City of Eagle Pass’ 57 Music Fest Court Hearing Held as Financial Questions Remain Unanswered

By Jose G. Landa, Copyright 2026 Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.

A check with the Maverick County District Clerk’s Office shows that the October 14, 2026, status hearing concerning the City of Eagle Pass’ efforts to obtain financial records from the manager of the 57 South Music Fest took place. However, the file containing documentation of the proceedings has not yet been returned to the clerk’s office for filing.

As a result, the available court record does not yet explain what occurred during the hearing, whether any orders were issued or what steps will follow.

More than two years after the April 5-7, 2024 music festival, the City continues seeking records to determine how much revenue the event generated and what money it may be entitled to recover from Jesse A. Minton and Just 1 Management, LLC. A preliminary report shows the City taxpayers lost a minimum of $2.3 million from its general revenues fund.

The festival was promoted as a major music and tourism event tied to the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse. The City spent more than $2 million in public funds associated with the event, making a complete accounting a significant concern for taxpayers.

According to a sworn affidavit filed by City Finance Director Felix Castillo, the City entered into a Manager Master Services Agreement with Minton around March 1, 2024. An addendum followed in April.
Castillo stated that the agreements required Minton to remit contracted revenue and ticket-sale revenue to the City within 30 days of April 8, 2024. According to the affidavit, that revenue had not been received.

The City estimated that Minton owed more than $100,000 but acknowledged that the figure was preliminary because it lacked the financial records necessary to calculate the precise amount.

The estimated unpaid revenue is separate from the City’s more than $2 million in festival-related spending. The available records do not establish a court judgment finding that Minton owes the estimated amount or breached the agreement.

The City is seeking ticket-sale records, event expenditures, performer payments, payment logs, receipts and other financial documents. Castillo’s affidavit states that the agreement required Minton to provide materials prepared under the contract and identified those documents as City property.

The municipality maintains that it and its financial auditor requested the records to complete its required annual audit.

The City also says the information is needed to determine whether pursuing a lawsuit would be fiscally responsible.

On August 21, 2025, the City filed a Rule 202 petition seeking testimony and records before filing a potential lawsuit.

After unsuccessful attempts to serve Minton at his San Antonio residence in September 2025, the City requested alternative service. His attorney subsequently accepted service while preserving Minton’s other legal rights.

Following Judge Abascal’s recusal, Senior Judge Camile DuBose was assigned to the proceeding in May 2026.

Earlier court records listed a September 14, 2026, status-report deadline and the October 14 hearing.

Although the clerk’s office confirmed the hearing occurred, its outcome cannot yet be determined from the documentation available for review.

For taxpayers, the central issue remains a complete accounting of the festival’s finances, including what the event generated, what the City received and whether additional revenue is owed.

More than two years after the expenditure of millions in public funds, those answers remain outstanding.