Val Verde County Joins Lawsuit Against Proposed 765-Kilovolt Transmission Line

Fifty property owners signed a petition asking Val Verde County to fight a proposed high-voltage transmission line crossing the region. The Commissioners Court answered Monday with a unanimous vote to do exactly that, setting aside $25,000 to join active litigation against the project.

The proposed 765-kilovolt line would run approximately 370 miles from south San Antonio to Fort Stockton, cutting through territory that includes Val Verde County landholdings. The court voted 5-0 to file as an intervenor in the existing lawsuit after hearing from multiple landowners during the Citizens' Comments portion of the March 30 regular-term meeting at the Val Verde County courthouse in Del Rio.

County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. asked County Attorney David Martinez to build in a mechanism allowing the county to exit the litigation if legal costs grew excessive. Martinez confirmed the county could withdraw from the suit if necessary, a safeguard commissioners appeared to want before committing public funds. The $25,000 allocation goes to the county attorney's office to begin the intervention process.

The vote followed a workshop held for landowners on the proposed route, which drew residents to county government with concerns about how the transmission line could affect their property. The petition of roughly 50 signatures, presented to commissioners before the vote, reflected organized pressure landowners had mounted ahead of Monday's decision.

In other business, the court voted unanimously to designate April 2026 as Child Abuse Prevention Month. County Judge Owens Jr. asked Roxanne Carter of CASA of Val Verde to read the proclamation aloud, which cited 50 confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect in the county and called on the community to protect children and support families. The proclamation also recognized local child-welfare and law enforcement agencies.

Commissioners also took up the question of roughly 60 acres of youth sports practice fields north of Walmart along Veterans Boulevard. Monsa Ltd., owned by Francisco Mondragon, notified the county it intends to terminate its lease on the land to pursue a sale of the property. The lease permits either party to end the agreement, and the court took no action to block the termination, leaving open where youth teams will practice if the land changes hands.

The court also approved several use requests for the Judge Antonio "Tony" Faz County Annex, including weekly Texas Department of State Health Services meetings running April 8 through May 13, Narcotics Anonymous relocation requests, an Easter event April 2, and a volunteer appreciation event for CASA of Val Verde on April 22.

Whether the $25,000 legal set-aside grows into a larger county commitment will depend on how the transmission-line litigation unfolds in the coming months.