A Message from Executive Director, Susan J. Kibbe

April was a productive month for us. Our Tax & The Wall Symposium was well attended and very informative. We think it would be beneficial to landowners to conduct at least the county property tax portion of the symposium in various locations in south Texas on an annual basis.

We’d like to thank David Braun and Cassie Gresham from Braun and Gresham, PLLC; as well as Jay Kleberg and Hillary Pierce, producers and characters in the upcoming documentary, “The River & The Wall”. Both groups did an amazing job with their presentations.

Our gathering at the Santillana Ranch was a great success. The location was beautiful, the hosts were gracious and generous, and it was a great pleasure to meet so many interesting people and to see so many of our members that attended. Our speakers, RGV Border Patrol Sector Chief, Manny Padilla; Dr. Cayetano Barrera; and Mary Margaret McAllen informed us of both the past and present issues that affected south Texas families. The unique border/brush country environment that landowners lived in and the experiences that they went through are similarly affecting those same landowners 100 years later.

We would like to thank Katherine and James McAllen, Jr., Sarah & Whit Jones, and Josie & Fred Cappadona for their hospitality and generosity in hosting and sponsoring the STPRA Santillana Ranch Gathering!

We had the great pleasure of hosting the acting U.S. Border Patrol Chief, Carla Provost, at last week’s STPRA board meeting. Our directors and advisors were able to ask hard hitting questions. She was able to field all of them with grace and intelligence. She is a force to be reckoned with and seems to be able to handle whatever issue that’s put before her. I hope that she will be confirmed to her position, she is well deserving of it.

I am but a phone call or an email away. Please feel free to contact me with any issues, questions or concerns.

All the best and until next month,

Susan J. Kibbe
Office (361) 348-3020
Susan@STPRA.org