The problems in Vinton continue as leadership issues threaten the future of the small village. 

For months many have questioned why three councilwomen have repeatedly blocked efforts for water and sewer, prevented the village from passing a tax rate and a budget, and put the village in a half a million dollar debt after they refused more than $30 million in grant funding. 

Now it appears the actions are motivated by Juvencia Rios Ontiveros, Martha Garcia and Maria Medina's desire to discorporate the village. 

"She basically told me her main goal was to make sure the village of Vinton was disincorporated. That was her only answer she could give me," said Vinton resident and Congressman Silvestre Reyes' deputy chief of staff, Salvador Payan. 

"I am disappointed there is that move afoot to discorporate," said County Commissioner Dan Haggerty, who represents Vinton in Precinct Four. 

But if anyone in Vinton thinks the county will come in and pick up the village's half-million-dollar debt, think again. 

"They are nuts.  No, I don't think we are going to do that," said Haggerty. 

Documents from four years ago reveal Ontiveros' desire to discorporate the village. In 2008 she started a petition for disincorporation. But the petition failed, after falling short of the required 400 signatures, only collecting 278 signatures. 

There are some possible benefits to becoming an unincorporated area. 

"Being a Colonia is like, 'We are a poor little community with no services with no opportunities,' and they use that to quality for a lot of federal and state grants," said Haggerty. 

But the trio's refusal to accept state and federal grant money is what led to the village's current half-million-dollar debt. 

"Those people that think that by doing this, the county will step in and pave their streets they will pave their roads, provide them water and sewer, which most of them do not have, we are not going to do that. We have no money either. Even though this is my district, people I represent were not going to do that. So I would not encourage you to unincorporated," said Haggerty. 

In 2008, Congressman Reyes wrote to Vinton on the subject of disincorporation and said, "Un-incorporated communities in counties all across Texas face an uphill battle in meeting basic infrastructure needs and residents of those communities have little or no say in the outcome of issues that greatly impact them at the local level." 

"This just doesn't happen every day and we actually don't know what we are doing, I don't, as far as Vinton dropping their village title," said Haggerty. 

Haggerty said they are still discussing the issues with the county attorney to find out what the village can do, if anything. 

"It's a neat little place to go and Vinton has its own rich history and its people," said Haggerty.