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Sinton renews Operation Lone Star participation and repeals outdated curfew ordinance
Summary
The council approved authorization for the Sinton Police Department to apply for the Operation Lone Star overtime reimbursement grant and passed an ordinance removing obsolete curfew provisions that remain in the code despite state law removing local curfew enforcement authority in 2023.
The Sinton City Council voted March 17 to authorize the Sinton Police Department to apply for the Operation Lone Star grant for fiscal 2026–27 and to repeal the city's outdated curfew ordinance.
Police Chief Eric Blanchard said the Operation Lone Star program (formerly Border Star) provides overtime reimbursement from the state; the department and officers have benefited from the additional income and the program appears to be operating effectively. The council approved the resolution authorizing application for the 2026–2027 grant cycle 4-0.
On a separate item Chief Blanchard explained that Texas legislation effective Sept. 1, 2023, stripped cities of curfew-enforcement authority but the city's curfew language remained in the code and was still being surfaced by the department's legal-research tool. He recommended repealing the sections to avoid confusion and to allow the legal-research tool to align with current law; the council approved Ordinance No. 2026-01 to repeal the curfew provisions 4-0.
The actions do not create new enforcement authority; the grant is for overtime reimbursement, and repealing the ordinance removes a nonenforceable provision from the city code to avoid future confusion.
