The Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), No. 11, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 8, 1987 Page: 1 of 10
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Specials,
THE RIO GRAHDE HERALD
Serving Starr County For Five Decades
H.E.B.
Values,
Pgs. 5,6
writufiBi iwii—ijimii'ii iiiinmin ■<..
Published in Rio Grande City, Texas, Every Thursday By The Rio Grande Publishing Co.
No. 11 THURSDAY, JANUARY 8,1987
FIFTEEN CENTS
Judge Martinez Takes
Reins O! County
Leopoldo "Paul" Muniz, Jr., left, a local notary public, swears in Jose \1. Martinez, Jr., as tin-
new Starr County Judge. The swearing-in ceremony took place New Year's morning in the Starr
County Courtroom. (See related story on the bottom right of Page 11.
By KENNETH ROBERTS
Managing Editor
J.M Martinez, Jr., has been
County Judge for less than a week,
but has already moved feverishly
into action in an effort to deal with
the county's growing deficit
Martinez told The Rio Grande
Herald on Tuesday, "I've been
looking through the budget, and it
looks terrible. I'm going to ask for
a cut of around $500,000 immediate-
ly"
Also on Tuesday, Martinez and
the County Commissioners dis-
cussed the issue at an emergency-
meeting of the Commissioners'
Court. The details of that meeting
are spelled out in another article in
this issue of The Herald.
Martinez called "the red pencil"
the most effective way to deal with
the deficit At the commissioners'
meeting, he said, "This time of
year, you cannot raise taxes That
Fire Seriously Damages WIC Office
An early-morning blaze on New
Year's Day severely damaged the
offices that house the Women,
Infants and Children (WIC) child
nutrition program in Rio Grande
City.
The fire, believed to be caused by
arson, broke out before 6 a.m.
Thursday at the Rural Health
Initiative (RHI) building of the
Community Action Council of South
Texas, located at the corner of
Third and Avosolo Streets. Local
volunteer firemen first arrived at
the scene at approximately 6:20
a.m.
Both Sheriff Gene Falcon, Jr
and Chief Investigator "Lalo"
Saenz said Tuesday that the
investigation thus far has turned up
some strong leads, but added that
no suspects are in custody to this
point.
The sheriff said, "We're still
investigating the fire. We have
several investigations going on. We
have some very reliable informa-
tion, but not solidified." In-
vestigator Saenz commented,
"We've questioned several people
about the alleged arson case, but
no one is in custody."
Francisco "Paco" Zarate, execu-
tive director of the Community
Action Council of South Texas, told
The Rio Grande Herald on Friday
that "the staff is working hard
trying to clean up the smoke-
damaged equipment."
He expressed hopes that the
cleanup would be complete as of
Sunday, Jan. 4, and added, "We
feel that no WIC cards were lost."
Zarate said, "We'll see if we can
start delivering whatever services
we can out of our other buildings
next week "
Zarate noted that "the building
had been broken into several times
We never know what they're
looking for."
On Tuesday, Zarate told The
Herald, "We still haven't found a
place; we're very close We'll be
ready to make a decision any day
now, at least for a temporary
location."
Zarate added, "People with WIC
appointments are being advised to
keep their appointments. People
who need medical services are
being referred to private physi-
cians, at CACST expense."
Fire Marshal David Villarreal
noted that the building, 115 by 40
feet in size, is owned by Eulalio
"Lalo" Carrera He said that the
building is insured through the
Farm Bureau for $60,000
Zarate indicated Tuesday that
"the landlord has advised us that
the contents are not insured."
The Fire Marshal flatly said,
"The cause of the fire, according to
the investigation, is arson. The
motive of the situation is theft."
Villarreal indicated that a stereo
had been stolen from the office of
the director, as well as a rifle
scope He added that a public pay
phone was ripped from the wall
and taken, and that other miscella-
neous items, such as a small radio,
were stolen.
Villarreal said, "The door was
forced open with a prybar. The tool
used to force the door open was not
found. No drugs or medicines from
the clinic were missing. Appar
ently, the suspects set the place on
fire to avoid any type of detection.''
Volunteer Fire Chief O I"
"Speedy Guffey said that the fire
alarm first sounded at 6:15 a.m. on
a chilly New Year's morning.
Guffey indicated that "the fire
was discovered by Remigio Pena.
who works for Sun Oil and is an
ex-fireman. He said he could smell
smoke as he was driving into town,
and knew that a building was on
fire somewhere."
Guffey added, "It had probably
been on fire for about an hour
before 6:20 a.m."
Guffey told The Herald on Friday
morning that "three boys were
seen runrung from the building A
man woke up, and heard someone
try to break into his car He sav
them run, but couldn't get a
description of them.''
Guffey said, "We sent one unit to
the blaze. The smoke was worse
than the fire when we got there
There was a false ceiling where
insulation was putting out toxic
flames and very dense, heavy
smoke "
The fire chief added, "No flames
were visible, but after surveying
around the building, we determined
that the fire was in the front part of
the building, on the south side. The
heat had built up inside so heavily
that the glass door blew out, and
we made an attack on it through
the front door."
Guffey noted, "The main fire was
in the area where records were
It Sjoks lik;- ihfc fire started
near a Christmas tree. The back
door had been broken into."
Guffey indicated that "the whole
building had smoke and water
(Sep EIRI. I'ufif ft)
leaves us one alternative; to make
cuts." Last week, Martinez flatly
told The Herald that he was
opposed to a tax increase
The new judge predicted that
"there are some services that we
will not necessarily have to elimi
nate, but dilute We're going to
make a thorough study today of
personnel, and the legal aspect of
cuts. By Monday, we'll have to
decide where to cut and what we're
going to cut."
Martinez contended, "We have to
look at everything There's little we
can do to cut constitutional of
fices."
He worried, "The economy is
terrible. Our situation is an emer
gency condition. It (the condition of
the county treasury) is the worst ir
my memory. This is approaching
the condition of the late 20's and
early 30's."
Concerning a salary cutback for
county employees like the one this
past summer, Martinez said that "I
can't rule that out, but I'd like to
avoid it."
The judge stated that "the
$500,000 figure is not that firm We
cannot estimate to the dollar how
much taxes will be paid on time,
how much will be received from
fines, and from the bridge and gas
company."
Martinez commented, "We are so
deep into a deficit that I am not
ruling out the possibility that we
may let a little of that spill over
into next year's budget To try to
handle it all this year may be
asking too much By the end of
next year, it is my top priority to
have a balanced budget."
Martinez said simply tha'
"common sense technique: and
sound business management" arp
the approaches needed to deal with
the current financial situation.
Although he wouldn't rule out
cuts in any area, Martinez con-
cluded "most definitely," that law
enforcement, fire protection, and
medical services are top priorities
About economic development
possibilities, Martinez said that
"an effort like that needs to be left
in the hands of groups (like the
Chamber of Commerce and Indus-
trial Foundation) with the time and
information. I will look into what-
ever the court can do to encourage
this goal (of economic develop-
ment)."
He conceded that attracting
industry will not be easy because
"we're in competition with a lot of
towns We have to sit down and
work out the right approach . I've
always been interested in working
toward that (economic develop-
ment)."
Martinez suggested, "We
shouldn't lose sight of the unique
natural resource we have in Falcon
Lake Right now, the county's not
in a position to do anything, but we
should certainly have it in our
long-range plan to do something
with that resource."
Concerning the slowly but steadi-
ly growing Winter Texan trade,
Martinez said that "we're not
really getting our sharg of the pie
with the winter visitors. This
(attempting to attract Winter Tex-
an.-, mainl\ needs to come from
investors in the private sector who
want to make facilities available
It's a resource that needs to be
developed."
He concluded also that efforts
and investment in the private
sector would be the key to further
capitalization upon Falcon Lake.
Martinez suggested that in-
corro1 "'t'or' > Rio Grande City
"should be looked at and studied. '
Martinez said. "I plan to ask
some people to -it on an advisory
committee to the judge. Their
advice will be sought on all
(See MARTINEZ, I'a-a ft;
Martinez Sworn In
As New Judge
Commissioners Discuss
Budget Shortfall
By KENNETH ROBERTS
The County Commissioners, at a
second emergency meeting Tues-
day, discussed possibilities for
dealing with a worsening budget
shortfall
At the start of the meeting,
Judge J.M. Martinez, Jr., indicated
that "the emergency revolves
around a substantial deficit."
Auditor Jose Guadalupe Villar
real then made a presentation,
saying that "the deficit has to be
corrected immediately We're un-
der court order to have a balanced
budget "
The auditor noted that "we
borrowed $2 million (from the
bank) that paid all our debts at
that time (1985) The specifications
called for the county to plan a
balanced budget."
He indicated that the 1984 budget
"came out with a deficit of
$88,000." In the 1985 fiscal year,
"they (me commissioners) took
action (through salary cuts) three
months before the end of the fiscal
year We came out with a deficit of
$219,000 "
Villarreal complained that "the
budget (for 1986) expected $744,000
in revenue from the new jail They
appropriated $429,000 in expenses
The new jail will not bring any
revenues If anything, it is operat
ing at a loss Prisoners are coming
in slowly This is leaving you a
deficit of at least $300,000 "
The auditor concluded that "the
way the budget is now, you have a
deficit of not less than $350,000 or
more than $500,000 "
Villarreal indicated that money
was not appropriated for CPA's, or
for Pritchard and Abbott, the
preparers of the tax rolls. He said
also that "a number of legal fees of
the county are pending," as are
leases or contracts.
Villarreal said that the District
Clerk's office had recently "ac-
cidentally turned in $82,000 to the
treasury. That money will have to
go back."
The auditor insisted, "Drastic
measures are needed. In six years,
you (the commissioners) created
an average deficit per year of
$350,000."
Commissioner Reynaldo
"Moreno" Alaniz asked, "How
much did the Road and Bridge fund
overspend9 It was the general fund
that overspent."
Villarreal responded, "The Coun-
ty Court-at Law should not have
been appropriated in the General
Fund There's no surplus in Road
and Bridge."
Commissioner Amando Pena in
sisted, "It was well understood,
that if this money was not coming
in, he (the sheriff) was to lay off
some people and work it out. We
have to continue and stay within
our budget We need to have a
workshop and work it out"
Pena contended that "the bridge
in Roma is providing more than in
the past I'm sure the gas should
give the county some money,"
after studies of the situation have
been made by Commissioners
Alaniz and "Chema" Alvarez
Sheriff Gene Falcon, Jr , told the
court that "our cost to run this jail
is $429,000. We're going to make
that $429,000. We have an average
of 30 local prisoners per day there
It's not costing the county any-
thing The U.S. Marshal and the
Bureau of Prisons say the jail will
be full."
Judge Martinez asked the sheriff,
"How much income can we expect,
in excess of cost of operations?"
Falcon responded, "We could
expect very close to that if thf
Marshal's Office and the Bureau of
Prisons start to fill up the pi sons
in the next month or so."
Falcon told The Rio Grande
Herald after the meeting. "The jail
will pay for itself All costs of that
jail, including salaries and local
prisoners, will be covered It's self
sustaining, we know that "
The sheriff conceded, "We
cannot project exact revenue The
original cost analysis was $30 per
prisoner per day. It had to be
brought down to $23 per prisoner
Joe Shriver of the Bureau of
Prisons and U.S. Marshal Stu
Baker indicate that slowly, but
surely, the jail will be filled up "
The sheriff said that there were
62 federal and local prisoners in the
new jail as of Monday, Jan 5
Falcon insisted, "There's no way
we could have kept these local
prisoners in the old jail This jail
was built at no cost to the county
By state law, we have to have one
jail guard per 24 inmates "
The sheriff said, in conclusion,
"We're living in times of trouble
We're making an average ol 25
(,S'f HI IH,E l, /'<iffv '))
On New Year's morning, Jose M
Martinez was sworn in to serve a
four-year term as Starr County
Judge.
Martinez took his oath of office
Thursday in a jam-packed County
Courtroom. The other newly-
elected official who was sworn in
was County Treasurer Aurelio A
Sanchez.
Martinez told the audience, "I
vow to do my best to take care of
the county that you have entrusted
me with. I have promised coopera-
tion to the commissioners, and they
have promised cooperation with
me."
Martinez added, "We can pay
our bills; it's a matter of tightening
our belts We all like the feel of a
new Cadillac, but if all we can
afford is a used Ford, then we'll
have to ride in a used Ford."
He 'ontended, "You may see
some very drastic changes in the
first few weeks on the expense
side Some jobs are going to be
lost. This is regrettable," but
almost certainly a necessity
Precinct Four Commissioner
Reynaldo "Moreno" Alaniz sworn
in for another four-year term. said.
"I don't ever remember such a big
crowd We're ready to work with
the judge We need your help If
you fee. we're doing wrong feel
free to come by and tell us
Alaniz advocated, "Let's forget
politics; let's see what we can do
for our county ."
Aurelio Sanchez said 1 thank
God for this day, one of the
happiest days of my life I will try
to do my best to live up to your
expectations I know I'm taking the
place of a person (the late Jose D
Villarreal) who served us for many
years I ask each of you for your
prayers and cooperation I know 1
have a lot to learn. I'll try my
best."
Precinct Two Justice of the
Peace Raul "Roy" Pena said, "I'm
ready to help and serve you like I
have in the past "
Martinez was sworn in by
Leopoldo "Paul" Munoz Shortly
before that, Munoz administered
the oath in a private ceremony, to
County Court-At Law Judge Alex
W Gabert
Gabert, who became judge of the
new County Court-At Law- in July
1985, told the audience, "You are
here because of a new year and
because a new start has begun Let
us start in the right direction "
Gabert stressed, "Elected of-
ficials of Starr County need your
input and cooperation more than
ever before. The election is over;
so is all the politicking They're
here to do their best under their
(See "«U OR\, I'ltfic 9/
(
Some of the other county officials who took the oath of office for new terms l'hiirsda> are
pictured above. Third from left is District Clerk Juan Krasmt. Saenz, fourth from left is Count)
Surveyor Klias Aguilar, fifth from left is Justice of the Peace Haul "Ko\ Pena third from right is
new County Treasurer Aurelio Sanchez., and on the far right i> ( <>iuit> Vltornev Heriherto SiK«
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Roberts, Kenneth. The Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), No. 11, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 8, 1987, newspaper, January 8, 1987; Edinburg, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth195062/m1/1/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rio Grande City Public Library.