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Medina County budget to raise tax revenue by 16.2%or $3.7 Million

Public hearing next Monday, Aug.26

Medina County will have a public hearing on August 26 at 9 AM in the Medina County Courthouse Annex located in the Commissioner’s Court room in Hondo.
The current proposed budget will increase the budget by $3.7 million compared to last year.
Many top county elected officials recieved raises this year, which can be seen on page 19. Increasing home and property values/taxes and new homes in the county have both contributed to the increased tax levy.
What can you do?
Attend public hearings like the one this coming Monday and speak during citizen’s comments, or reach out to elected officials. The Medina County commissioners are Larry Sittre, David Lynch, Danny Lawler, and Jessica Catiglione.


How much has Medina County tax base grown?
Despite massive growth, elected leaders of the County have not chosen to select the “no new revenue rate” in many years. The number of homes in Medina County has grown from 18,791 homes in 2017 to 25,938 in 2024 (as of May), according to Medina County Chief Appraiser Johnette Dixon, who provided the sobering facts and figures.
According to Dixon, Medina County also saw a 237% increase in net Taxable Value on property in the county from 2017 to 2024 (as of May).
Average home values in Medina County jumped by $41,000+ in just two year’s time from 2022 to 2024 (as of May).

As the tax base in a county or city increases, elected officials have the opportunity each year to lower the tax RATE to a % that would generate the same amount of revenue as the prior year.
That rate is what’s referred to as the “no new revenue” rate and would reduce the tax burden on residents.

Eat & play at 702 Tejas y mas in downtown Lytle

Free pizza, ice cream & snow cones 11-1 this Saturday!!!

If you are looking for some great eats and family fun, look no further than 702 Tejas in Lytle, Texas. They have an old fashioned ice cream shop, food and drinks, coffee, and Italian ice.
In their cafe, they serve all kinds of food on the menu including burgers, Hunt’s Brothers Pizza, Turkey legs, wings Chicken on a Stick, Frito pie, Sausage Wraps, and much more. Ask about their Barbacoa Pizza! And they plan to serve some baby back ribs on the weekend as well!
While you are dining in, you can also play pool tables, dart machines, or your favorite tunes on the juke box and more.
Tom and Julie Crandall are excited to announce their Grand Opening celebration is this Saturday, August 24. They will be serving FREE PIZZA, Blue Bell ICE CREAM, and SNOW CONES from 11-1 to celebrate!
Don’t forget to enter the drawing for a chance to win a new bicycle too. They will have a ribbon cutting at 11.
They also serve mixed drinks and you can enjoy football games, UFC fights, etc, on their big screen TVs while you eat. Don’t forget to try their famous margaritas and daiquiris!
They will be open 10am-10pm Sunday-Thursdays, and they will be open late on Friday and Saturdays from 10am-Midnight. They are located where H&S Ice Cream Shop used to be at 15306 Main Street in Lytle.
They are excited to announce that they will have a few ARCADE GAMES coming soon to add to the fun! Check The Devine News each week for their specials!

Water alliance pushes storage project planning to meet state funding deadline

By Anton Riecher
A more specific outline of the massive 50,000 acre-feet per year storage project being proposed by the recently formed Medina County Regional Water Alliance took shape August 12 during the alliance’s monthly meeting in Hondo.
Listed as one of the principals on the Medina County Regional Aquifer Storage Recovery Project (MCRASR) team, Russell Persyn presented a PowerPoint presentation updating the project’s pre-feasibility report.
“We’ve made a lot of good progress on the front end but a lot of the tough decisions are coming up as far as determining locations where things might be feasible and how this will play with all the partners,” he said.
However, some “partners” have yet to commit. Of the nine elgible to join–listed by Persyn – the cities including Hondo, Castroville, Devine, Natalia and La Coste and water supply operations including East Medina County Special Utility District, Yancey Water Supply Corporation, West Medina WSC and Atascosa Rural WSC – neither Devine nor Natalia have agreed to participate.
In November, the Texas Water Development Board will review regional water planning throughout Texas in anticipation of adopting an updated state water plan. With hopes of qualifying for funding, a draft report on MCRASR project is expected to be completed by Sept. 20.

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Commissioners impose immediate burn ban on Medina County

By Anton Riecher
Effective Monday Medina County joined more than 100 Texas counties west of Austin imposing a ban on outdoor burning in the midst of hot and dry weather across the state.
On the recommendation of Medina County Emergency Management Coordinator Mark Chadwell, the county commissioners voted unanimously to impose a burn ban beginning at 11:59 p.m. Monday.
“It’s really dangerous right now out there for burning,” Chadwick said.
In Texas, county governments are empowered to restrict outdoor burning for public safety during drought conditions. Of the 254 counties in Texas, 108 are currently under burn bans, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
An important factor in determining fire risk is the Keetch-Byram drought index which balances precipitation against soil moisture. An index of 800 indicates absolutely dry conditions. As of Monday the local index stood at 572, Chadwick said.

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Updates to St. Joseph Faith Formation – Year 2024/2025

Parishioners of St. Joseph, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and St. Augustine early registration is taking place now. Forms and envelopes may be found in Faith Formation Basket in our church and in the parish office. Online registration will be available very soon. CLASSES WILL BEGIN WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 4th and SUNDAY, SEPT. 8th. Registrations received by August 9, 4 pm will be entered in a drawing for a $50 VISA gift card. The cost per family is $35. Class for 1st thru 5th will be held on Wednesdays (5:30-6:45pm); 6th and higher on Sunday mornings (10:30 am to noon). PLEASE NOTE our Confirmation program will now require 3 years. 8th grade is Year 1, 9th is Year 2 and 10th is Year 3. To receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, students must attend all 3 years. Those students registered in 2023/24 in 8th grade, Phase I or Sunday class will complete their studies under those requirements. If you have not already provided our office with a birth or baptismal certificate for your child(ren), it is recommended you obtain them prior to the start of class. Please call Bertha Haass at 210 415 1979 if you have any questions.

Natalia set for final scrimmage vs. Hondo

Natalia Mustangs close in on a Bandera Bulldog at their recent scrimmage. Photo by 3 Flowers Media

Eric Smith
Staff Writer
The Natalia Mustangs hit the turf on a steamy Friday evening vs the Bandera Bulldogs last week in scrimmage one of the season. The youthful Mustangs battled for the hour+ event and saw a lot of positives as well as a number of areas that need growth and improvement. Coach Jason Reynolds is excited as they enter week three vs. Hondo this Thursday on the road.
“I felt that our kids competed well the entire night,” Coach Jason Reynolds said. “We have several guys playing both ways and it was a great test for us to see where we are as a team and what our kids can expect on a Friday night.”
At the varsity level, the Mustangs found early success with their short passing game. Where the Mustangs struggled at times, was creating lanes for their running game vs a more experienced Bandera front line as well as protecting their QB for time enough, to create deep ball opportunities.

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Devine XC mixes it up in Floresville

Devine Warhorse Cross Country team competed at Floresville this past weekend.

Jerel Beaty
Staff Writer
The 2024 season is officially underway for Devine Head Coach Hannah Thompson and her boys and girls teams as they ran in Floresville this past Saturday,
Donovan Dixon led the Warhorses with his 9th place finish among 147 contestants. Shawn Lowe (69th), Jesus Cisneros (72nd), Brody Lane (74th), Jake Riou (99th), Ryan Botello (103rd), Jaime Rodriguez (114th), and Jonathan Moralez (126th) also competed.
Hailey Montez paced the Arabians as she came in 45th of 134 runners. Kourtni Geyer (73rd), Claire Atkins (80th), Camila Sierra (81st), Darilynn Garcia (101st), Angelina Garcia (112th), and Lexi Perez (114th) also toed the line at the start of the race.

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Arabian volleyball working hard

Power hitter Yaya Rodriguez has had 82 kills this season!

Jerel Beaty
Staff Writer
It is easy to say the Arabian volleyball team has had more time on the court together during actual matches then what they have timewise on the practice court.
Devine has played 11 games through the first two weeks of the season, with two tournaments still to go.
Do not let the 4-7 record fool ya, as Head Coach Leigh Anne McIver and her team always begin to gel around the time of the Arabian Roundup, which is just around the corner.
“Overall, we are just inconsistent. Wednesday at Giddings was just not our best, but Thursday in Columbus, I saw a lot of fight in the girls.”
With more practice time, some of the issues McIver mentions below will soon be a distant memory.
“Friday we could not serve receive very well and beat ourselves. Saturday, we serve-received well but could not finish. Even though we are juniors and seniors we are very inexperienced with playing at the varsity level. We definitely need to work on serve-receive, defense and consistent on the offensive side. They have the ability, now it is putting it all together.”

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Lady Mustangs win Heart of Mustang Volleyball Tourney

Sam Smith presents the championship plaque and congratulates the Lady Mustangs after the Heart of Mustang tournament last weekend in honor of his wife, Trudy.

The Lady Mustangs won the championship at their “Heart of a Mustang” Volleyball Tourney again this year in memory of lifelong fan Trudy Smith. They really had to fight in most of the games to pull out the win, down in the second game several times and having to fight back to win the third set or overtime.
“This tourney is really special to us. We host it in memory of Mrs. Trudy Smith, who was one of our biggest fans. I’m really proud of how our girls competed and defended the championship title,” said Coach Tara Cortinas. “We have 8 seniors, 5 juniors, and one sophomore on our team. Next up, Devine tourney!”, she said. Natalia will play on Thursday and Saturday in the pool tourney in Devine. On Thursday they will play at 11, 12 and 3pm in the DSAC.

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JV Horses throttle Cowboys

The offensive line protects for the quarterback during their scrimmage. Photos by B Howard

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
The JV Horses took care of business in their first action against unfamiliar foes in their initial scrimmage of the season. Devine romped to a 3-0 decision that could have been even more lopsided as an additional touchdown was negated by a penalty.
According to Coach Lon Cozby, his squad had their running shoes going full speed as the core of running backs took advantage of good blocking by the big-guys up front to shred Cotulla’s defensive scheme.
“Our running backs had a great night,” Cozby said to begin his post-scrimmage analysis. “Ryan Weinkam is fast and was able to show off his breakaway speed on our first score. Jeremy Steinbrunner and Enoch Hall both have excellent speed as well, and each had multiple runs over 30 yards. Steven Montes did really good things a fullback like blocking and he even added a few runs over 10 yards. Hayden Martin also ran the ball hard and added a couple carries over 10 yards. Alejandro Ramirez was able to use his speed to his advantage as well and he also added long runs.”

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