Presidio
Presidio County commissioners extended a local disaster declaration Wednesday in response to the growing threat of the New World screwworm, accepted nearly $250,000 in federal border-security funding and authorized the county to pursue an Opportunity Zone Designation.
The three actions taken during a special meeting at the Presidio County Annex in Presidio addressed animal health, law enforcement, and economic development as the county prepared for emerging challenges and sought new sources of investment.
County prepares for screwworm threat
Commissioners approved and extended County Judge Joe Portillo’s declaration of a local state of disaster concerning New World screwworm, effective June 24.
Portillo described the declaration as a proactive measure intended to position Presidio County to receive state or federal assistance if the parasitic fly reaches the county. No confirmed Presidio County case was identified during the meeting.
“The intent of this resolution that we’re passing is obviously for us to be better prepared in advance of anything,” Portillo said. “There’s funding, there’s help that can be gotten from the state or from [Texas Department of Agriculture] or from USDA to help us combat this.”
Portillo said he had participated in a Monday evening discussion with the U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and other officials about the developing outbreak. He also raised concern that livestock owners might hesitate to report suspected infestations because of the possibility of quarantine restrictions.
Portillo said federal officials stressed that reporting would help agencies direct containment resources, including sterile fly releases, to affected areas.
“Their intent is not to punish anyone,” Portillo said.
County Attorney Blair Park explained that a county judge may issue an initial local disaster declaration without Commissioners Court approval, but the declaration ordinarily remains in effect for only seven days unless the court renews or extends it. Commissioners approved a motion extending Portillo’s declaration indefinitely.
At the time of the meeting, 15 animal cases had been confirmed in Texas, with another case reported in New Mexico. The first case in the current U.S. outbreak was confirmed June 3 in a call with Zavala County, about a six-hour drive from Presidio County in South Texas.
New World screwworm flies lay eggs in open wounds and other vulnerable areas on warm-blooded animals. Their larvae feed on living tissues and can cause severe injuries or death in livestock, wildlife and pets. Human infestations are possible but not common.
Federal and state agencies have responded with quarantines, animal-movement controls, surveillance and release of sterile flies, which mate with wild flies without producing viable offspring.
Portillo said the county declaration would allow Presidio County to approach its state and federal partners.
“We’ll be one step ahead of where we’re going,” he said.
Court accepts Stonegarden award
In a brief and largely procedural vote, commissioners accepted a $248,586 fiscal year 2025 Operation Stonegarden award for the Presidio County Sheriff’s Office.
A county representative told commissioners that the award was ready in the state’s eGrants system but could not be activated until Commissioners Court formally accepted it. The county will establish a budget for the award, with a related budget amendment expected to return to the court later.
Operation Stonegarden is part of the federal Homeland Security Grant Program and supports coordination between local law enforcement agencies and federal border-security partners.
The court did not discuss a detailed spending plan for Presidio County’s award during Wednesday’s meeting.
Opportunity Zone bid draws support and concern
Commissioners also voted to apply for an Opportunity Zone designation intended to encourage private investment in economically distressed communities through federal tax incentives designated for specific census tracts.
Commissioner Deirdre Hisler presented the item after she and Portillo met with a development representative about the application process.
Opportunity Zones do not provide direct grant funding to local governments. Instead, investors may receive federal tax benefits when eligible capital is invested through qualified funds in designated census tracts.
Hisler emphasized that the designation would not require the county to provide a local tax abatement or contribute county funding.
“This isn’t a tax incentive that the county is giving,” Hisler said. “It’s no cost to the county.”
Applications in Texas are considered through the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office in the governor’s office. The governor may nominate up to 25% of the state’s eligible low-income census tracts for federal designation.
A representative helping prepare the county’s application told commissioners that the state would consider factors including economic conditions, support from the local government and whether the application identifies a viable project.
Commissioners discussed using the expansion of the El Cosmico development near Marfa as the application’s identified project. The representative said having a project that has secured property and undergone planning could make the application more competitive.
The designation itself, however, would apply to the eligible census tract and would not be limited solely to El Cosmico. Other qualifying investments within the designated census tract could potentially make use of the federal incentive.
The discussion drew concern from a member of the public, who urged commissioners to consider what kinds of development the designation might encourage. She argued that new investment should preserve the county’s landscape and culture while creating durable benefits for residents.
“There is everything here,” she said. “We have natural beauty here. We have culture here.”
She expressed particular concern about luxury developments and large industrial projects that might consume land and resources without providing lasting local employment.
John Kennedy, director of the Presidio Municipal Development District, supported pursuing available economic-development incentives but said resulting projects should serve the communities the program was created to help.
“I hope, in line with the fact that this is meant to help low-income communities, that the development will also cater to that aspect of providing jobs and community enrichment for our low-income communities as well,” Kennedy said.
County officials said the designation could help attract projects including hotel, tourism and commercial redevelopment. Portillo argued that expanding the county’s economic and property-tax base was necessary to improve public services and compete for workers.
Hisler said the designation alone would not guarantee new development, but it could make Presidio County more attractive to investors.
“If we do not start having some kind of sound economic development,” Hisler said, “we’re not going to be around.”
The court approved the application without opposition. Texas’ new Opportunity Zone designations are scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2027, and remain in place for 10 years.
