Maverick County Commissioners Court considering selling Maverick County Fairgrounds
By: Jose G. Landa
Copyright 2013 Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.
Maverick County Commissioners Court discussed the possibility of selling the Maverick County Fairgrounds, formerly known as the Caballo Dorado Arena, after paying over $400,00 for it in 2010 at their Monday, December 9, 2013, Regular Meeting held at the Commissioners Courtroom in Eagle Pass, Texas.
In 2010, Maverick County Commissioners Court approved the purchase of the Caballo Dorado Arena real property from its previous owner, local attorney and former Eagle Pass Mayor Joaquin L. Rodriguez, for over $400,000 to develop into the Maverick County Fairgrounds during former County Commissioner Precinct 2 Rodolfo “Rudy” Heredia’s tenure. The Maverick County Fairgrounds are located in Precinct 2. Former Commissioner Rudy Heredia’s vision was to relocate the Maverick County Show Barn and the Maverick County Junior Livestock Show to the County Fairgrounds as well as develop the property as an events and entertainment venue, but this vision never came to fruition.
Subsequently, former County Commissioner Rudy Heredia was indicted in two separate federal cases and plead guilty to one count in one of the cases and is awaiting sentencing before a federal district judge. Heredia was temporarily removed as County Commissioner by a visiting district judge and later resigned as County Commissioner Precinct 2.
Current appointed-County Commissioner Precinct 2 Asalia Casares stated that Maverick County should consider placing for sale the Maverick County Fairgrounds real property because it is not making any profits or money for the County and it is costing the County Road and Bridge Department a lot of money and time to maintain and clean the property.
County Commissioner Roberto Ruiz concurred with Commissioner Asalia Casares stating that the Maverick County Fairgrounds should be appraised to determine its fair market value and be sold to a private developer or company which may be best suited for promoting the property for its intended purpose or use.
County Commissioner Asalia Casares stated that Maverick County is not in the business of promoting events and entertainment and that perhaps a private developer or company can make better use of the property while saving taxpayers a lot money due to maintenance of the large property.
Many Maverick County taxpayers questioned the purchase of the Caballo Dorado property in 2010, but their concerns fell on deaf ears of Commissioners Court which proceeded to purchase the real property at a hefty price tag and expense to taxpayers. Local taxpayers wisdom is now evident as Commissioners Court approved to appraise the County Fairgrounds property to place it for sale in the private market to save the County money maintaining it.
Some Maverick County taxpayers suggest that Commissioners Court also review and evaluate the possible retaking of operations and maintenance of the Maverick County Landfill as it was purchased with Maverick County taxpayers funds and County-issued bonds. Local taxpayers believe Commissioners Court previous approval of the Maverick County Landfill management to a newly created Maverick County Solid Waste Authority may have been an abuse of Maverick County taxpayers’ legal rights of ownership of the landfill. The Maverick County Landfill transfer was approved by Commissioners Court during former County Commissioner Precinct 2 Rudy Heredia’s tenure.
Maverick County taxpayers approved in 1995 a special one-half cent sales tax within Maverick County to pay for the development and construction of the Maverick County Landfill and collected over $19 million in this fund until 2008 but none of these funds were available that year to build the Maverick County Landfill, requiring Maverick County taxpayers to issue approximately $8.5 Million in bonds to pay for the construction of the landfill. In 2013, Maverick County taxpayers issued $3.2 Million in County bonds to finance the expansion and construction of Cell No. 2 in the Maverick County Landfill due to its premature filling of Cell No. 1 due to the many contracts awarded to Eagle Ford Shale oil and gas companies to dump their waste in the taxpayers’ landfill.
Maverick County taxpayers have a lot of questions and demand answers to their questions during the 2014 Maverick County elections.
