By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Here’s what happened at the meeting:
All five members of commissioners court were present.
Commissioners court names county building after the late Antonio “Tony” Faz III
• Commissioners court members approved naming the new county annex building after
the late Antonio “Tony” Faz III, who served as Precinct 2 justice of the peace until his
illness then death earlier this month. County Commissioner Pct. 2 Juan Carlos Vazquez,
in whose precinct the annex building is located, proposed the name change, but was
opposed by County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr., who said he believed it was more
appropriate to name the second floor of the county’s Alicemae Fitzpatrick Courthouse
Annex, where the justices of the peace have their offices, after Faz. Vazquez’s motion,
however, was approved on a 4-1 vote, with Owens voting against the measure.
Commissioners court approves trio of actions for proposed new target range
• Commissioners court unanimously approved three actions dealing with the proposed
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TP&WD) Target Range to be sited near the Precinct
3’s yards north of the Del Rio city limits. The court approved a term agreement between
the county and the TP&WD regarding the range. The agreement can be read in its
entirety here .
The court also approved a report on the progress toward building the range for the first
quarter of 2025 and a “Finding of No Significant Impact” following an environmental
assessment of the land where the range will be sited. Both documents can be found on the
county’s website.
Commissioners court takes action on policies required for grant applications
• Commissioners court unanimously approved the inclusion of existing county civil rights
policies in a community development block grant colonia fund construction grant for
projects for water facility improvements in Comstock, San Felipe Pastures and Vega
Verde Road. County Judge Lewis G. Jr. said the policies are already in place and the
action was a formality required as part of the grant process. The policies included a
county code of conduct policy, a county citizen participation policy, a county excessive
force policy, a county Section 504 policy, a county fair housing policy and a county fair
housing month recognition policy. The county policies can be found on the county’s
website.
Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez announces event to honor fallen officers
• Commissioners court took no action, but heard from Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez that the
Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office will host a Fallen Officer Memorial Event beginning
at 9 a.m. on May 15 on the grounds of the Val Verde County Courthouse at 400 Pecan St.
Commissioners court proclaims May 2025 as Mental Health Awareness Month
• Commissioners court unanimously approved a proclamation designating May 2025 as
Mental Health Awareness Month. The court took action after the reading of the
proclamation by Rachel Cedillo of Hill Country MHDD.
County judge gives update on county projects
• County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. gave an update on several ongoing county projects,
including the extension of water lines in the Escondido Estates area of Precinct 1, a flood
mapping project and county sports complex in Precinct 2, the Texas Parks & Wildlife
Department target range in Precinct 3 and the reconstruction of a portion of Cienegas
Road in Precinct 4. Owens also spoke about work being done toward the construction of
an event center at the Val Verde County Fairgrounds, a new fire station north of the Del
Rio city limits near the intersection of U.S. Highways 90 and 277 and the planned
renovation of the county tax assessor/collector’s office. The court took no action
following the update.
Court discusses process for appointing new Precinct 2 justice of the peace
• Commissioners court voted unanimously to formalize the process for appointing a new
Precinct 2 justice of the peace to fill the unexpired term of Antonio “Tony” Faz, who has
died. County Attorney David Martinez told the court the entire court must vote to appoint
a new justice in this case, adding the court has historically used several different
processes including taking applications from interested persons and deferring to the
recommendation from the sitting commissioner of the precinct. The court decided to take
applications and interview prospective candidates. Applications will be accepted through
May 2.
Court approves lease with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for med clinic
• Commissioners court unanimously approved a lease agreement between the county and
the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for the placement of a medical clinic at the
county annex building at 315 E. Chapoy St. The court made its decision after hearing a
presentation from Antoine Williams, Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) program
director. Williams said the space will be used as office space, storage for medical
equipment and conducting video tele-conferences with area veterans.
Commissioners court approves AEP request for public meeting/open house
• Commissioners court unanimously approved a request by a representative of AEP
Texas to host an open house/public meeting at the Val Verde County Community Center,
1690 Cienegas Road, at a date to be determined in the near future for the purpose of
providing information and answering county residents’ questions on a proposed new
transmission line that will traverse portions of the county. County Judge Lewis G. Owens
Jr. suggested that a separate meeting be held at the Comstock Community Center since
much of the proposed line will pass through Precinct 3.
Commissioner announces Social Security office additional hours
• County Commissioner Pct. 4 Gustavo “Gus” Flores announced that the Social Security
Administration office located in the Val Verde County Community Center, 1690 Cienegas Road, will now be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Flores
said the new hours will mean the office will be open for two additional days for in-person
visits. The court took no action on the announcement.
Court approves new information platform for sheriff’s office
• Commissioners court unanimously authorized Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez to sign a
contract between the sheriff’s office and OCV LLC. Martinez told the court OCV LLC is
the developer of a mobile app that will allow the sheriff’s office to disseminate
information about road closures, accidents, weather and other emergencies affecting the
public to county residents directly on their smartphones.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com
