The Edna City Council gave its approval Thursday night to a Victoria veterans group to host a Memorial Day celebration behind the Jackson County Museum, as well as a special wreath laying to honor local veterans.
Pamela Hughes of Victoria, representing the Patriot Warriors of Valor organization, said her plan is to have a bugle play Taps during a ceremony to be held behind the museum to honor fallen veterans. At one point, the possibility of a 21-gun salute had been pondered, but it was unable to happen this year, Hughes said.
In addition, the Patriot Warriors of Valor also plans to lay wreaths on the graves of veterans in cemeteries around the county, with the goal to have them in place between Armed Forces Day on May 16 and Memorial Day on May 26, she said.
“I did not want to do wreaths at Christmas time like the Wreaths Across America does,” Hughes told the council. “I wanted to do them at Memorial Day because we have a lot of men and women in different cemeteries that either did not make it back after a war, or they did and later passed away.
“I believe in just this cemetery out here alone there’s 840, which is a lot,” she said, adding that she thinks some date as far back as the Civil War and that some were relocated to the cemetery when Lake Texana was created.
Anyone interested in purchasing a wreath for a veteran buried in Jackson County may contact Hughes at 979-236-7398 or at [email protected]. Wreaths are $20, with a form to fill out to let organizers know the veteran’s name, branch of service, cemetery and grave location. Deadline is April 1.
The Patriot Warriors of Valor is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit which also honors veterans with the annual Veteran’s Day Parade and Luncheon.
Also Thursday, the city council held a first reading of Ordinance No. 202502, calling for a general election on Sat., May 3, to elect a mayor and council representatives from Districts 1 and 2.
Currently, only incumbents Mayor Lance Smiga, District 1 Councilmember Cippi Palacios, and District 2 Councilmember Katrina Callis have filed their candidacies for office. The filing deadline is 5 p.m.
Friday at Edna City Hall, 126 W. Main St.
In other business, the council: Approved the minutes of the Jan. 16, 2025 meeting; Heard public comments from Police Chief Kenneth Pyle, introducing Det.
Mark Matlock and Officer Louis Warren as newly hired members of the Edna Police Department; Received an update from Donald Brinkman with CSRS on the progress of the city’s Comprehensive Planning and Zoning Grant; Approved the Little League agreement with the city; Heard the second reading of Ordinance #2025-01 amending Chapter 2 “Animal Control” of the Code of Ordinance, City of Edna, Texas, to provide a definition for “sterilization,” and providing a request for animals to be sterilized and/ or vaccinated prior to adoption from the animal control authority, and providing for findings of fact, enactment, repealer, severability, codification, effective date and proper notice and hearing; Passed on any action yet on Resolution #2025-03 authorizing the city to place an application for the State and Local CyberSecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) funding, until a later date; Approved setting Thur., March 13 as the only meeting date in March, due to conflicts with Spring Break and with a conference; Approved payment of current city bills; and Heard reports from city staff.
