Del Rio City Council approves 15 measures Tuesday on budgets, reports

All seven members of the Del Rio City Council were present at Tuesday’s meeting, and the council moved quickly on a slate of measures focused on public safety, facilities and funding for the coming fiscal year. The most tangible actions were unanimous approvals of multiple grant applications designed to bolster police capacity and victim services.

Council members voted 7-0 to submit a $258,000 grant application under the Criminal Justice Program for fiscal year 2027. Burkhart said no local match is required. The funds would purchase two fully equipped vehicles, training for evidence technicians, five hand-held radios and a shot tank for the police department’s criminal investigations division. In a separate, unanimous vote, council members approved a $12,500 application to the General Victim Assistance Direct Services Program with a $2,500 local match. Burkhart said the funds would cover overtime for the police department’s crime victims advocate. The match will return to council as a budget amendment.

The council also authorized a $65,000 grant application to the Texas Office of the Governor’s Public Safety Office to buy police body cameras, with a required $16,250 local match. Burkhart said the match will be included in the fiscal year 2026-27 budget. A body armor grant appeared on the decisions list as approved, but details on dollar amounts, vote tallies or match requirements were not included in the available excerpts.

On facilities, council members voted 6-0-1 to advertise a request for qualifications for evaluation, design and construction services for the Buena Vista Pool Rehabilitation Project. Councilman Randy Quinones abstained because he is part owner of a local pool company. City administrators said the pool will remain open this summer until reconstruction begins, a reassurance for families and swim programs that rely on the facility.

Mayor Al Arreola issued two proclamations at the meeting. The first set February 2026 as Enrolled Agents Month, recognizing the enrolled agent profession, which dates to 1884 in the United States. Enrolled agents are licensed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and are authorized to represent taxpayers. The content of the second proclamation was not provided in the materials supplied.

A separate meeting packet that includes vendor payment lines, an employee policy manual update and November departmental reports lists different mayor and council names, suggesting that packet may belong to another jurisdiction; it contains motion language recommending approval of a written facility security policy. That material will need confirmation before it is folded into Del Rio’s official record.

What this means for Del Rio residents is clearer spending priorities for public safety and a near-term pathway for pool rehabilitation. Expect to see the $2,500 victim assistance match and the $16,250 body-camera match appear in upcoming budget amendments, and watch for the RFQ advertisement that will set the Buena Vista Pool timetable. Council action has set funding and procurement processes in motion; the next council packets should fill in equipment specs, grant award outcomes and exact project schedules.