Government
Mayor & City Council
The Mayor and six council members are elected at large to two-year staggered terms. Council sets City policy, adopts the budget and the tax rate, and appoints the City Manager.
Mayor
Mayor Gunther Tilbortion
Term expires May 2027
Mayor Tilbortion was elected in 2021 and re-elected in 2023 and 2025. He previously served six years in Place 3, where he authored the City's first sidewalk ordinance and its second sidewalk ordinance, which repealed the first. He presides over council meetings and has asked that the water tower item remain first on every agenda until it is resolved.
Place 1
Cletus Krenek
Term expires May 2027
Councilmember Krenek is a third-generation cotton farmer and a board member of the Dongvile Co-op Gin. He represents the City on the Brisket County Fair Association and has never missed a pancake breakfast.
Place 2
Peggy Sue Tatum
Term expires May 2028
Councilmember Tatum retired after 31 years teaching fourth grade at Lil' Chungus Elementary. She chairs the Water Tower Paint Ad Hoc Committee and has asked that her preferred color not be published until the committee reports.
Place 3
Hector Ybarra
Term expires May 2027
Councilmember Ybarra owns a small engine repair shop on W Okra St and serves as council liaison to the Airport Advisory Board. He is the only member of council licensed to operate the street sweeper.
Place 4 · Mayor Pro Tem
Juanita Cardenas
Term expires May 2028
Mayor Pro Tem Cardenas is a CPA and served eight years on the Planning & Zoning Commission before joining council. She presides when the Mayor is absent and reads every line of the budget, including the appendices.
Place 5
Dwayne Lovelady
Term expires May 2027
Councilmember Lovelady manages the feed department at Tractor & Feed Depot and coaches youth baseball. He has voted against every proposed water tower color, citing the need for more options.
Place 6
Francine Goodnight
Term expires May 2028
Councilmember Goodnight is a real estate agent and a past president of the Dongvile Garden Club. She serves as council liaison to the Library Board and to Dewey Decimal.
Council meetings
City Council holds regular meetings on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 150 E Brisket St. When the first Tuesday falls on an election day or holiday, the meeting moves to the following Thursday. Agendas are posted at least 72 hours in advance.
Next meeting: Tuesday, October 6, 2026, 6:00 p.m.
Speaking at a meeting
Anyone may address Council during Citizens to Be Heard. Fill out a speaker card before the meeting begins and keep your remarks to three minutes. Under the Texas Open Meetings Act (Tex. Gov't Code §551.042), Council cannot discuss or act on a subject that is not on the posted agenda. Council members may respond only with a statement of fact, a recitation of existing policy, or a request that the item be placed on a future agenda.
To have an item placed on an agenda, contact the City Secretary at (936) 555-0110 at least ten days before the meeting.
Elections
The Mayor and Places 1, 3 and 5 are elected in odd-numbered years; Places 2, 4 and 6 in even-numbered years. The next General Election is Saturday, May 1, 2027. See Elections.