Maverick County Commissioners Court to Take Action on Citizens Petition for a Referendum on $7.2 Million Bonds at October 30, 2023 Meeting
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2023
Maverick County Commissioners Court is scheduled to discuss and take possible action on the Maverick County Concerned Citizens Petition calling for a referendum on the borrowing of $7.2 Million for a proposed $24 Million project to expand the Maverick County Water Treatment Plant under the auspices of the Texas Water Development Board at their Monday, October 30, 2023, meeting at 3:30 p.m. at the Commissioners Courtroom, located at 500 Quarry Street, Eagle Pass, Texas, according to the agenda.
An alliance of bi-partisan Maverick County citizens presented a petition of Maverick County registered voters’ signatures requesting a bond referendum election on the $7.2 Million be held to determine if the taxpayers approved or disapproved the borrowing of these funds to Maverick County Elections Administrator Isamari Sanchez-Villarreal and Maverick County Clerk Sara Montemayor on October 10, 2023, causing Maverick County Commissioners Court to postpone its decision until the petition signatures were reviewed to determine if they satisfied state law to call for a referendum bond election.
Former Maverick County Judge Enriqueta Diaz and other citizens led the campaign to gather registered voters’ signatures for the petition calling for a bond referendum of the $7.2 Million. Diaz alleges that current Maverick County Judge Ramsey English Cantu requested a copy of the Citizens Petition with signatures from Maverick County Elections Administrator Isamari Sanchez-Villarreal and has engaged in verification of the citizens’ signatures instead of the Maverick County Elections Administrator as authorized by state law. Diaz also alleges that County Judge Cantu is using county resources and threatening to terminate county employees who signed the petition while usurping the legal procedure of allowing the County Elections Administrator perform her legal duty of signature verification. County Judge Cantu denies all of the allegations made by Diaz. This issue and others will be decided by Commissioners Court at their meeting on Monday, October 30, 2023, at 3:30 p.m.
According to Agenda Item No. 30, Commissioners Court will “discuss and take appropriate action to receive a response from the Maverick County Elections Administrator on the submission of the Petition submitted to Maverick County regarding the Certificate of Obligation Series 2023, subject but not limited to ratification, denial and/or further action.”
In addition, the October 30th agenda includes an Executive Session regarding consultation with attorney regarding “discussion and appropriate action to receive a response from the Maverick County Elections Administrator on the submission of the petition submitted to Maverick County regarding the Certificate of Obligations Series 2023, subject but not limited to ratification, denial and/or further action.”
Furthermore, Agenda Item No. 31 will address “discussion and appropriate action to consider and adopt an order authorizing the issuance of Maverick County, Texas Combination Tax and Subordinate Lien Revenue Certificate of Obligation, Series 2023, in the principal amount of $7,200,000.00 and awarding the sale of such certificates to the Texas Water Development Board.”
The October 30th Agenda also includes Items No. 32 calling for the “discussion and appropriate action to consider and adopt a Resolution authorizing and approving a grant agreement with the Texas Water Development Board in the amount of $16,800,000.00, and resolving other matters incident and relating thereto.”
Agenda Item No. 33 calls for the “discussion and appropriate action to adopt an order of Maverick County, Texas declaring projects of the Certificates of Obligations as necessary to preserve the public health of the residents of the Maverick County, Texas.”
Finally, Agenda Item No. 34 calls for the “discussion and appropriate action to adopt an order authorizing Maverick County, Texas to proceed with filing a declaratory judgment related to Certificate of Obligation pursuant to Chapter 1205 of the Texas Government Code.”
Based on the Agenda items on the October 30th County Commissioners Court, Maverick County Commissioners Court are set to take action on these important issues to the community and taxpayers.
The Commissioners Court Meeting on Monday, October 30, 2023 at 3:30 p.m. is open to the public.
