Category: City & County Politics

By Kathleen Calame
Publisher
The City of Devine has been undergoing major transitions for the past couple months since four key personnel retired or resigned. After weeks of working through the hiring process all four key positions have been filled. This week we introduce the new Chief of Police Joe Brown III, and new City Secretary Michelle Martin. Next week we will introduce the new Court Administrator Cassandra Maldonado and Finance Director Sophia Benavides.
Devine City Administrator David Jordan explained…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

MCESD#2 who collects tax dollars to provide fire protection in the Devine area, has called a special public meeting for Tuesday, August 12th because they are discussing whether they will be contracting with ESD1 for fire services or staying with the Devine Volunteer Fire Dept. Costs and options will be presented to the board and it is their hope that citizens will attend to listen to the presentations.
They are having a called meeting on August 12th at 7:00 PM at the firehouse to hear proposals from both DVFD and MCESD1 to provide services to include any or all of the following: full time firefighters, leadership, accounting, maintenance and related services.
ESD2 purchased and owns the Fire House across from Devine High School on CR 5710, the fire engines, and most of the equipment and assets. DVFD has been able to provide the volunteers for fire services for many years, but has experienced a lot of changes in leadership and personnel in the past year, loss of volunteers, and financial problems. The transition to a paid fire department alongside the volunteers has affected the expenses as well.
The ESD#2 regular meeting will be the following week, on August 19 to set the budget and make decisions.
“As always we appreciate participation and really hope that everyone who’s concerned would be able to make it and hear our options alongside of us,” said Abigail Beadle, ESD2 Commissioner. Other ESD2 Board members are President Todd Summers, Jeff Howard, Ken Nighswander, Jerry Stevens.
Devine Volunteer Fire Department currently provides the service with a mix of paid fire fighters and volunteers. Less than a year ago in October 2024, the DVFD added 6 paid fire fighter positions and have recently discovered it needs much more money to keep it going than originally proposed by the prior Fire Chief Greg Atkinson who resigned. In July the DVFD provided an estimated budget with expenses to the ESD2 board by DVFD Fire Chief Jessica Martinez and Office Mgr. Sophia Benavidez.
Fire Chief Clint Cooke of MC ESD1 talked briefly at the July meeting about the various choices ESD1 offers , ability of keeping the local volunteers and department, all while providing leadership and fire services through ESD1.

By Anton Riecher
On a motion by Precinct 4 Commissioner Danny Lawler, the Medina County Commissioners Court voted unanimously Monday to accept the donation of a compact utility tractor initially designated for use in emergency operations following the recent Guadalupe River flooding.
The tractor, a 2025 Mahindra 1640 valued at $40,139, is one of five donated by the manufacturer for use in Kerr County through Bill’s Tractor and More in Hondo, County Judge Keith Lutz said. Following that effort, the tractor, complete with bucket, grapple and backhoe, will ultimately be donated to Medina County.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Jessica Castiglione seconded the motion by Lawler to accept the donation under the provisions of the Texas Local Government Code.

Ballot to include 17 ammendments to Constitution
In other business, the commissioners approved an order permitting county elections administrator Lupe C. Torres to proceed with arrangements for the November 4 general election in Medina County. The upcoming ballot includes 17 amendments to the Texas Constitution.
The county will operate three locations for early voting and eight locations for election day voting, Torres said.
Again on a motion by Lawler, the commissioners voted unanimously to approve a bid for remodeling of the former Hondo National Bank building as a future county office location. The renovation includes removal of the bank vault, Lutz said.

Finances
County Treasurer Debra Graff reported accounts payable totaling $1.353 million, not including $5,000 in postage and two wire transfers for interest payments totaling $337,134. Disbursement of funds since the last commissioners’ court meeting covering utilities, fuel and dental plans totaled $37,732.

Subdivisions
On a motion by Castiglione, the commissioners voted unanimously to approve a final plat establishing Chaam Subdivision on County Road 467. The motion was seconded by Precinct 2 Commissioner Larry Sittre.

Murder Cases
The court also voted to approve an interlocal agreement with the Hill Country Regional Public Defender Office to provide court-appointed counsel for individuals charged with capital murder. Hill Country serves Kerr, Medina, Gillespie, Bandera and Kendall counties, providing indigent defense and pre-trial services.

Renewal
Also approved by commissioners was a renewal of the contract with the Texas Health & Human Services Commission Women, Infants and Children (WIC) local agency. The program helps families across the state by providing nutrition education, breastfeeding support, healthy foods and referrals to health care and other community services.
The new contract extends from October 2025 to September 2026.

Executive Session
Commissioners also met in closed executive session to deliberate on economic development negotiations. No action was taken after nearly an hour behind closed doors.

Castroville Area MCESD1 Fire Chief Clint Cooke gives a presentation to board members regarding extending its ambulance operations to include Devine as Sarah Windsor, Assistant Fire Chief, and Pat Bourcier, Allegiance Director, listen. Photo by Anton Riecher

By Anton Riecher
At the request of Medina County Emergency Services District 4’s board of commissioners, Castroville area MCESD1 Fire Chief Clint Cooke made a presentation to the board July 2 on extending its ambulance operations to include Devine as an alternative to the present contract with Allegiance Mobile Health.
“Anytime you can eliminate invisible boundaries you help yourself,” Cooke said. “The neighbors can work together.”
The presentation preceded a budget workshop session for the upcoming 2025-2026 fiscal year.
ESD4 board president Steve Smith said Allegiance is also being invited to submit a new proposal for continued service beyond its present contract.
“We’re going to ask for an apples-to-apples (comparison) from Allegiance and see what they come back to us with,” he said.
Complete video coverage of the meeting is posted at the Devine News’s YouTube channel.
According to its Facebook page, ESD1 is a full service fire and EMS agency that covers slightly less than 700 square miles of Medina County, including Castroville and LaCoste. ESD1 also took charge of fire protection in Hondo last November through a contract with ESD6 that replaced the Hondo Volunteer Fire Department.
ESD1 recently launched its own transport EMS service with one of its four ambulances based in La Coste. Cooke said some questioned whether its new service could be of assistance in the Devine area when it was initiated.
“The question you always have to ask yourself is what level of service can be provided?” he said. “How sustainable is it? And is that level meeting our needs?”
It was decided to only offer assistance to Devine “when asked,” Cooke said.
Allegiance formerly held the ambulance service contract for ESD1. Cooke said he notified the company’s representatives when he took charge that the district would eventually take charge of its own ambulance service, bringing it completely in house. That transition was accomplished over a three-year period.
The question was not about quality of service, but long-term sustainability, Cooke said.
“I told them it was not personal,” he said. “This is a business decision we’ve got to make.”
Devine’s ESD4 operates two ambulances to cover roughly 165 square miles, Cook said. A two ambulance service is “very, very tough” to manage from a recruitment standpoint, he said. Also, although there is efficiency in size, administration and maintenance costs can be overwhelming.
“For 20 square miles you (ESD4) have ridiculously good coverage because two ambulances come out of the same building,” Cooke said. “Those other 140 square miles, to me, they’re constantly getting the short end of the stick because they never have an opportunity for that four-minute response time.”
By comparison, the four ambulance system operated by ESD1 includes an additional two fully functional ambulances in reserve at all times. With 34 pieces of apparatus on hand, the district maintains…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!