for 90 days effective April 16, a request by
Val Verde County Fire Chief Jorge Vargas due to the continuing drought and very dry
conditions throughout the county.
Court hears update on veterans service office operations
• County Veterans Service Officer Enrique Treviño gave an update on the office’s
operations over the last quarter. Treviño spoke about the number of veterans that have
been served over the past three months, including trips made out of town to take veterans
to medical appointments. Treviño also said his office has participated in a number of
local events and conducted training for personnel at Laughlin Air Force Base to assist
active-duty personnel transitioning out of the military.
Court approves survey for utility easement
• Commissioners court unanimously approved a survey to establish metes and bounds to
obtain a utility easement on city of Del Rio property across Lake Ridge Estates, Block J,
Lot 2, for the purpose of running fiber optic cable to the Precinct 3 yard. The court
authorized the expenditure of $2,500 for the survey, the monies to come from the
county’s contingency fund.
Court accepts letter of credit from company as surety against damages
• Commissioners court unanimously accepted an irrevocable letter of credit in the amount
of $200,000 in accordance with the road use agreement between the county and Tierra
Seca BESS LLC. County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. told the court the letter of credit is
“in case they tear up a road or something that belongs to the county.” He said the work
being done deals with a new battery storage facility on old Hamilton Road across from
the electric company substation behind the county jail.
Court honors two former members of Amistad land use commission
• County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. and members of county commissioners court
honored Billy Whaley Jr. and Robert Beau Nettleton, outgoing members of the Amistad
Land Use and Zoning Commission. The two former members of the commission were
given certificates of appreciation and orders of recognition were adopted by the court
read into the record in honor of each man.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
