Medina County Treasurer Debbie Southwell gave her letter of retirement to Commissioner’s Court this past Monday. Her retirement will take effect October 31, according to County Judge Keith Lutz. “There is a small window of time if anyone wants to file for election from November 11-December 11 if anyone wants to run for Treasurer,” Judge Lutz said. In the mean time, Judge Lutz adds, “We (commissioner’s court) will appoint someone to the position, but it will be on the November ballot again very soon. And unlike other elections, the newly elected treasurer would take office immediately after votes are canvassed.” In her letter of resignation addressed to County Commissioners Jessica Castiglione, Danny Lawler, David Lynch and Larry Sittre as well as Judge Lutz, Mrs. Southwell stated: “It has been a pleasure serving the people of Medina County, and I have gained valuable insight into the inner workings of county government. I wish all of you the best of luck in the future and pray that Medina County continues to grow and thrive.”
By Jerry Beck On September 7, the focus of the Medina County Commissioners Court session was on Employee raises, the Tax Rate and the 2023-24 Budget. The current tax rate for Medina County is $0.4743 per $100 evaluation. The rate that was approved was $0.4356 per $100 evaluation.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 28, 2023 Hondo, Texas, August 28, 2023 – The Medina County Hospital District is pleased to announce the appointment of one new board member, Mary E. Mangold. The Medina County Hospital District Board of Directors is composed of seven elected directors. Four directors are elected by the voters in the four county precincts, and three directors are elected at-large. Mary E. Mangold was appointed as Director at Large, Place 5 during the Board of Director’s meeting on Monday, August 28th, 2023.
By Jerry Beck Jessica Castiglione was sworn in Tuesday morning by County Judge Keith Lutz. Mrs. Castiglione is a Graduate of Texas A&M University where she received a degree in Civil Engineering in 1999.
Medina County Judge Keith Lutz cast a rare deciding vote on commissioners’ court action August 17, joining with two other members to approve a measure amending how funds for road construction and maintenance are apportioned to the precincts.
The vote followed Precinct 2 Commissioner Larry Sittre abrupt departure after several terse exchanges with Precinct 3 Commissioner David Lynch on the proposed amendment.
This 30-acre fire broke out Sunday night on CR 265 in the Rio Medina area, and was 60% contained as of Monday morning. By Monday afternoon, weary crews were working another large fire on FM 471 in the Tarpley area.
Sheriff Randy Brown operated a bulldozer used to cut a fire break during a 30-acre wildfire that broke out near Rio Medina Sunday night. The fire involving rough terrain and heavy brush in the 800 block of County Road 265 was 60 percent contained Monday morning, said Medina County Emergency Management Coordinator Mark Chadwick. Numerous Medina County fire agencies responded with the county serving as incident command, he said. The Texas Forest Service also assisted. Officials on the scene included County Judge Keith Lutz, Precinct 2 Commissioner Larry Sittre, Sheriff Brown and Chadwick.
Severe Drought forces Burn Ban in Medina County
Severe drought forces burn ban for Medina County
On August 10, 2023, Medina County Commissioner’s Court implemented a countywide burn ban due to the severe drought conditions and fire danger. The ban is effective for 90 days and may be extended if the current conditions persist. “We need to do our utmost to prevent fires of that nature from occurring in Medina County,” said Mark Chadwick, county emergency management coordinator. No outdoor burning is authorized other than the approved exceptions. Per the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Chapter 111 residents may burn “domestic waste” consisting of kitchen garbage, cardboard, cloth, leaves, and grass. However, the burning of domestic waste during the ban is limited to the following:
Burning within a burn barrel with no waste protruding from the top of the barrel.
The barrel must be covered with a small opening grate no more than a one-inch gap between the grating to reduce the likelihood of embers flying.
A water source must be readily available next to the barrel.
The person burning MUST call the Medina County Sheriff’s Office dispatch non-emergency number of 830-741-6153 to provide their name, address and phone number prior to burning.
The person burning must stay in the immediate vicinity of the burn barrel until the fire is extinguished and not leave the fire unattended at any time.
Burning in a barrel is to be accomplished in the morning hours between 7:00 am and 11:00 am.
No burning is authorized in a barrel at night.
If the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning, no burning will be authorized that day. For residents who are doing land clearing and require to conduct burning of brush piles, Medina County has rules for how to obtain a Burn Notice Exception. The resident will need to make an appointment for the Medina County Fire Marshal, by calling 830-455-0129, to do an inspection of the burn site and the landowner/tenant/operator will need to sign for responsibility of the fire. The rules for burning under a Burn Notice Exception are:
All brush piles must be of a reasonable size. If you have a contractor who is pushing up brush, make sure that they are not creating massive brush piles or the piles will have to be broken down in size before burning.
As with domestic waste, no burning is authorized if the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning under any circumstances.
Burning is not authorized if the winds are over 10 mph.
The person burning MUST call the Medina County Sheriff’s Office dispatch non-emergency number of 830-741-6153 to provide their name, address and phone number prior to burning.
The person burning must have means of communication (cell phone) with them in case emergency services are needed.
The person burning must have a water source or heavy equipment immediately available prior to burning.
The burn pile cannot be left unattended at any time. This means that if several piles need to be burned, the person will need to plan to burn them individually over separate days or times.
No burning is authorized at night and all fires MUST be extinguished by nightfall. All around the State there are catastrophic fires burning that are endangering lives and property.
Law enforcement arrested former Precinct 1 Commissioner Timothy Neuman July 19 on charges of felony fraud and evidence tampering related to recycled metal funds, local media reports. Neuman, who resigned July 10, citing “personal reasons,” faces charges of misapplication of fiduciary property between $2,500 and $30,000, a state jail felony, and a third-degree felony charge of tampering with evidence, according to KSAT News. Both Medina County Assistant Criminal District Attorney Margaret Swyers and a representative of the Texas Rangers confirmed to the Devine News that Neuman was under investigation last week.
An empty seat where Pct 1 Commissioner Tim Neuman would normally occupy leaves the community with many questions. Commissioner Larry Sittre (left) praised Neuman’s work on subdivision developments and noted that they often worked together, citing the “$850 million dollars worth” of developements they approved that very same day. Sittre took the reins of developments in Neuman’s precinct in his absence.
By Anton Riecher Two-term Medina County Precinct 1 Commissioner Timothy Neuman submitted his resignation July 10 effective immediately. Several days later, the Medina County Criminal District Attorney confirmed that a criminal investigation involving Neuman is being conducted by the Texas Rangers. Margaret Swyers, assistant criminal district attorney, confirmed the investigation, referring all further comment to the Texas Rangers, the investigating agency. “What we can say is that we are aware of an investigation and to my knowledge there has not been an arrest made,” Swyers said. “Because it is a pending investigation it is not something that we could elaborate on besides that.” Nothing official has been filed with the Medina County Criminal District Attorney at this point, Swyers said. The Texas Rangers is the investigation arm of the Texas Department of Public Safety. DPS media representative Erika Miller stated, “Thank you for your patience. The Texas Rangers are investigating. As this is an active and ongoing investigation, no additional information is available.” The letter of resignation from Neuman was read aloud by County Judge Keith Lutz during the July 13 Commissioners Court meeting in Hondo. “I am in receipt of a resignation letter from him from July 10 and it says ‘I, Timothy Neuman, resign as commissioner of precinct 1 for personal reasons, effective 7-10-23,” Lutz read. On a motion by Precinct 3 Commissioner David Lynch, seconded by Precinct 4 Commissioner Danny Lawler, the commissioners voted to accept the resignation by a 3-0 vote. Lutz then designated Precinct 2 Commissioner Larry Sittre to handle “anything to do with subdivision information” in precinct 1. “Sittre has agreed to take those responsibilities to help us continue through that process,” Lutz said. All other precinct 1 matters (not involving subdivisions) were delegated to Lynch, he said. “Commissioner Lynch has been gracious enough to watch over the day-to-day operation and he will be doing that,” Lutz said. “Commissioner Lawler, down on that end of the county, said if there is anything he can take care of, he said he would like to help as well.” During the court members announcement segment of the agenda, Sittre elaborated on the importance of county processing subdivision applications, referring to earlier court action involving the San Antonio Trust subdivision, Hunter’s Ranch subdivision and Megan’s Landing subdivision. “You all just witnessed probably about $850 million worth of subdivisions, okay,” Sittre said. “The subdivisions we are building over there, some of them had 20-year build-out – they built out in 10. Some of them have 15, they built out in five.” “All I want to say is the work going on in precinct 2, the majority of it, this is what this (indicating the new county courthouse annex) came from. That’s where the new jail came from.” As much as 80 percent of the funds coming into the county originated with projects in precincts 1 and 2, Sittre said. He noted that Neuman “was probably on two-thirds of stuff with me,” referring to subdivision approvals. “Every subdivision I put through, he wanted to learn how to do the job,” Sittre said. Judge Lutz outlined the procedure by which a replacement for Neuman will be appointed. The cutoff date for applications will be August 11. “Qualifications for the position are the same qualifications it would take to run for that position which is, first, they have to live in the precinct,” Lutz said. “They have to have been in the precinct for at least six months and that they have to have lived in the county for a year.” Lutz said that information about where those interested in the opening can go to apply would be posted to the county website within several days. “My intention is not to do anything or talk to anybody about a job for the next couple of weeks,” he said. Precinct 1, extending from the county seat in Hondo north to the Medina-Bandera county line, represented the largest of the four Medina County precincts by far. Neuman’s resignation came one day before passage of a Texas Senate resolution proposed by State Sen. Pete Flores congratulating Neuman on graduation from the state’s Commissioner Court Leadership Academy. Neuman was absent from both the July 6 and 13 commissioners court meetings.
All registered voters in Devine can vote in the mayoral race, and early voting is now underway at City Hall. There are two contested races in the City of Devine, including: Mayoral Race -Cory Thompson (i) and challenger Butch Cook.
District 2 Race -Angela Pichardo (i) and challenger Michael Hernandez
Distict 5 councilwoman Debbie Randall is unopposed.
Early Voting: April 24-28, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; May 1-2, 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Early Voting one Saturday, April 29 – 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Election day: May 6, 2023, 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. You can Vote at City Hall, 303 S. Teel, Devine.
Devine ISD Voters- Polling locations in both Medina and Frio Counties
Vote For or Against the following Bond issues:
Proposition A – 31.5 Million for Safety and Renovations of Schools, Band Hall
Proposition B – 1.5 Million – for 4 New Tennis Courts
Medina County Polls: Vote at Medina County Precinct 4 Annex Building this year (317 TX-132 N, Devine). Early Voting: April 24-28, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; and Saturday April 29 9am-2pm; May 1-2, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. May 6, 2023 (Election Day) 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Election day: May 6, 2023, 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Frio County Polls- Voting at the Bigfoot Alternative Center, 13777 FM 472, Bigfoot, TX 78005 April 24-28, 2023 (Early Voting) 8:00 am – 5:00 pm; April 29, 2023 (Early Voting) 9:00 am – 2:00 pm and May 1-2, 2023 (Early Voting) 8:00 am – 5:00 pm May 6, 2023 (Election Day) 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Medina County- Vote at Medina County Precinct 4 Annex Building (across from Tractor Supply) Voters can vote in the ESD District elections, where they are registered to vote. Medina County ESD 2 – (Devine Fire area) – add 1.25 % to sales tax Medina County ESD 5 – (Natalia Fire area) – add 1.25% to sales tax Medina County ESD 4 – (EMS Devine/Natalia areas – add .50% to sales tax ESD4 overlaps both fire districts (2&5), since EMS can bill for services they are asking for only .25 from each district, so .25+.25= .5% sales tax *Note: 8.25% is the maximum any city or county in Texas can charge for sales tax. Medina County is at 6.75% currently, so that leaves 1.5% open. ESD 2, 4, and 5 – All Voting at County Building: Election day: May 6, 2023, 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Early Voting: April 24-28, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; and Saturday April 29 9am-2pm and May 1-2, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. May 6, 2023 (Election Day) 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Lytle ISD- Vote for one or none, Single Member District 2
Trustee Special Election for Single Member District 2 will be on May 6, 2023 between Jessica Perales , and one write-in candidate Jeremy Davenport. Voting in a trustee for Single Member District 2. (Voters must vote in the Single Member District where they are registered to vote.) Note: Lytle ISD is only conducting the special election. They were able to cancel the general election, which is the annual election due to unopposed candidates. The special election is due to having two SMD vacancies however, they canceled the SMD 5 election, but not the other as there was one write-in candidate for SMD 2 before the deadline. Polling places: Lytle ISD Administration Office, 1537 Cottage St., Lytle, Tx. Medina County Courthouse Annex, 1300 Ave. M Room 108, Hondo, Tx. Medina County ESD No. 1, Station #15, 17934 FM 1957, Rio Medina, Tx. Medina County Pct. 4 Annex, 317 State Hwy. 132 N. , Devine, Tx. Medina County Pct. 2 Annex, 8366 FM 471 S. , Castroville, Tx. Early Voting weekdays: April 24-28, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; and May 1-2, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Saturday April 29 9am-2pm. Election Day: May 6, 2023 from 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
City of Lytle – cancelled election due to uncontested races. Natalia City/Schools – no elections LaCoste City – no elections
