The Brownfield City Council met Thursday morning, May 7, 2026, for a lengthy meeting that covered election matters, scholarship awards, quarterly departmental reports, and the adoption of a highly discussed ordinance declaring Brownfield a “Sanctuary City for the Unborn.”
Following the call to order, invocation, pledges, public comment period, and approval of previous meeting minutes, the council first moved to canvass and officially approve the results of the May 2, 2026 Municipal General Election. The canvass confirmed the re-election of Mayor Eric Horton and the election of Elvis Rodriguez to the Brownfield City Council District 2 seat, defeating incumbent Vanessa Valdonado. Following certification of the election results, Mayor Horton, District 1 Councilman Paul Vasquez, District 2 Councilman Rodriguez, and District 3 Councilman Lee Gamez each took the oath of office.
The council then selected the city’s Mayor Pro-Tem for another term. Councilman At-Large and current Mayor Pro-Tem JC Tijerina was chosen by a majority of the council to continue serving in the position.
Council members also considered scholarship applications for the City of Brownfield Scholarship program. In a 7-1 vote, with Councilman Marshall Martell voting against the measure, the council approved six scholarship recipients, each receiving a $1,000 scholarship and a laptop. Those selected included Madilynn Brisendine, Braylon Bruno, Jermyah Mendoza, Jimena Morales, Angel Munoz, and Jemar Richey.
One of the meeting’s most anticipated agenda items involved the reading and public hearing of an ordinance outlawing abortion and declaring Brownfield a “Sanctuary City for the Unborn.” The matter had previously come before the council during the April 2 meeting, where the ordinance failed on a 5-3 vote. Mayor Horton, Councilman Ray McFarland, and Councilman Lee Gamez voted in favor at that time, while Councilmembers Tom Hesse, Marshall Martell, Paul Vasquez, and Vanessa Valdonado voted against adoption.
The issue returned after a certified citizen petition was submitted to the city during the April 26 council meeting. According to City Secretary Kelly Burris, the petition met statutory requirements after 275 signatures were submitted, with 48 signatures validated — surpassing the minimum threshold required by law. Once certified, the council was required to hold a public hearing and reconsider the ordinance. State law also required the ordinance to be read in its entirety before any action could be taken.
The ordinance was read aloud inside council chambers. Following the reading, the council opened the public hearing portion of the meeting. Four individuals addressed the council during the hearing, including pro-life advocate JC Carpenter, Brownfield residents Kenneth Kirk and Natalie Chandler, and Mark Lee Dickson, director of Right to Life Across Texas and founder of the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn initiative. Discussion between speakers and council members extended the hearing to roughly 40 minutes.
Following the public hearing, Councilman Ray McFarland made a motion to adopt the ordinance, with Councilman Lee Gamez seconding the motion. The ordinance ultimately passed on a 5-3 vote. Voting in favor were Vasquez, Rodriguez, Gamez, McFarland, and Mayor Horton. Voting against the measure were Hesse, Martell, and Tijerina. With the vote, Brownfield officially adopted the ordinance declaring the city a sanctuary city for the unborn.
The council also received quarterly reports from the Brownfield Fire & Rescue Department and the Brownfield Municipal Court. Fire officials reported 98 total calls during the first quarter of 2026, with 48 occurring within city limits and 50 occurring in county areas. Grass fires led all incidents with 24 responses, followed by 23 motor vehicle accidents and 12 EMS calls. Other calls included structure fires, gas leaks, vehicle fires, alarms, trash fires, carbon monoxide incidents, utility emergencies, and illegal burns. Officials noted increases in both EMS and motor vehicle accident responses, attributing the rise in part to weather conditions and introductory EMS staffing changes. Fire officials also warned that drought-cured grasses and spring growth conditions are expected to continue contributing to elevated grass fire risks into the second quarter.
The fire department also reported that permanent staffing levels are currently full while two part-time positions remain open. Brownfield Fire & Rescue currently has 10 active volunteers and 15 volunteer positions filled overall. Officials praised continued automatic aid partnerships with Meadow and Wellman, calling the cooperative agreements valuable assets for fire protection efforts across Terry County. Training and maintenance efforts also remained active throughout the quarter, including twice-monthly CEU training sessions, annual inspections, pre-construction walkthroughs, and repairs to Rescue 2 and Unit 59. Department personnel additionally participated in several regional training events and meetings throughout the quarter.
Municipal Court officials reported 207 new cases filed during the first quarter of 2026, with February accounting for the highest monthly total at 82 cases. The court also recorded 130 dispositions involving guilty or no contest pleas. In addition, the court issued 101 warrants during the quarter, including 68 during February alone. Other activity included 24 capias pro fine cases, 50 magistrate warnings, 16 juvenile cases, 10 emergency detention orders, and 43 jail credit cases. Financially, Municipal Court generated $39,146.71 in total case revenue during the quarter, with $26,925.80 allocated to the City of Brownfield and $12,220.91 remitted to the state. February produced the strongest monthly revenue totals, generating $18,451 in total collections. total case revenue, including $13,213 for the city and $5,238 for the state.
