By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
All five members of Val Verde County Commissioners Court were present. Here’s what happened at the meeting:
County resident asks for copies of engineering plans
County resident Kelly Bollinger spoke to county commissioners court during the “Citizens’ Comments” portion of the court’s agenda. Bollinger told the court she is requesting “the engineer reports for Lakeshore Drive and South Bayview Drive for the speed bumps, guardrails, bump signs and the pavement.” Bollinger said she had previously asked for the reports in person and by email, adding she and her husband, Roger Bollinger, came to the court’s meeting two weeks ago to ask for the reports. Bollinger asked what she needed to do to get the reports. County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. said the court cannot directly address citizens during this portion of the agenda, and Assistant County Attorney John Klemmer asked Bollinger to stay until after the meeting and promised “to have a conversation” about the issue.
Court approves resolution declaring ‘National County Government Month’
Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to approve a resolution declaring April 2026 “National County Government Month.” County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. said Val Verde County “is proud to serve and support our community every day,” adding, “County government provides many of the essential services residents rely on, from maintaining roads and supporting public safety, to administering elections and operating local courts.” Owens noted, “Much of this work happens behind the scenes, but it plays an important role in keeping our county running.” Owens also announced there will be an appreciation day for the county’s 330-plus employees on April 20 at the county fairgrounds.
Court hears updates on various county projects
County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. gave a comprehensive update on a number of ongoing projects in each of the county’s four precincts. Owens spoke about ongoing work on water line extensions in Precinct 1’s Escondido Estates, flood mitigation and a sports complex in Precinct 2, three projects in Precinct 3, including a water storage tank in Comstock, and the construction of a new county gun range and a new county fire station and the reconstruction of Cienegas Road and outdoor playing fields for youth sports in Precinct 4.
Court approves use of county annex for two events
Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to approve a request from Catholic Charities to use the community room at the Judge Antonio “Tony” Faz County Annex, 315 E. Chapoy St., for two events. The first will be a specialty workshop for parents on April 13, and the second will be a Mother’s Day workshop on May 5.
Court approves slate of participants for golfing event
Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to approve Anthony Burleson, Anthony Williams, Gilbert Rodriguez and County Commissioner Pct. 3 Fernando Garcia as the county participants for the CASA Golfing Fore a Cause event. When County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. joked the organization should charge admission just so people could watch them play, Garcia replied, “I didn’t say we were good; I just said we’re going to play.”
Court hears update on free spay and neuter clinic
Commissioners court members took no action, but heard an update on a free, five-day spay and neuter clinic organized by Del Rio’s Border Animal Mission and New Mexico’s Helping Paws Across Borders. Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Enrique Trevino presented the report, first saying the clinic “had an excellent turnout.” Trevino told the court a total of 504 local cats and dogs were spayed or neutered during the five-day clinic, which was held at the Chihuahua Neighborhood Facility. Trevino said a total of 945 local pets have been spayed or neutered over the course of the most recent clinic and the first five-day clinic, which was held in mid-January. Trevino said the two groups are planning a third clinic for June. County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. noted the county had allocated $6,000 to provide meals for the 40-plus volunteers for the clinic, adding the groups did not use all of the funds and returned just over $2,800 to the county.
Court rejects all bids, rebids, Cienegas Road reconstruction
Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to reject all bids for the Cienegas Road reconstruction project. County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. requested authority to “go in and see if we can look at some of the spec(ification)s for the road and then rebid it.” Commissioner Pct. 4 Gustavo “Gus” Flores, who had made the motion to reject the bids, said he would add that to his motion, and Commissioner Pct. 2 Juan Carlos Vazquez, who gave the second, concurred. Owens noted the project has been put out for bids twice previously. He said the county has set aside $6 million for the project, adding the last low bid the county received for the project was around $9.9 million.
Court takes no action on hiring new veterans service officer
Commissioners court members voted 5-0 to continue taking applications for a new county veterans service officer until Friday, April 17. County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. said the county has taken applications for the position, and four persons have been interviewed for the position. Owens noted once a candidate is hired, the new hire will have to take several weeks to be trained for the position, adding he would like “to fill (the position) as soon as possible.” Commissioner Pct. 4 Gustavo “Gus” Flores made the motion to extend accepting applications for the position.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com .
