Maverick County Commissioners Court Approves to Apply for Texas Water Development Board Funds for Water Distribution Lines to Lehmann Ranch and Quemado
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2025
Maverick County Commissioners Court unanimously approved two Agenda Items, specifically Nos. 11 and 12, to apply for Texas Water Development Board Fiscal Year 2026 Funds to pay for the extension of water distribution lines to the entrance of the Lehmann Ranch on U. S. Highway 277 North and to North Quemado at their special meeting held hastily just two days before Christmas, December 23, 2025, catching many Maverick County residents interested in the subject on Christmas vacations and unable to attend the important meeting.
Specifically, Agenda Item No. 11 called for the “discussion and appropriate action to allow Precinct 3 to apply for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund SFY 2026 from Texas Water Development Board PIF#16990 for Highway 277 water line distribution up to the entrance of Lehmann Ranch Road.”
Meanwhile, Agenda Item No. 12 called for the “discussion and appropriate action to allow Precinct 3 to apply for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund SFY2026 from Texas Water Development Board PIF#16789 for North Quemado waterline distribution.”
Both agenda items were placed on the special meeting by County Commissioner Precinct 3 Olga M. Ramos, who has been working on water issues for Precinct 3 for several years now.
Initially, when the special meeting started at 3 p.m. only County Judge Ramsey English Cantu, Commissioner Roberto Ruiz, and Commissioner Olga M. Ramos were present, but eventually newly-appointed Commissioner for Precinct 1 Yolanda P. Ramon arrived late to the meeting.
Commissioner Ramos quickly moved to approve Agenda Item No. 11, seconded by Commissioner Ruiz, and no discussion was held prior to being approved unanimously by Ramos, Ruiz, Cantu, and Ramon. Commissioner Rossana “Roxi” Rios was not present during this vote as she was attending a community Christmas Toy Distribution event at her Precinct 2 Office.
Commissioner Ramos stated after the passage of Agenda Item No. 11 that Maverick County under her guidance had previously applied for similar grants or loans from Texas Water Development Board, but unfortunately these applications were not funded because they are judged and graded on a point-scale system and they had not scored high enough to be granted funding. Ramos noted that Commissioner’s action is simply to submit an application for these Texas Water Development Board funds.
County Judge Cantu noted that Maverick County had not applied for these Texas Water Development Board funds for 38 years until Commissioner Ramos applied.
Similarly, Agenda Item No. 12 was unanimously approved by Commissioners Court with Commissioner Ramos making the motion, seconded by Ramon, and approved by Cantu and Ruiz without any discussion.
While the Texas Water Development Board funds are notable for state water and sewer line distribution systems statewide, the key is where are these water lines going to be installed along U. S. Highway 277 North towards the Lehmann Ranch Road and northward to the Quemado lands within the county.
Maverick County taxpayers were not informed nor advised by Commissioners Ramos, Ruiz, Ramon, and County Judge Cantu as to the specific locations where these proposed water lines would be installed should Maverick County be awarded one or both of these grant-loan funds by Texas Water Development Board.
Although Commissioners Court did not disclose to the public at the meeting where exactly these water lines would be installed if these Texas Water Development Board funds are obtained, it was very clear to taxpayers present at the meeting that the primary beneficiary of these proposed water lines would be the ambitious multi-use real estate development plans of Ruben Garibay and investors of the Port Authority of Puerto Verde consisting of over 3,200 acres in northern Maverick County near or adjacent to U. S. Highway 277 North along the Lehmann Ranch Road, the Maverick County Industrial Park, the Maverick County International Memorial Airport, the former Dos Republicas Coal Partnership properties on FM 1588 (Thompson Road), Normandy, and Quemado.
Since approving a resolution in July of 2023 to do a joint public-private partnership venture with Puerto Verde Holdings, LLC concerning Maverick County’s international bridge permit rights for a third international bridge in Maverick County, Maverick County Commissioners Court is handling the entire Puerto Verde Global Trade Bridge, Green Eagle Railroad International Bridge and Line, and the Port Authority of Puerto Verde projects in total secrecy and with minimum transparency to the detriment of Maverick County taxpayers. The little public information known about the multi-billion dollar multi-use real estate development affiliated with Ruben Garibay and his Puerto Verde investors has come as a result of required public hearings from the United States Surface Transportation Board in 2024 and 2025 and from Texas House of Representatives Heriberto “Eddie” Morales, Jr..’s filing of the proposed House Bill 74 in the 89th Texas Legislature, which aimed to establish a municipal utility district known as Port Authority of Puerto Verde in over 3,200 acres in northern Maverick County.
Such a multi-billion dollar private investment in northern Maverick County will require a significant development of public infrastructure such as public water lines, sewer lines, utilities, roadways, highways, and more to sustain such an ambitious multi-use real estate development in Maverick County. Without a public infrastructure outlay, the project might not be developed, might be reduced in size, or the private investors might have to pay for the infrastructure of their proposed multi-use real estate development. Obviously, a small but vocal group of Maverick County taxpayers who own farms and ranches in these areas stand to benefit from the installation of water lines. But the principal beneficiary is Ruben Garibay and his group of Puerto Verde investors.
Maverick County Commissioners Court will no longer be able to hide the true and genuine details of its plans for northern Maverick County and will have to be held accountable for providing a full and open transparency on all Maverick County business and governmental transactions being planned, proposed, developed, and approved under the auspices of Maverick County government. Stay tuned.
