Bella A. Rubio

Limited public access to the Real County Courthouse during the COVID-19 outbreak, effective March 25, 2020. Her order cut public hours to 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a noon closure, funneled entry through the south doors only, pushed business to phone, mail and online, and asked families to send one person per transaction.

March 25, 2020Supports Healthcare Affordability

Source: co.real.tx.us · researched September 7, 2026

Signed an order on June 22, 2026 in which the Real County Commissioners Court confirmed her screwworm disaster declaration and kept it in force until the court ends it. All four commissioners signed with her.

June 22, 2026Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: co.real.tx.us · researched September 7, 2026

Declared a local state of disaster for Real County on June 15, 2026 over the threat of the New World screwworm, a parasite that infests livestock and wildlife. The order directed county officials to coordinate with state and federal animal health agencies and asked the governor to waive rules blocking feed-through treatments.

June 15, 2026Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: newtools.cira.state.tx.us · researched September 7, 2026

Notified Real County landowners that the commissioners court changed the county's flood plain rules on September 28, 2020. The changes updated the county's 1979 flood plain standards, kept the building permit system, and set fees of $50 outside the flood plain and $100 inside it. The notice warned that building without a permit is a Class C misdemeanor and can bring a county lawsuit.

September 28, 2020Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: newtools.cira.state.tx.us · researched September 7, 2026

Voted aye to adopt Real County's 2024-2025 budget on September 18, 2024. The budget raised $320,183 more in property tax money than the year before, a 9.01 percent increase, and kept the tax rate at $0.53 per $100 of value. The record vote on the budget cover page was 5-0, with Rubio and all four commissioners voting aye.

September 18, 2024Opposes Government Spending Reduction

Source: co.real.tx.us · researched September 7, 2026

Signed an order on July 24, 2026 continuing the local flood disaster she declared on July 17, 2026 after severe storms and prolonged flooding. Three commissioners signed with her and one was absent. The disaster stays in force until the court ends it.

July 24, 2026Supports Public Safety and Crime Control

Source: co.real.tx.us · researched September 7, 2026

Declared a local state of disaster for Real County on July 16, 2025 after severe rain and flooding on the Frio River damaged property. The declaration turned on the county emergency management plan. She signed a second declaration on July 21, 2025, and the commissioners court voted the same day to continue it.

July 16, 2025Supports Public Safety and Crime Control

Source: newtools.cira.state.tx.us · researched September 7, 2026

Adopted an order setting the fees landowners pay when they file a subdivision plat in Real County, effective January 24, 2025. The order requires deposits of $1,000 for engineering review, $2,000 for geoscientist review, $1,500 for attorney review, and $500 each for road, septic, and flood plain review, with engineer and geoscientist time billed at $200 an hour.

January 24, 2025Opposes Housing Affordability

Source: newtools.cira.state.tx.us · researched September 7, 2026

Signed Real County's first countywide subdivision rules as county judge on December 9, 2024. The 113-page rules set standards for splitting land into lots, including proof of groundwater supply, septic and waste rules, street and drainage standards, and minimum lot sizes.

December 9, 2024Opposes Housing Affordability

Source: newtools.cira.state.tx.us · researched September 7, 2026

Received a commendation from the Texas House of Representatives on February 23, 2017. The House adopted House Resolution 251 honoring her twenty years of service as Real County's district and county clerk.

February 23, 2017

Source: capitol.texas.gov · researched September 7, 2026

Retired on December 31, 2016 as Real County's county and district clerk after five terms. She was first elected to that office in November 1996 and also acted as the county's elections administrator. She chaired the legislative committee of the County and District Clerks' Association of Texas, which named her Texas County Clerk of the Year in 2015, and she sat on the board of the Texas District Court Alliance as a Region IV director.

December 31, 2016

Source: capitol.texas.gov · researched September 7, 2026