26 Oct $2.2M paving loan, Laughlin grant and hotel tax funding highlight commissioners court

Val Verde County commissioners met Wednesday, Oct. 21, with all five members present.

The biggest item was a $2,175,000 tax note to pay for road paving and other public works. Commissioners voted 5-0 to take the loan from JPMorgan Chase at a 4.43% interest rate, the lowest of the offers from banks that bid on it. The highest interest rate offered was 4.93%. David Gonzalez of PFM, the county’s financial advisor, said the loan won’t raise the portion of the property tax rate that pays off county debt. Payments are due February 2027 through February 2033, and the money is expected to reach the county Nov. 19. County Judge Lewis Owens said the county has never set aside this much for paving, and that with streets as residents’ top complaint, it will likely need to borrow again in two to three years as older notes are paid off.

Commissioners also authorized Owens to sign an application for a Defense Economic Adjustment Assistance Grant for Laughlin Air Force Base. The county is asking for $4,702,518.94 to buy three machines, a metal 3D printer among them, so the base can make aircraft parts that are no longer sold. County Engineer Carlos Velarde described the project to the court, and the county would have to pay up front and be reimbursed the next quarter. If approved, the county’s total grants for the base would pass $20 million, Owens said.

Early in the meeting, West Texas Counseling and Guidance honored its lead clinician, Del Rio native Alejandra “Alex” Garcia, who was named Mental Health Professional of the Year for Texas by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Garcia said she wants to use the attention to call for more mental health professionals in Del Rio.

On hotel occupancy tax requests, the court approved $10,000 for The FOB Inc.’s Border Bull Mania, which benefits veterans, with the condition that receipts go to the county auditor and the money be used only for advertising. Commissioners cut a $9,030 request from ARA Promotions LLC for the Fiesta de Amistad Charro Extremo to $500 after questions about attendance and the group’s for-profit status.

The court also approved the following items, all by 5-0 votes unless noted:

• Resolution to reimburse the county for expenses paid ahead of the tax note’s proceeds, with a 90-day look-back
• A county credit card for Veterans Service Officer Sergio Palafox
• Force account personnel reimbursement for the Vega Verde waterline project for September
• Draw request No. 5 under the Colonia Self-Help Center contract
• Declaring surplus county property and sheriff’s vehicles, to be sold in an online auction on GovDeals.com from Nov. 2 to Nov. 11
• Purchase of a firearm by a retired peace officer, as state law allows
• Use of the county softball fields on Frontera Road by the Del Rio Queens Softball team through Dec. 31, Wednesdays from 4 to 5:15 p.m. and Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m., while the team’s own fields are renovated
• Resolution for the Texas Indigent Defense Commission’s formula grant program
• Ratification of Owens’s acceptance of the governor’s grants for the adult and juvenile drug courts
• A special meeting Nov. 12 at 9 a.m. to canvass votes
• Texas Parks and Wildlife target range construction grant: reimbursement request No. 3 and the third-quarter report, with substantial completion set for Dec. 22
• Moving forward on Starlink service for three county vehicles used on flood-prone roads
• County annex use for a free pet microchipping event by Border Animal Mission on Nov. 12 (the group fixed 415 animals at a recent no-cost clinic), a Dec. 10 bingo and donation event by Cornerstone Caregiving (9 a.m. to noon), and a SCAN health fair on Oct. 29 (5 to 7 p.m.)
• One LED streetlight by 792 Cherokee Trail, costing $740.97 from the Precinct 3 budget
• Removing “first” and “second” from assistant district attorney job titles, with no pay change
• Salary corrections for a vacant animal control deputy job, from $39,822.89 to $41,814.03, and for a bailiff, from $45,000 to $46,801.46
• Use of the courthouse yard to hand out turkeys to county employees Nov. 19, and an employee appreciation event Dec. 11
• Ratifying housing two camels at the county fairgrounds Oct. 15-16 for the Whitehead Memorial Museum’s Living History Days
• A $21,500 change order from Bollinger Drilling for the water well at the Bob Chavira Sports Complex

Commissioners denied a taxpayer’s request to forgive $158.20 in penalties and interest tied to 2024 property taxes. The county’s attorney said the county has no legal authority to waive them if it mailed proper notices, and the tax assessor-collector said four notices went to the address on file with the appraisal district. A motion by Precinct 4 Commissioner Gustavo “Gus” Flores for a $151.21 streetlight at Owens and Cienegas roads died for lack of a second.

Veterans Service Officer Sergio Palafox said he is drafting the office’s first written policies, including rules for trips to San Antonio medical appointments. Owens said he wants the court to start thinking about moving the office into a larger facility within the next two years.

In commissioners’ comments, one commissioner announced a Halloween event Oct. 30 at the Judge Antonio “Tony” Faz III County Annex. Another said the food bank board approved close to $1 million for seven counties, including $25 gift certificates for turkeys.

Commissioners meet again Nov. 4 at 9 a.m.