By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Six of the seven members of the city council were present. Mayor Pro-tem Jim DeReus was not present; he is on vacation.
Here’s what happened at the meeting:
Citizens speak during public hearing on city budget
• Six persons addressed city council members during a public hearing on the proposed city Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget. Four of the six spoke to the council about the importance of the senior water aerobics program in their lives and urged the council not to cut funding for the program. Former city councilwoman Alexandra Falcon Calderon spoke about city finances, saying a previous year’s budget was balanced and telling council members they aren’t seeing the entire budget picture. City operations and compliance manager Scot Carcasi spoke during the hearing on behalf of some of the employees whose jobs are up for elimination under one version of the proposed budget, telling the council he believes cutting those jobs will affect city services. The council won’t approve the city budget until Sept. 9.
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Council holds public hearing on proposed city tax rate
• City council held a public hearing on the city’s proposed property tax rate. The proposed city tax rate is $0.7070 per $100 of property value. The proposed rate is a one-cent increase from the current property tax rate of $0.6970 per $100 of value. According to information published by the city, the average homestead taxable value in Del Rio has been calculated at $175,775 for 2025, and the proposed tax on the average homestead will be $1,242.73 for 2025. No one addressed the council during the public hearing on the tax rate. The city council will hold another public hearing on the proposed tax rate at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9, in council chambers at City Hall, 109 W. Broadway St.
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Council postpones action on building separation ordinance
• City council members voted 6-0 to table an ordinance amending the city’s code of ordinances on spacing and the location of structures. Council voted to postpone action on the measure following a public hearing on the proposed amendment to the code at which no one spoke and after hearing from City Planning and Zoning Director Janice Pokrant. Pokrant told the council the requested change will “revise the minimum building separation for new multifamily structures.” The council will reconsider action on the request during a future meeting at which all council members are present.
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City manager announces town hall meetings
• City Manager Shawna Burkhart announced a series of upcoming town hall meetings on the city’s proposed Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget. These have been scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2, at the Joe Ramos Center/Nutrition Center, 1105 W. De La Rosa St.; and at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 3, in the Red Oak Ballroom at the Del Rio Civic Center, 1915 Veterans Blvd., following Mayor Pro-tem Jim DeReus’ town hall meeting there at 6 p.m. The city manager also announced town hall meetings on the increases in the city’s water and sewer rates, which will go into effect Oct. 1. Those town hall meetings will be at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8, at the city’s transportation center, 100 Ogden St., and at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 15, at the city’s transportation center, 100 Ogden St. Everyone is welcome to attend the meetings to ask questions and hear answers about the city’s proposed budget and the new water and sewer rates.
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CASA of Val Verde makes presentation
• City council members heard a presentation from Carmen Abreu, executive director of CASA of Val Verde, a program that trains advocates for children in the foster care system. The program is in its first year of operation in Val Verde County. Abreu was joined in making the presentation by two CASA board members, Aly Kinsey and Andrew Pavlinski. Abreu said there are about 40 to 50 children in foster care in Val Verde County, and CASA currently serves 18 of those children. Abreu said the group’s goal is to serve all of the children in foster care. She said the group graduated seven trained advocates in July, and a second class is nearly finished with its training, with a third training session set to begin in October.
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Council cuts back on member travel to conferences
• City council members voted 6-0 to approve travel expenses for Mayor Al Arreola to attend the Ports-to-Plains Interstate 27 Advantage Conference in Lubbock, Texas, Sept. 20 through Oct. 2 and for Councilman J.P. Sanchez and Councilwoman Carmen Gutierrez to attend the Texas Municipal League 113 th Annual Conference and Exhibition in Ft. Worth, Texas, Oct. 29-Oct. 31. The initial proposal had been to send three council members to each conference, but council members said they believed that number should be cut back to reflect the council’s commitment to helping the city save money where it can.
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Council hears update on proposed FY 2025-2026 budget
• City Manager Shawna Burkhart gave a presentation on the city’s proposed Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget. She presented recaps of the five budget drafts that have been presented to council so far. The most recent two drafts were presented during Tuesday’s meeting. Council members asked a variety of questions during the update. At the end of the presentation, the council voted 6-0 to direct Burkhart to meet with city department heads again to see if there are any areas of the city where expenses could be trimmed further. The council will hold two town hall meetings and one more public hearing on the budget before voting on a final version on Sept. 9.
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Council approves financing agreement with state for new water well
• City council members voted 6-0 to approve a resolution for the execution and delivery of a financing agreement with the Texas Water Development Board regarding the issuance of certificates of obligation by the city for the construction of a new municipal well to augment the city’s existing drinking water sources. The city applied for low-interest loan funding for the project through the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) not to exceed $12,695,000 in May, and the Texas Water Development Board approved the application in July. The city will use the borrowed money, which will extend over two years, to drill a new municipal well just north of the San Felipe Springs Golf Course.
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Council approves financing agreement for treatment plant upgrades
• City council members voted 6-0 to approve a resolution for the execution and delivery of a financing agreement with the Texas Water Development Board regarding the issuance of certificates of obligation by the city for improvements to the city water treatment plant. The city applied for low-interest loan funding for the project through the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) not to exceed $3,460,000 in May, and the Texas Water Development Board approved the application not to exceed $3,455,000 in July. The city will use the borrowed money, which will extend over three years, to upgrade the membrane filtration system at the water plant.
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Council approves city employee health insurance plan
• City council members voted 4-1 to approve a resolution authorizing City Manager Shawna Burkhart to adopt the city self-funded health and dental insurance premium rates for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. The changes in the insurance plan include an increase in individual deductible from $500 to $1,000 and a requirement for all city employees participating in the plan to pay $37.93 a month, just under $19 per paycheck. In prior years, employees were covered free of charge. Burkhart told the council city employees would receive a $1,200 stipend they could use to pay for the increase in the deductible and the monthly insurance cost. Councilman Randy Quiñones voted against approving the resolution, and Councilwoman Ernestina “Tina” Martinez did not vote because she briefly stepped out of the meeting.
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Council approves engineering services for creek walk
• City council members voted 6-0 to approve a resolution authorizing and directing City Manager Shawna Burkhart to approve a $223,923 contract with Matrix Design Group Inc. of San Antonio for professional engineering services for the conceptual design of stream stabilization, a bikeway and pedestrian ADA access improvements along the San Felipe Creek in the area of the Dr. Alfredo Gutierrez Amphitheater and Lt. Thomas Romanelli Memorial Park. Part of the contract with Matrix will include construction documents for improvements adjacent to the Romanelli Park bridge and the “Blue Wall” segment of the creek.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
