CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The foundation Wyatt Ranches gave the city of Agua Dulce a $250,000 amount to sustain their law enforcement needs.
Nora Lopez is the elementary school principal in Agua Dulce; she was also born and raised there.
Lopez says even though it is a small city, law enforcement is something the city always needed.
“Whenever we had a situation occur, we would call 911, but sometimes it would take 15 to 20 minutes for 911 only to get out here. And that is because we are such a rural area,” said, Lopez.
Agua Dulce Marshall's Office requested to continue funding for their city marshal’s office. This amount will continue funding the city Marshal services and serve the community.
Joe Martinez, the Agua Dulce City Marshal, says this grant is crucial for the city.
“This grant, we depend on it every year, as our annual grant, for our salary, our equipment,” said Martinez.
The city of Agua Dulce has a population of nearly 900 people, which is why they didn’t have enough money for their own police department, but in 2018 Wyatt Ranches donated enough money for the city to open up their own city Marshal service.
Agua Dulce has three officers, a deputy, a marshal and a school officer.
The mayor of Agua Dulce, John Howard, says these funds will cover salary, overtime, vehicles, and equipment.
“It’s beneficial for the citizens to know they are in a safe environment,” said Howard.
Residents say they are very grateful for this donation.
“I would thank the Wyatt Ranches, for again giving us peace of mind and letting us feel safe. We feel safe because we know they are there,” Lopez said.
The city marshal services said they are now looking forward to serving the community and promoting safety.
