Uvalde City Council Tuesday night’s Uvalde City Council met with overflow crowd in attendance

   The Uvalde City Council returned to meet at Council Chambers located at Uvalde City Hall Tuesday night. After calling the meeting to order, Mayor Don McLaughlin and rest of the City Council members convened into a closed executive session for approximately 40 minutes before returning to council chambers for the public proceedings. Several Robb 21 Family members attended the meeting. 

    Once of the first items on the agenda was the following : “To the Consider the Mayor’s appointment of the following individuals to the Housing Authority Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment, and re-appointment of the following individuals to the Cemetery Advisory Board “

  The Council approved the appointment of the following individuals:

   Rebecca Hernandez-Housing Authority Board , Thomas Sanchez-Zoning Board of Adjustment, Re-Appointment: Sonia Bell-Cemetery Advisory Board, Lucy Guevara-Cemetery Advisory Board, Araceli Hernandez-Cemetery Advisory Board , and Norma Luna-Cemetery Advisory Board 

    Uvalde Police Chief Daniel Rodriquez gave a report to the council on the departments plan on establishing a physical fitness program for the Uvalde Police Department. Rodriguez explained he looked to the DPS on a fitness program for his department to follow. He said the department was planning on sending two officers to a special DPS Physical Fitness Training Program. Once the officers return, these officers would guide the department on establishing the program locally for Uvalde Police Officers. Rodriguez explained to the Council each officer in the department would be required to pass a fitness test twice each year. 

   The Council also heard a report from the Cemetery Advisory Board presented by Assistant City Manager Joe Cardenas. Cardenas spoke about the upright headstones which were approved by Uvalde City Council at the last council meeting for the families of the 21 victims of the Robb School Massacre.

   A representative of Kim and Felix Rubio read a letter addressed to the council on behalf of the family. The letter stated the family was not in agreement of the 26 inch total maximum height of the headstone and base. The family stated they want the maximum height to be 30 inches for the headstone and the base. Cardenas explained the issue with the height of the new headstones was their height preventing the existing sprinkler systems from reaching sections of grass on the cemetery grounds. It was revealed that the city had spent several hundreds of thousands of dollars on a sprinkler system for the City’s Cemetery.

   Diana Olvedo-Karau spoke on the issue during the public comment period on the issue. She requested the city approve upright headstones for all families in Uvalde not just for those that lost loved ones on May 24th at Robb School.  

Later in the meeting, the Mayor spoke to the Uvalde City Council on efforts underway to establish a family recreation center in Uvalde and options being discussed. During the meeting Councilman Chip King asked the Mayor who he was referring to when he said “We” regarding ongoing meetings being held by officials connected to Uvalde Memorial Hospital and an outside organization coordinating the planning to establish a New Family Recreation Center in Uvalde. Nikki Cross, a family member who had lost a child at Robb School spoke to the council confirming that only family members had been included so far in the Family Recreation Center meeting so far.

Dianna Olvedo-Karau asked McLaughlin to explain the meetings and the plans for a new Family Recreation Center. McLaughlin answered Karau and stated the effort was public knowledge. A tense exchange between Karau and the Mayor followed as Karau stated she knew nothing about the project. Karau went on to say she thought that because the Family Recreation Center would be for the entire community, members of the public should have an opportunity to attend the meetings.

  Additionally, The council approved a request from the Uvalde Police Department to accept a donation for a total communication center remodel from Cindy McCraw, President of the Texas National Emergency Number Association.