Several proclamations and presentations—ranging from boating safety to mental health and community health initiatives—were heard during the May 8 meeting of the Bandera County Commissioners Court.
The Court approved a proclamation declaring May 17–23, 2025, as National Safe Boating Week, following a presentation by Charles Manley, Telecommander of the San Antonio United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. Prior to reading the proclamation, County Judge Richard Evans joked, “You understand if we’re gonna’ pass this, you have to provide water.”
Manley shared sobering statistics, noting that about 650 people die each year in boating-related accidents in the United States. Of those fatalities, 75% are due to drowning. “A vast majority of these are caused by human error or poor judgement and not by the boat, equipment, or environmental factors,” Manley said. “A significant number of boaters who lose their lives could be alive today had they worn their life jackets.”
The Court also proclaimed May as Mental Health Awareness Month, as presented by Kelsi Wilmot of Hill Country Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities (MHDD). Wilmot reported that half the population will experience mental health challenges in their lifetime, with one in six adults in Texas currently affected.
“36.8% of adults in Texas reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder compared to 32.3% of adults in the U.S.,” Wilmot said. She added that 449 individuals in Bandera County received services from Hill Country MHDD in fiscal year 2024.
“People with mental illnesses make important contributions to our families and our communities and can recover if given the necessary services and support in their communities,” Wilmot said. “Creating a community where everyone feels comfortable reaching out for the support they deserve is crucial to ending the stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness.”
Kimberly Magnes, Community Health Specialist, and Tania Houck, Public Health Nurse, from the Bandera County office of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), presented their annual community health report.
Among the statistics shared were 26 foodborne illnesses, four vaccine-preventable diseases, zero animal rabies cases, no residents exposed to tuberculosis, and 36 newly reported STDs— chlamydia being the most common, followed by gonorrhea. The Bandera DSHS office administered 382 vaccines and completed 74 health inspections. They also partner with Agrilife and the Boys & Girls Club to provide educational programs and support local school nurses with resources.
Kim Miles, Chairperson of the Bandera County Historical Commission (BCHC), provided an update on BCHC projects for 2025. Their newsletter, The Historian, is now printed at a reduced cost and continues to publish quarterly.
Miles noted the Cemetery Committee—described as their most active—recently discovered three unknown graves on Faris Ranch Road. One of the graves belongs to the daughter of Clint Smith, author of The Boy Captives, which tells the story of brothers Clinton and Jefferson Smith, the only known siblings to survive captivity by hostile Native American tribes in Texas.
BCHC’s Marker Committee recently celebrated its 43rd historical marker at River Oaks Courts.
Miles also announced a major collaboration with the Frontier Times Museum and the Convention & Visitors Bureau to bring the Smithsonian exhibit Changes in Rural America to Bandera. The exhibit will open June 21 at 9:30 a.m. at Bandera Middle School.
“We are very excited to have eight local exhibits that will be set up in the cafetorium with the main Smithsonian exhibit,” Miles said. More than 20 community programs will accompany the exhibit.
Looking ahead, the Historical Commission is planning to launch its own website, with a vote on the initiative expected later this year.
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