[Item 4e-g - Certificate of Recognition - Ruth Trevino for winning the John German Award - Certificate o f Recognition - Tanya Lugo for winning Administrative Manager o f the Year Award - Certificate o f Recognition - Public Works for In-House Project of the Year Award]

REAL QUICK, THIS PAST SATURDAY WAS AN AMAZING SATURDAY AT THE SHELTER AND OFF SITE. THE ANIMAL SHELTER DID A RECORD 17 ADOPTIONS IN ONE DAY. SO AMAZING. SHANNON, WOULD YOU

[00:25:09]

JUST REMIND US OF THE RIBBON CUTTING THAT'S COMING UP? YES, SIR. WE DO HAVE A RIBBON CUTTING FOR THE OUTSIDE KENNELS THERE AT THE HARLINGEN ANIMAL SHELTER THERE AT THE BACK OF THE ANIMAL SHELTER. AND THAT RIBBON CUTTING WILL BE AT 11 A.M. TOMORROW. FANTASTIC. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO PRESENTATION OF PROCLAMATION FOR SPAY AND NEUTER AWARENESS MONTH. PROCLAMATION FOR SPAY NEUTER AWARENESS MONTH 2026.

WHEREAS THOUSANDS OF DOGS AND CATS ENTER SHELTERS EACH YEAR, MANY OF WHOM ARE HOMELESS, ABANDONED OR BORN TO UNPLANNED LITTER. AND WHEREAS SPAYING AND NEUTERING ARE PROVEN, HUMANE, METHODS TO REDUCE PET OVERPOPULATION, DECREASE THE NUMBER OF ANIMALS ENTERING SHELTERS, AND LOWER EUTHANASIA RATES NATIONWIDE. AND WHEREAS SPAYING AND NEUTERING PROVIDES SIGNIFICANT HEALTH AND BEHAVIORAL BENEFITS FOR PETS, INCLUDING REDUCED RISKS FOR CERTAIN CANCERS, DECREASED ROAMING AND AGGRESSION, AND IMPROVED OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE. AND WHEREAS, RESPONSIBLE PET OWNERSHIP, INCLUDING SPAYING AND NEUTERING, STRENGTHENS FAMILIES, PROMOTES PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY, AND SUPPORTS COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITIES. AND WHEREAS, VETERINARIANS, ANIMAL WELFARE ORGANIZATIONS, SHELTERS, RESCUE GROUPS, AND VOLUNTEERS WORK TIRELESSLY TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC AND PROVIDE AFFORDABLE SPAY AND NEUTER SERVICES. NOW, THEREFORE, NORMA SEPULVEDA, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HARLINGEN, DOES HEREBY PROCLAIM THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2026 AS SPAY NEUTER AWARENESS MONTH AND URGE ALL RESIDENTS TO RECOGNIZE ITS IMPORTANCE BY SUPPORTING RESPONSIBLE PET OWNERSHIP, UTILIZING SPAY AND NEUTER SERVICES, AND CONTRIBUTING TO THE WELL-BEING OF ANIMALS IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND IF WE HAVE ANY REPRESENTATIVES WHO WOULD LIKE TO SAY A FEW WORDS AND ACCEPT THE PROCLAMATION, COME ON BACK UP, SHANNON. YEAH, DIDN'T HURT AT ALL. GOOD EVENING AGAIN. THE HARLINGEN ANIMAL SHELTER WORKS HARD TO INCREASE ADOPTIONS AND IMPROVE AND IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR ALL THE ANIMALS THAT ARRIVE INTO THE SHELTER. BUT THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO REDUCE THE OVERCROWDING IN OUR SHELTERS IS PREVENTION. AND THAT BEGINS WITH SPAY NEUTER. PREVENTION. TODAY HELPS REDUCE INTAKE TOMORROW. I'VE BROUGHT PART OF THE TEAM THAT SUPPORTS OUR LOW COST SPAY NEUTER PROGRAM, OUR HEALTH MANAGER, OUR SHELTER MANAGER AND OUR ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM. WITHOUT THEM, THE JOB WOULD BE A LOT HARDER. SINCE OCTOBER WHEN WE GOT OUR FIRST GRANT, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO 82 SURGERIES OR HAVE 82 SPAY NEUTER SURGERIES DONE. SO THAT'S 82 ANIMALS THAT ARE NOT OUT THERE REPRODUCING OR AT RISK OF REPRODUCING ANY LONGER. SO WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THAT. WE'RE STILL WORKING AND DOING MORE SURGERIES. WE'RE JUST EXTREMELY HAPPY, PROUD AND APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT THAT WE GET FROM THE MAYOR AND THE CITY COMMISSION IN ALL OF OUR EFFORTS THROUGHOUT THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, WHETHER IT'S ANIMAL SERVICES, ANIMAL SHELTER. AT AT ANY POINT, WE'RE JUST APPRECIATIVE OF ALL THE SUPPORT. THANK YOU. THAT'S AWESOME. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR FOR SHARING THAT AND FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK. I KNOW THAT ANA'S PROBABLY BACK THERE SOMEWHERE, BUT YOU KNOW, GRANTS TEAM ALSO APPLYING FOR THESE GRANTS AND GIVING AN OPPORTUNITY. AND FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW, THERE'S ALWAYS SPAY AND NEUTER FOR THE ADOPTED PETS OUT OF THE SHELTER. BUT THIS INITIATIVE WAS TO HELP COMMUNITY PETS, AND THE GRANT REQUIRED IT TO BE LOW INCOME. AND SO WE WE'VE FULFILLED THOSE REQUIREMENTS. BUT I HEAR I THINK WE ALL HEAR THE COMMUNITY WANTING LOW COST SPAY AND NEUTER FOR THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE. AND THOSE ARE CONVERSATIONS THAT THE COMMISSION IS HAVING. AND CITY STAFF HAS BEEN TOLD ALSO THAT WE NEED TO SEE WHAT CAN BE DONE. AND WE'RE HOPING TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR FOR BOARD TO SEE IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND SPAY AND NEUTER FOR THE REST OF THE OF THE COMMUNITY, AND HOPE TO PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION ON THAT AT A AT A LATER POINT. BUT IN THE MEANTIME, THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK AND HELPING CHIP AWAY THAT THAT ISSUE THAT WE HAVE, NOT JUST IN THE CITY, BUT, YOU KNOW, REGIONALLY OR ACTUALLY THROUGHOUT THE STATE. YES. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE'D LOVE WE HAVE A RECOGNITION AND WE'D LOVE FOR THE COMMISSION TO HAVE A PHOTO WITH YOUR YOU AND YOUR STAFF. THANK YOU.

YES. I THANK YOU. YEAH. I LIKE THIS. THERE YOU GO. RIGHT THERE. DID YOU DO

[00:30:30]

IT RIGHT IN BETWEEN MAYOR AND. YEAH. YEAH, RIGHT. AND 321 AND 321. GO. THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT PROCLAMATION. WE HAVE ENGINEERS WEEK. THIS IS THE PROCLAMATION FOR ENGINEERS WEEK. WHEREAS THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS INITIATED ENGINEERS WEEK IN 1951 TO HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANT ROLE ENGINEERS PLAY IN MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN OUR WORLD. AND WHEREAS, THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS, ASCE, AND THE TEXAS SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS, ZSP ARE DEDICATED TO ADVANCING THE ENGINEERING PROFESSION THROUGH EDUCATION, LEADERSHIP, AND PUBLIC SERVICE.

AND WHEREAS, ENGINEERS PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN DESIGNING, CONSTRUCTING AND MAINTAINING THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT SUPPORTS OUR COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING ROADS, BRIDGES, WATER SYSTEMS, AND BUILDINGS. AND WHEREAS, ENGINEERS UPHOLD THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF PROFESSIONAL INTEGRITY AND ETHICS WHILE CONTRIBUTING TO THE SAFETY, RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY OF OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT. AND WHEREAS ENGINEERS IN TEXAS AND ACROSS THE NATION CONTINUE CONTINUE TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS THAT ADDRESS CRITICAL CHALLENGES SUCH AS CLIMATE RESILIENCE, URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSPORTATION EFFICIENCY.

NOW, THEREFORE, NORMA SEPULVEDA, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HARLINGEN, DOES HEREBY PROCLAIM THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 22ND THROUGH 28TH, 2026 AS ENGINEERS WEEK. DO WE HAVE ANY REPRESENTATIVES? ROBERT, OUR VERY OWN ENGINEER. ROBERTO HERNANDEZ, CITY ENGINEER. FOR THE RECORD, THANK YOU TO THE CITY OF HARLINGEN FOR THIS ENGINEERS WEEK PROCLAMATION AND FOR RECOGNIZING THE VITAL ROLE ENGINEERS PLAY IN OUR COMMUNITY. ENGINEERING DRIVES PROGRESS BY STRENGTHENING, STRENGTHENING OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, SUPPORTING ECONOMIC GROWTH, AND IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. DOWN THE STREET AND ACROSS THE WORLD. ENGINEERS WEEK IS ALSO ABOUT INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION TO SEE WHAT'S POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT

[Item 5 - Citizen Communication: At this time, the public is invited to address the City Commission and speak on any matter not specifically listed for public hearing elsewhere in this agenda. Please note that the City Commission members may not respond to comments or deliberate on topics addressed.]

CREATIVITY, PROBLEM SOLVING AND SERVICE. THE FUNDS RAISED THROUGH E-WEEK. THESE EFFORTS GO DIRECTLY TOWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS, HELPING LOCAL STUDENTS PURSUE PURSUE ENGINEERING CAREERS RIGHT HERE IN THE VALLEY. LAST YEAR, ACE AND TSP RAISED OVER OVER WERE ABLE TO AWARD OVER 45 SCHOLARSHIPS TO ENGINEERING STUDENTS FROM THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY BY BY INVESTING IN EDUCATION. TODAY, WE'RE BUILDING A STRONGER AND MORE INNOVATIVE RIO GRANDE VALLEY FOR TOMORROW. THANK YOU SO MUCH. COMMISSIONERS, MAYOR AND CITY OF HARLINGEN. NONE OF THE NONE OF THIS WOULD BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT. I HAVE MY STAFF MEMBERS HERE AND THEN ALSO ENGINEERS THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY FROM PRIVATE FIRMS, PUBLIC SECTORS ALSO HERE TO SHOW OUR SUPPORT. AWESOME. DO YOU WANT TO SHARE? MAYBE. ISN'T THERE A5K? OH YES. WE HAVE EVENTS THROUGHOUT. THROUGHOUT THE WEEK WE'RE GOING TO BE STARTING. THIS IS THE FOURTH ANNUAL ENGINEERS WEEK, AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE'RE DOING A5K EVENT. SO WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING IT AT THE ARROYO COLORADO HIKE AND BIKE TRAIL. WE'LL BE STARTING AT VICTOR PARK GOING DOWN ALONG THE ARROYO TURNING BACK. IT'S GOING TO BE HAPPENING THIS SATURDAY. MAYOR'S RUNNING. SHE'S GOING TO BE TAKING THE LEAD. I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT I'LL BE THERE EARLY IN THE MORNING. THAT'S ALL I KNOW SO FAR. NO, BUT YES, IT'LL BE OUR FIRST EVENT AND I'M PROUD TO HAVE IT HERE IN HARLINGEN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOU DO. WE APPRECIATE YOU AND YOUR DEPARTMENT AND ALL THE ENGINEERS THAT WORK COLLABORATIVELY TO HELP THE CITY AND OUR COMMUNITY. I'M EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE ENGINEERING COMMUNITY IN THE FUTURE. MY SON IS 13 AND ASPIRES TO BE AN ENGINEER. SO ALL OF YOU ARE EXAMPLES AND LEADERS TO HIM THAT HE LOOKS UP TO. SO THANK YOU AND WE'D LOVE TO TAKE A PHOTO. IF I CAN GET UP THIS.

[00:35:09]

WONDERING WHY THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE. THAT IS AMAZING. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU SIR.

YEAH. YEAH. MAYBE I'LL JUST DO. YOU. FIND A WINDOW AND THE CAMERA? THE CAMERA CAN'T SEE.

YEAH. YOU'RE READY. AND THREE. TWO. ONE. ONE MORE AND THREE. TWO ONE. YEAH. TRUCK DRIVER.

RIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. CAN I HELP YOU? THERE WE GO. MAKING THESE CHAIRS.

WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO MAYOR'S BUSINESS. BUSINESS OF THE MONTH. WE HAVE CHICAS BOUTIQUE. AND WHERE IS. YES. BEFORE WE HAVE THE OWNER OF CHICAS BOUTIQUE COME UP. WE HAVE A SHORT VIDEO FEATURING OUR BUSINESS OF THE MONTH. IT'S ON MUTE. IS A BOUTIQUE FOR WOMEN. WE SELL. SO CHICAS BOUTIQUE IS A BOUTIQUE FOR WOMEN. WE SELL CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES. WE DO GIFTABLE ITEMS AS WELL. WE'RE BASED OUT OF HARLINGEN AND WE'VE GROWN OVER THE YEARS, SO I'M I'M GLAD ABOUT THAT. SO I ALWAYS DO LIVES. I FEEL LIKE WOMEN ARE REALLY BUSY, AND SOMETIMES THEY DON'T HAVE TIME TO COME IN AND LOOK. AND SO DOING A LIVE KIND OF BRINGS THE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE TO YOU. I'M SUPER PROUD OF WHERE I AM NOW. I OWN A COMMERCIAL LANDSCAPE COMPANY ALSO, AND THAT'S KIND OF LIKE MY HUSBAND'S THING. AND SO A FEW YEARS BACK, I KIND OF GOT WITH MY BFF AND WE WERE LIKE, LET'S KIND OF START A LITTLE SOMETHING. HERE WE ARE NOW. WE WERE IN A SMALLER LOCATION RIGHT NEXT DOOR, AND NOW WE CAME THIS WAY. IT'S A LITTLE BIT BIGGER OVER HERE. SO YEAH, I KIND OF WANTED SOMETHING FOR ME. I'M SUPER PROUD OF MYSELF. GROWING UP, I WAS ON MY OWN AT A VERY YOUNG AGE. I DIDN'T GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL. I LIVED ON MY OWN AT 17, AND I EVENTUALLY WENT TO COLLEGE AND DID ALL THAT. BUT THIS STORE REALLY REPRESENTS ALL OF THAT. I WANT TO PROVIDE A SPACE WHERE YOU CAN COME, YOU CAN COME SHOP AND JUST FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF. YOU KNOW, WE POST OUR SELFIES. YOU KNOW, I WANT I WANT EVERYBODY TO FEEL LIKE A BADDIE ON THEIR FACEBOOK POST.

RIGHT? AND THAT'S THE VIBE HERE. IT'S FUN. AND RETAIL THERAPY IS A IT'S A REAL THING. SO WOMEN COME IN HERE, WE TALK, WE WE VENT RIGHT. AND WE TRY ON CLOTHES. SO IT'S A LOT OF FUN.

AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE EVERYBODY FEEL PRETTY. SO YEAH. AND NOW WE'D LIKE TO INVITE CYNTHIA, THE OWNER OF CHICAS BOUTIQUE AND ANY OF HER STAFF UP TO SAY A FEW WORDS. HELLO, EVERYBODY. SO I'M CYNTHIA, THE OWNER OF CHICAS BOUTIQUE. BRANDY DIDN'T GET TO COME TODAY BECAUSE SHE HAD A COUPLE THINGS TO DO. BUT, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO SAY, AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, SOMETIMES YOU FEEL LIKE YOU DON'T GET TO THE EMAILS ON TIME. YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOT ENOUGH HOURS IN THE DAY. SO RECOGNITION LIKE THIS KIND OF REINFORCES THAT, YOU KNOW, I'M DOING SOMETHING RIGHT. SO I THANK YOU ALL FOR THAT. AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO REPRESENT HARLINGEN IN A POSITIVE MANNER AND KEEP THE WOMEN OF HARLINGEN LOOKING CUTE.

[00:40:02]

AND I HOPE THIS YEAR THAT WE ARE ABLE TO EXPAND. THAT'S ONE OF MY GOALS. SO I THINK THAT WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE COMMUNITY, WE CAN ACHIEVE THAT GOAL. AND THIS GIVES US ALSO THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO POUR BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY. SO I THANK YOU GUYS. WELL, I JUST WANT TO SAY A FEW THINGS BEFORE WE TAKE A PHOTO WITH YOU. I, YOU KNOW, I JUST LOVE YOUR ENERGY. IT'S INFECTIOUS. LIKE I, YOU KNOW, WALKING INTO YOUR BOUTIQUE AND YOU'RE JUST BUBBLY.

YOU HAVE A BIG SMILE ON YOUR FACE, YOU KNOW, AND AND I HAD NO IDEA THAT THE STRUGGLE AND YOUR STORY. AND SO WHEN I READ A STORY, AN ARTICLE ABOUT YOU, IT JUST GAVE ME EVEN A GREATER APPRECIATION FOR YOU. AND I TOLD STAFF HOW AMAZING YOU ARE. AND OF COURSE, THEY AGREE. AND I SAW THEM SHOPPING ON THE CLOCK. SO. BUT. BUT TRULY YOU ARE YOU KNOW, YOU REPRESENT THE AMERICAN DREAM AND I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO KIND OF JUST LOOK, YOU CAN DO A QUICK GOOGLE AND SEARCH AND FIND OUT ABOUT YOUR STORY. AND IT'S VERY INSPIRING. I'M GLAD THAT YOU CHOOSE HARLINGEN EVERY DAY WHEN YOU GET UP AND YOU OPEN THE DOORS, YOU CHOOSE TO BE IN THIS COMMUNITY AND WE WANT TO SUPPORT YOU. SO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO RECOGNIZE YOU.

WE'D LOVE TO TAKE A PHOTO. THANK YOU. DOUBLE CHECK IT. YES. YEAH, IT ALMOST HAPPENED. IT'S OKAY. YOU KNOW CPR. I KNOW HOW TO. GET. THERE YOU GO. HERE WE GO. EVERYONE OKAY? OKAY, WE'RE LOOKING OVER HERE. READY? AND THREE. TWO. ONE. ONE MORE AND THREE. TWO AND ONE. GOT IT.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. YES. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. IS IT. YES. UNDER TWO. BUT I THINK WE MIGHT NEED DIFFERENT CHAIRS. YEAH. OKAY. ALL RIGHT OKAY. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO HAVE MISS RUTH TREVINO BE RECOGNIZED FOR WINNING THE JOHN GERMAN AWARD. CAN WE DO THE THREE OF THESE BEAUTIFUL OR THESE TWO BEAUTIFUL LADIES TOGETHER AND PUBLIC WORKS? SO THAT WAY THEY DON'T HAVE TO COME BACK AND FORTH. YES, MA'AM. SO OUR FIRST CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION IS PRESENTED TO RUTH TREVINO FOR BEING THE RECIPIENT OF THE JOHN GERMAN AWARD IN CELEBRATION OF A TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP AND MORE THAN 14 YEARS OF DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITIES OF MCALLEN, EDINBURG, AND HARLINGEN. THROUGH VISION, INTEGRITY AND UNWAVERING DEDICATION, MISS TREVINO HAS STRENGTHENED THE FOUNDATION OF PUBLIC WORKS ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY. HER LEADERSHIP HAS MODERNIZED FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEMS, ENHANCED REGULATORY COMPLIANCE, ELEVATED OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY, AND IMPROVED ESSENTIAL SERVICES THAT TOUCH THE LIVES OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS. HER IMPACT IS MEASURABLE AND ENDURING. ADVANCING SANITATION SERVICES, STRENGTHENING DRAINAGE RESPONSE AND STORM PREPAREDNESS, IMPROVING FLEET AND ASSET MANAGEMENT, AND PROMOTING FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY. YET BEYOND THESE ACCOMPLISHMENTS, HER GREATEST LEGACY IS FOUND IN PEOPLE THROUGH MENTORSHIP, TRUST BUILDING, AND STEADFAST COMMITMENT TO PROFESSIONALISM AND RESPECT. SHE HAS CULTIVATED STRONGER TEAMS AND EMPOWERED THE NEXT GENERATION OF PUBLIC WORKS LEADERS. MR. VINO'S STRATEGIC VISION, HANDS ON LEADERSHIP, AND CONSISTENT PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE EMBODY THE HIGHEST IDEALS OF PUBLIC SERVICE. IN THE SPIRIT OF THE JOHN GERMAN AWARD, SHE STANDS AS A MODEL OF DEDICATION, INNOVATION AND LASTING COMMUNITY. IMPACT. OUR NEXT CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION IS PRESENTED TO TANYA MICHELLE LUGO AND RECEIVING THE PROFESSIONAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR AWARD IN RECOGNITION OF EXEMPLARY LEADERSHIP, ADMINISTRATIVE EXCELLENCE AND TRANSFORMATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS TO PUBLIC WORKS MANAGEMENT FOR THE CITY OF HARLINGEN. AN ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER FOR THE HARLINGEN PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, TANYA MICHELLE LUGO HAS DEMONSTRATED OUTSTANDING OPERATIONAL PRECISION, TECHNOLOGICAL MODERNIZATION, FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY, AND UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO PUBLIC SERVICE. HER LEADERSHIP ACROSS 13 MAJOR DIVISIONS HAS STRENGTHENED ORGANIZATIONAL INTEGRITY, ENHANCED EFFICIENCY, AND ELEVATED SERVICE STANDARDS CITYWIDE THROUGH MODERNIZATION OF BILLING AND ASSET MANAGEMENT

[00:45:07]

SYSTEMS, IMPLEMENTATION OF STRUCTURED ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES, STRENGTHENED PROCEDURE COMPLIANCE, BILINGUAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN INITIATIVES, AND RISK MITIGATION SAFEGUARDS. TANYA HAS ELEVATED ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALISM AND BUILT A CULTURE OF TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESILIENCE. HER DEDICATION, INNOVATION AND COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE EXEMPLIFY THE HIGHEST IDEALS OF PUBLIC WORKS ADMINISTRATION AND REFLECT GREAT CREDIT UPON THE CITY OF HARLINGEN AND THE APWA TEXAS CHAPTER. IN OUR LAST CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION IS PRESENTED TO OUR ENTIRE HARLINGEN PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. IN HONOR OF YOUR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT THIS YEAR FOR THE IN-HOUSE PROJECT OF THE YEAR FOR LOZANO DETENTION POND FLOOD MITIGATION AND RESILIENCY PROJECT AWARDED BY THE 2026 APWA TEXAS CHAPTER, AND THE CERTIFICATE RECOGNIZES THE DEPARTMENT'S EXCEPTIONAL DEDICATION, INNOVATION, AND COMMITMENT TO ENHANCING COMMUNITY SAFETY AND RESILIENCE.

IF YOU'D LIKE TO COME UP AND SAY A FEW WORDS. RUTH AND TANYA. GOOD EVENING MAYOR.

COMMISSIONERS. IT REALLY IS A TRULY AN HONOR TO BE UP HERE TODAY WITH MY TEAM. THAT AWARD FOR THE JOHN GERMAN AWARD FOR PUBLIC WORKS, IT REALLY DOES REPRESENT THE TEAM THAT I THAT I HAVE, RIGHT? I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO WHAT I DO. IT WASN'T FOR THEM AS FAR AS THE PROJECT OF THE YEAR FOR IN-HOUSE PROJECT OF THE YEAR, THAT REPRESENTS WHAT OUR DEPARTMENT IS CAPABLE OF WHEN WE COMBINE EXPERIENCE, TEAMWORK AND COMMITMENT TO SERVING OUR RESIDENTS. THE IMPROVEMENTS MADE. IT'S A 14 ACRE LOZANO DETENTION POND AND HAS ENHANCES THE DRAINAGE PERFORMANCE, INCREASES CAPACITY AND HELPS REDUCE FLOOD RISK FOR THE SURROUNDING AREAS, PROVIDING A LONG TERM BENEFIT FOR OUR RESIDENTS. COMPLETING THE PROJECT IN-HOUSE ALSO ALLOWED THE CITY TO MAXIMIZE RESOURCES, MAINTAIN HIGH STANDARDS AND ACHIEVE MEANINGFUL COST SAVINGS. I'M EXTREMELY PROUD OF OUR CREW AND STAFF WHO WORK DILIGENTLY TO MAKE THIS PROJECT A SUCCESS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS THEIR HARD WORK, DEDICATION, AND PRIDE IN EVERYTHING THAT THEY DO EACH AND EVERY DAY. THANK YOU TO THE CITY COMMISSION AS WELL, UPPER MANAGEMENT FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND YOUR SUPPORT TO BRING IN-HOUSE INITIATIVES. AS YOU ALL KNOW, THREE YEARS AGO A LOT OF THESE PROJECTS WERE BEING DONE, CONTRACTED OUT, BUT THANKS TO US BEING ABLE TO DO THESE THINGS IN-HOUSE, WE'RE ABLE TO DO MORE WITH THE MONEY THAT WE HAVE AND THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE. SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT. AND I HAVE MY TEAM. I'M NOT SURE IF YOU WANT TO MENTION SOMETHING. DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE HEELS.

AND THE PINK. NO. YES. THANK YOU MAYOR, CITY COMMISSIONERS, I THINK THIS IS NOT ONLY OUR AWARD, IT'S LIKE ALL PUBLIC WORKS. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE SUPPORT. THANK YOU.

WELL, I JUST WANT TO SAY HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE I KNOW I TELL YOU THIS ALL THE TIME, BUT I THINK PUBLICLY IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE YOU. YES. YOU ARE BOTH TWO AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, SMART AND BEAUTIFUL LADIES AT THE HELM OF PUBLIC WORKS. AND I DON'T THINK THAT YOU CAN FIND THAT IN ANY OTHER DEPARTMENT IN PUBLIC WORKS ACROSS THE REGION. AND IT'S NOT JUST BEAUTY, IT'S BRAINS BEHIND THIS INITIATIVE. AND YOU ALL ARE FIRST RESPONDERS. I'VE SEEN YOU IN ACTION IN TIMES OF CRISIS, IN TIMES OF EMERGENCY, AND WE KNOW THAT CHRIS HAS BEEN ASSISTING US HERE WITH CITY MANAGEMENT. AND FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW, RUTH HAS BEEN LEADING THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. SO NOT ONLY ARE YOU ALL RECOGNIZED STATEWIDE FOR YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS, BUT WE RECOGNIZE YOU HERE LOCALLY FOR STEPPING UP TO THAT CHALLENGE AND FILLING THAT NEED. WE ARE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL FOR YOU. AND ALSO THIS IN-HOUSE PROJECT. NOT ONLY IS THIS NEW, BUT IT ALSO GOT PROJECT OF THE YEAR. AND SO THAT IS A TESTAMENT TO ALL OF THE HARD WORK, CITY MANAGEMENT, ENGINEERING, ALL OF THE STAFF AND OF COURSE YOU LADIES AS WELL. SO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO RECOGNIZE YOU WITH THIS AWARD OR WITH THIS RECOGNITION OF YOUR AWARDS. AND WE'D LOVE TO TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH WITH YOU. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YES, SIR. AND. AND THREE. TWO. ONE. ONE

[00:50:21]

MORE AND ONE. YEAH.

AND WE DO WANT TO JUST EXTEND OUR APPRECIATION TO REPRESENTATIVE JANIE LOPEZ, WHO VISITED PUBLIC WORKS AND PRESENTED A RESOLUTION TO THESE WONDERFUL LADIES AND TO THE STAFF FOR THEIR RECOGNITION AT THE STATE LEVEL. SO WE THANK REPRESENTATIVE LOPEZ AND HER OFFICE FOR TAKING THE TIME TO DO THAT. OKAY. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO ITEM FIVE, CITIZEN'S COMMUNICATION. AT THIS TIME, THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO ADDRESS THE CITY COMMISSION AND SPEAK ON ANY MATTER NOT SPECIFICALLY LISTED FOR PUBLIC HEARING ELSEWHERE IN THIS AGENDA. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CITY COMMISSION MEMBERS MAY NOT RESPOND TO COMMENTS OR DELIBERATE ON TOPICS ADDRESSED TODAY. MAYOR, WE HAVE TEN PEOPLE THAT SIGNED UP, AND WE'RE GOING TO START WITH MR. RAYMOND REYES. RAYMOND REYES, 706 NANTUCKET DRIVE. SO IT'S OBVIOUS THERE'S SOME GOOD THINGS GOING ON IN HARLINGEN, WHICH IS ALWAYS, ALWAYS A PLUS. BUT AS I'VE STATED BEFORE, WITH THE GOOD, THERE'S ALWAYS SOME QUESTIONABLE THINGS GOING ON IN THE BACKGROUND. SO I WOULD JUST LIKE TO REITERATE SOMETHING THAT I PERSONALLY CAME ACROSS AND HAD SOME DISCUSSIONS WITH CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS ON THE COMMISSION. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE AND DO OUR DUE DILIGENCE TO MAKE SURE ALL THE KEY POSITIONS ARE FILLED APPROPRIATELY WITH QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS THAT ACTUALLY HAVE THE EXPERIENCE AND THE KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT THEY'RE DOING. I'M NOT GOING TO GO INTO ANY SPECIFICS, BUT I FELT I FELT LIKE I FELT LIKE I FELL VICTIM TO SOMETHING THAT I WAS WAS PROACTIVE AND ASKED CERTAIN THINGS ABOUT SOMETHING I WAS DOING ON ONE OF MY PROPERTIES, WAS ASSURED THAT THAT I WAS ON THE RIGHT TRACK, AND THEN SEVERAL MONTHS, EVEN PROBABLY A YEAR LATER, BECAUSE UNFORTUNATELY, I DO A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS. IT TURNED OUT THAT I WASN'T TOLD THE CORRECT INFORMATION, APPARENTLY, AND SO I MYSELF ERADICATED THAT INSTEAD OF GOING INTO, WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT MY FAULT THAT I WASN'T TOLD THE RIGHT INFORMATION, I DID MY DUE DILIGENCE. USUALLY I WOULD GET VERY AGGRESSIVE ABOUT THAT, BUT I'VE CALMED DOWN A LITTLE BIT FORTUNATELY. SO, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE DOING CORRECT OVERSIGHT. EXCUSE ME. AND MAKING SURE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THAT WE GOT THE QUALIFIED PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT AREAS OF MANAGEMENT AND ALWAYS BE PREPARED TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONSEQUENCES IF WE AVOID THAT QUICK. APPARENTLY THERE'S STILL SOME ISSUES WITH THESE DATA CENTERS. AND I'M TELLING YOU FROM MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AS AN IT WITH 37 YEARS AND SEVERAL DIFFERENT PLACES ACROSS THIS WONDERFUL GLOBE OF OURS DOING IT ON BEHALF OF OUR GOVERNMENT AND MILITARY, THIS REGION IS NOT CANNOT SUPPORT A DATA CENTER.

YOU KNOW, I'M TELLING YOU HARD FACTS. WE DON'T HAVE THE WATER, WE DON'T HAVE THE POWER, YOU KNOW, BUT SOME DECISIONS ARE MADE AND PEOPLE GO FORWARD THINKING THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE BEEN TOLD THE CORRECT INFORMATION. WE JUST NEED TO BE VERY THOROUGH BEFORE WE DO ANYTHING. MAKE SURE ALL THE T'S ARE CROSSED AND ALL THE I'S ARE DOTTED, BECAUSE IF THEY'RE NOT, THEN WE'RE GOING TO END UP REGRETTING IT. AND I'VE SEEN THAT HAPPEN BEFORE WITH OTHER COMPANIES THAT HAVE COME IN DOWN HERE INTO HARLINGEN, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY DO A SIDE DEAL, THEY'RE GONE SOMEWHERE ELSE, AND WE'RE STUCK HOLDING THE BAG. SO WELL, THAT'S FINE, THAT'S FINE. BUT WE'RE GOOD. THANK YOU. I'M GOING TO HANG AROUND FOR A LITTLE BIT. THANK YOU, MR. DIAZ. MAYOR, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ONE. IT'S K. GOOD EVENING. MY

[00:55:08]

NAME IS CAPE HOLT, AND I CHOSE HARLINGEN AS MY FOREVER HOME. BACK IN 2005. I SPENT TWO YEARS SEARCHING FROM WESLACO TO PORT ISABEL BEFORE DECIDING TO BUILD MY HOME IN WATER'S EDGE. I DIDN'T END UP HERE BY ACCIDENT. I CHOSE THIS COMMUNITY WITH INTENTION. MY NEIGHBORS ARE MY FRIENDS. I VOTE IN EVERY ELECTION AND I AM PROUD TO CALL HARLINGEN HOME. YOU HADN'T SEEN ME AT THESE MEETINGS BEFORE OCTOBER, AND NOW YOU SEE ME ALMOST EVERY TIME. THAT'S BECAUSE THIS MATTERS TO ME, TO MY NEIGHBORS AND EVERY SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD. AND IT SHOULD MATTER TO YOU. ONCE AGAIN, I AM HERE TO SPEAK AGAINST APPROVING THE VARIANCES FOR THE PROPOSED HORSESHOE POINT SUBDIVISION. IN THE PAST, I'VE BROUGHT DATA AND NUMBERS.

TONIGHT I WANT TO SPEAK PLAINLY. WE ARE CITIZENS OF HARLINGEN. WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR ANYTHING EXTRAORDINARY. WE ARE ASKING TO DO SOMETHING SO BASIC, SO FUNDAMENTAL THAT IT IS BAFFLING.

WE ARE STILL HERE REPEATING IT. WE ARE ASKING YOU TO FOLLOW THE RULES OF HARLINGEN. NOT TO BEND THEM, NOT TO IGNORE THEM, NOT TO MAKE EXCEPTIONS FOR A DEVELOPER. JUST ENFORCE THE RULES THAT ALREADY EXIST. EVERY SINGLE AFFECTED PROPERTY OWNER IS AGAINST THIS PROPOSAL. EVERY SINGLE ONE. WE WENT DOOR TO DOOR. WE SPOKE TO OUR NEIGHBORS. WITHOUT EXCEPTION. THEY OPPOSE THESE VARIANCES AND THEY SIGNED OUR PETITION. WHY IS IT SUCH A DIFFICULT DECISION? WHY IS ENFORCING OUR OWN ORDINANCES SUDDENLY SO COMPLICATED? WE ARE NOT MCALLEN. WE ARE NOT BROWNSVILLE. THEIR ORDINANCES DO NOT GOVERN US. HARLINGEN HAS ITS OWN STANDARDS STANDARDS MEANT TO PROTECT QUALITY OF LIFE, SAFETY AND PROPERTY VALUES. STANDARDS MEANT TO PREVENT EXACTLY THIS SITUATION. AND YET, HERE WE ARE, FIGHTING FOR OUR CITY TO UPHOLD ITS OWN RULES. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS DEVELOPER AND HIS PARTNERS HAVE SUPPORTED SOME OF YOUR CAMPAIGNS, BUT CAMPAIGN DONATIONS DO NOT VOTE. THE CITIZENS OF HARLINGEN DO. AND WE ARE ASKING CLEARLY, CONSISTENTLY AND OVERWHELMINGLY FOR YOU TO STAND WITH US. WE WANT DEVELOPMENT THAT STRENGTHENS OUR CITY AND ENHANCES OUR PROPERTY VALUES AND CREATES SAFE, LIVABLE NEIGHBORHOODS FOR OUR FAMILIES. WE DO NOT WANT OUR PROPERTY VALUES DIMINISHED BY SUBSTANDARD LOT SIZES THAT DON'T MEET THE 6000 SQUARE FOOT REQUIREMENT. OUT OF CURIOSITY, I CHECKED LOT SIZES IN SEVERAL LOWER INCOME AREAS OF HARLINGEN.

AND YOU KNOW WHAT I FOUND? THEY HAVE 7000 SQUARE FOOT LOTS. THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS MEET OR EXCEED THE STANDARD. WHY SHOULD THIS DEVELOPER BE ALLOWED TO GO BELOW IT? WHY IS IT SO HARD TO FOLLOW THE RULES THAT PROTECT ALL OF US? WHY IS THIS EVEN A BATTLE? THIS SHOULD BE THE EASIEST VOTE YOU TAKE. VOTE NO ON THESE VARIANCES AND REQUIRE THE DEVELOPER TO RETURN WITH A PLAN THAT MEETS OUR ORDINANCES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MISS BOLTON. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON WITH JOSHUA MORALES. HELLO. I MET A MOM IN CAMERON COUNTY AND WITH HER TWO SONS, AND ONE OF THEM HAS ASTHMA. SOME DAYS SHE TURNS ON HER TAP WATER AND THE WATER TURNS BROWN OR YELLOW.

THE WATER BEGAN ITS JOURNEY FROM 1800 MILES AWAY FROM IN COLORADO, AND BY THE TIME IT REACHES HERE IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY, WE RECEIVE ABOUT 15% OF THAT. WE ARE AT THE END OF THE LINE HERE. ABOUT 90% OF OUR DRINKING WATER COMES FROM THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY, FROM THE RIO GRANDE. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHICH CITY YOU LIVE IN, IT'S ONE RIVER, ONE SHARED SOURCE. THE WATER WE DRINK, COOK WITH, BATHE WITH AND FLUSH FLOWS THROUGH THE ARROYO COLORADO INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO AND EVENTUALLY RETURNS THROUGH THE NATURAL CYCLE. WHAT WE ALLOW UPSTREAM, WE APPROVE LOCALLY, IT COMES BACK DOWN. BUT LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE ALREADY CARING HERE IN 2013. SINCE 2013, CAMERON COUNTY ALONE HAS RELEASED OVER 300,000 POUNDS OF CARCINOGENS INTO THE AIR. WE FACE SOME OF THE HIGHEST RATES OF DIABETES, OBESITY, CANCER, RESPIRATORY ILLNESS, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IN TEXAS AND PROJECTIONS SHOW THAT AS MANY AS 1 IN 5 PEOPLE IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY WILL FACE DEMENTIA IN THEIR LIFETIME. THE VALLEY HAS ALSO HAVE HAS THE HIGHEST RATES OF POVERTY IN THE STATE, AND MANY OF OUR COUNTIES. OVER A QUARTER OF THE FAMILIES LIVE BELOW THE POVERTY LINE. NEARLY 1 IN 3 RESIDENTS HERE IS UNDER 18. WE'RE A YOUNG

[01:00:01]

REGION, A REGION FULL OF CHILDREN. FAMILIES ARE ALREADY STRUGGLING TO AFFORD WATER AND ELECTRICITY, AND WE KNOW THOSE BILLS NEVER GO DOWN. THEY ONLY GO UP. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THESE MASSIVE DATA CENTERS THAT ARE REQUIRE ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF WATER AND ENERGY, THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT IS JUST DEVELOPMENT. IT'S ABOUT AFFORDABILITY. IT'S ABOUT PUBLIC HEALTH. IT'S ABOUT OUR CHILDREN. TO THE COMMISSION, WHEN YOU TOOK OFFICE, YOU ACCEPTED THE RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT YOUR PEOPLE, NOT TO RUIN THE CITY LIKE A BUSINESS GOVERNMENT EXISTS TO SAFEGUARD THE HEALTH, SAFETY AND THE QUALITY OF YOUR LIFE. AND TO THE COMMUNITY. I TALKED TO YOU ALL THE TIME. I SEE YOUR TIRED FACES. I KNOW IT'S HARD, BUT A VOICELESS COMMUNITY IS A POWERLESS COMMUNITY. YOUR PARTICIPATION MATTERS BECAUSE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US WHO DRINKS THE WATER, BREATHES THE AIR AND WALKS. THE VALLEY IS CONNECTED. AND THIS IS NOT ANTI-GROWTH. IT'S PRO-PEOPLE, PRO-FAMILY, PRO FUTURE. THE DECISIONS THAT WE MAKE TODAY WILL DETERMINE WHETHER THAT MOTHER IN CAMERON COUNTY AND HER TWO SONS INHERIT SECURITY OR SCARCITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. MORALES. WE'RE GOING

[Item 6 - Approval of Minutes]

TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON WITH ISAAC NEWMAN. HELLO. MY NAME IS ISAAC NEWMAN. SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW ME AS AMANI. THOSE WHO MIGHT BE WATCHING. THAT'S MY MIDDLE NAME AS WELL. I AM THE CO-FOUNDER OF THE FOR THE PEOPLE ALLIANCE. IT IS A POLITICAL ORGANIZATION PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES TO THE PEOPLE OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY. I AM ALSO A CITIZEN OF HARLINGEN. I'VE WORKED FOR THE CITY OF HARLINGEN FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS. I NOW WORK FOR HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. I WORKED AS A 911 DISPATCHER HERE. THE POINT IS, ONE OF MY CORE FOCUSES IN LIFE IN GENERAL IS SERVING THE PEOPLE AND PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES SUCH AS THAT. MY MAIN CONCERN THAT I WANT TO BRING TO THE TABLE IS THE MATTER OF TRANSPARENCY. I KNOW WE'VE HAD A LOT OF TALK ABOUT THESE AI DATA CENTERS I DO WANT TO REFERENCE. WELL, NORM, I DO APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE PROVIDED ON FACEBOOK AND ADDRESSING THE SITUATION AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO. I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE UPSET THAT WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION. I THINK YOU GUYS ARE TRYING TO DO LIKE A RESEARCH STUDY TO GET MORE INFORMATION ONTO MORE OF LIKE THE THE BENEFITS AND COSTS OF A DATA CENTER IN HERE. THERE'S ALREADY INFORMATION OUT THERE ON OTHER CITIES THAT HAVE THESE DATA CENTERS THAT HAVE SHOWN THAT THERE'S A LOT MORE TO RISK AND COST THAN WE DO EVEN GAIN FROM THESE DATA CENTERS. IT IS TAKING A LOT OF OUR WATER. SHOUT OUT TO THE ENGINEERS HERE. YOUR SON WANTS TO BE AN ENGINEER, BUT I DON'T THINK THEY WANT TO BE ENGINEERING A SOLUTION TO THE WATER CRISIS HERE IN HARLINGEN. I DON'T THINK THAT AI SHOULD BE ON THE AGENDA OF ANY OF THESE MINUTES.

THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT STAND WITH ME AND OUR ORGANIZATION THAT ALSO FEEL THE EXACT SAME WAY. WE DO NOT WANT TO SEE AI DATA CENTERS PROPOSED OR ADDRESSED OR DISCUSSED, UNLESS THERE IS AN EXTENSIVE AMOUNT OF EVIDENCE THAT SHOWS THAT THERE IS A LOT TO GAIN RIGHT NOW, WHETHER IT BE FUNNY INSTAGRAM VIDEOS, ANY, ANY, ANY, ANYTHING WITH DATA, IMAGE, IMAGE, TEXT GENERATION, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO BENEFIT OUR CITY AS A WHOLE.

NOW WE CAN HAVE THESE DATA CENTERS ELSEWHERE. THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE USES FOR AI THAT YOU GUYS MIGHT BENEFIT FROM, BUT WE CAN DO THAT IN A WAY WHERE IT WON'T IMPACT OUR CITY DIRECTLY. JUST TO SAY, AS A REMINDER, I RESPECT EVERYONE ON HERE ON THE BOARD THAT IS SERVING OUR COMMUNITY, SERVING OUR CITY. BUT JUST TO REMIND YOU GUYS, THE CITY IS WATCHING WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING. WE APPRECIATE WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING, BUT WE HAVE PEOPLE WATCHING VERY CLOSELY. WHETHER YOU KNOW HOWEVER YOU WANT TO TAKE IT.

BUT WE DO HAVE I DO WANT TO SAY WE DO LOVE WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING SO FAR JUST TO ADDRESS THE CONCERN. NO MORE DATA CENTERS. THAT'S MY TIME. THANK YOU, MR. NEWMAN. OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON WITH LUIS VALDEZ. ESPINO. LUIS VALDESPINO, 420 EAST AUSTIN AVENUE. GOOD EVENING, COMMISSIONERS AND MAYORS, COMMISSIONERS AND MAYOR. I'D LIKE TO OFFER SOME FEEDBACK REGARDING SOME OF THE DISCUSSION FROM THE FEBRUARY 4TH COMMISSIONERS MEETING. FIRST, REGARDING THE DISCUSSION AND APPROVAL FOR ANNEXING HORSESHOE POINT WITH VARIANCES FROM THE HARLINGEN SUBDIVISION STANDARDS. IT SOUNDED AS IF THE MAYOR AND COMMISSION WERE UNDERSELLING THE BENEFITS OF A DEVELOPMENT BEING ANNEXED INTO HARLINGEN. THE ARGUMENT WAS PRESENTED AS IF THE DEVELOPMENT WOULD TAKE PLACE, WHETHER OR NOT THE CITY OF HARLINGEN APPROVED IT, AND THAT HARLINGEN WOULD GAIN NOTHING IF THE DEVELOPMENT WAS NOT A PART OF THE CITY. WHAT YOU OMITTED DURING THIS DISCUSSION WAS THAT THE DEVELOPER WAS ASKING FOR ANNEXATION INTO HARLINGEN, BECAUSE THERE ARE BENEFITS THAT COME WITH ANNEXATION. BEING A PART OF THE CITY COMES WITH ACCESS TO PUBLIC SERVICES, FIRE

[01:05:03]

AND POLICE, UTILITIES AND DISTRICT SCHOOLS, TO NAME A FEW. PLEASE RECOGNIZE THAT HARLINGEN IS A VALUE TO THESE DEVELOPERS. IF IT WAS NOT, THEY WOULD NOT BE REQUESTING ANNEXATION. YOU DO NOT NEED TO MAKE THEIR ARGUMENTS FOR THEM. WE WOULD BE BETTER SERVED BY YOU REMINDING THEM WHAT THEY RISK LOSING IF THEY DO NOT COMPLY WITH HARLINGEN DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS.

WE WANT THESE DEVELOPMENTS TO BE SUCCESSFUL, AND THEY CAN BE SUCCESSFUL WHILE STILL BUILDING UP TO HARLINGEN STANDARDS. NEXT, I WOULD LIKE TO AGAIN ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO ADVOCATE FOR HARLINGEN WITH THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND TO IMPLORE THEM NOT TO OFFER ANY TAX ABATEMENTS FOR ANY POLITICAL FOR ANY POTENTIAL DATA CENTERS. TAX ABATEMENTS ARE NOT REQUIREMENTS, AND IF THEY ARE NOT OFFERED, IT JUST MIGHT DISCOURAGE ANY ENERGY AND OTHERS FROM PURSUING THESE PROJECTS. I CHALLENGE YOU ALL TO HOLD TOWN HALL MEETINGS THAT WILL ENCOURAGE TWO WAY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE CITIZENS AND YOURSELVES REGARDING DATA CENTERS AND OTHER CONCERNS. I SOMETIMES HEAR THIS QUESTION FROM THE COMMISSION WHAT ARE OTHER CITIES DOING? WELL, IT'S GOOD TO KNOW WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE DOING AND WE CAN SOMETIMES LEARN FROM THEM. HOWEVER, HARLINGEN SHOULD NOT BE A FOLLOWER. HARLINGEN CAN LEAD BY PRIORITIZING ITS CITIZENS, THEIR RIGHTS, AND THEIR WELL-BEING. WE ARE NOT LITTLE BROTHER OR SISTER TO BROWNSVILLE OR MCALLEN. WE ARE

[Item 7 - Consent Agenda]

HARLINGEN, AND WE SHOULD BE THE ONES THAT THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES LOOK UP TO. LASTLY, WHY AND WHEN DID THE TIME CHANGE FROM 3 P.M. TO NOON FOR A SUBMISSION OF THE CITIZEN COMMUNICATION FORM? WHY WAS THIS NOT PUBLISHED? THESE KINDS OF CHANGES SHOULD BE OPENLY COMMUNICATED IN ADVANCE. OTHERWISE IT GIVES THE APPEARANCE THAT YOU ARE NOT, THAT YOU ARE DISCOURAGING CITIZEN COMMUNICATION. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL.

THANK YOU. MR. THANK YOU MAYOR. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON WITH ALEXIS BAY. I DID WANT TO NOTE BEFORE I START, THIS IS MY FIRST TIME DOING THIS WITH Y'ALL. THERE WAS A TIME THE MAIN PAGE TO PUT A COMMENT SAID 12 P.M. BUT THE PDF SAID 3 P.M. JUST SO YOU'RE AWARE THAT THERE'S A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN TWO DIFFERENT WEB PAGES ABOUT WHEN TO SUBMIT THE COMMENTS, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING DON'T START OUR TIME YET. IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT IT IS 3 P.M.

IF THAT HAS CHANGED, WE'LL LOOK INTO IT. IT'S IT'S GOING TO CHANGE. WE JUST PUBLISHED NOTICE THAT IT WOULD BE CHANGING FOR THE MARCH. YES, IT WILL START CHANGING TO 12 P.M.

BUT IT'S NOT STILL 3 P.M. WHY ARE WE CHANGING? BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT TO MAKE COPIES. WE HAVE TO GET THEM TO EVERYBODY. AND AT 3 P.M. SOMETIMES IT'S DIFFICULT FOR THEM WITH EVERYTHING ELSE THEY HAVE TO DO FOR THE AGENDA. OKAY. SO THEY'RE MOVING IT UP THREE HOURS TO GIVE THEM MORE TIME. WELL, I WOULD ASK IF YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE ANY CHANGES TO AT LEAST GIVE THE COMMUNITY NOTICE AND ADEQUATE NOTICE. SO THAT WAY EVERYONE IS ON THE SAME PAGE AND IMPLEMENTING IT WITHIN A WEEK OR SO ISN'T GOING TO BE SUFFICIENT. WE CAN ACTUALLY MOVE IT BACK TO APRIL, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IT'S JUST A NOTICE THAT TIME IS STILL 333 3:00. SO NEWS TO ME. SO I APPRECIATE YOUR YOUR NEEDING TO TO HAVE SUFFICIENT TIME. BUT WE ALSO WANT TO BE ACCESSIBLE TO THE COMMUNITY. YOU'LL MAKE THE NOTICE FOR THE FIRST MEETING IN APRIL. YES WE WILL OKAY. SORRY THIS IS NOT TYPICAL. IT'S. YES AND I APPRECIATE I MEAN WE WE LEARN HERE WITH YOU SOMETIMES AS WELL. BUT WELCOME WE APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME.

I HAVE READ WHAT YOU WROTE HERE, BUT YOU'RE WELCOME TO EITHER READ THIS OR EXPAND. AND YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. AND NOW MELINDA ■WILL GIVE YOU YOUR TIM. THANK YOU. AWESOME. THANK YOU.

[Item 8 - Presentation of STEC Report]

GOOD AFTERNOON, CITY COMMISSIONERS AND MAYOR. MY NAME IS ALEXIS BAY. I WORK HERE OUT OF HARLINGEN IN AN OFFICE THAT UTILIZES THE LOCAL ELECTRIC GRID AND LOCAL WATER.

I AM DEEPLY CONCERNED AT THE POSSIBILITY OF INNES ENERGY, OR ANY COMPANY BUILDING AN AI DATA CENTER IN HARLINGEN, AS WE ARE ALREADY IN A BIT OF A WATER CRISIS AND DROUGHT ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY, AND THE ELECTRICAL GRID IS EASILY STRAINED. I WAS ACTUALLY HERE THE NIGHT OF THE TERRIBLE STORM IN MARCH THAT FLOODED THE ENTIRE CITY, AND THE IDEA OF A STORM LIKE THAT OCCURRING AGAIN, WHICH IS LIKELY WHILE A DATA CENTER IS SUCKING THE POWER OUT OF THE GRID, IS FRIGHTENING. THERE ARE DATA CENTERS IN OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE CAUSED CONSTANT WORRYING. WORRYING NOISES THAT DISRUPT NEARBY COMMUNITIES, WITH SOME RESIDENTS UNABLE TO SLEEP, ESPECIALLY ELDERLY OR SICK RESIDENTS. OTHER AI DATA CENTERS POWER THEMSELVES WITH POLLUTANTS THAT POUR INTO COMMUNITIES, DIMINISHING AIR QUALITY. I AM ALSO CONCERNED AS TO ANY NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENTS OR NDAS PUT BEFORE THE CITY OR LOCAL PROPERTY OWNERS. AS I RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT 80% OF DATA CENTER COMPANIES USE NDAS TO LIMIT WHAT CAN BE SHARED WITH THE PUBLIC. SHATTERING TRANSPARENCY

[01:10:04]

THESE NDAS LIMIT THE PUBLIC'S ABILITY TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THESE PROJECT PROPOSALS, OFTEN BROUGHT BY SHELL COMPANIES ON BEHALF OF AI COMPANIES. AI COMPANIES CLAIM THIS IS TO PROTECT AGAINST THEIR COMPETITORS, BUT CONSISTENTLY HAS BEEN A MECHANISM OF KEEPING CRITICAL INFORMATION FROM GETTING TO RESIDENTS MOST IMPACTED BY THESE INVASIVE DATA CENTERS. THERE ARE SOME REPORTS THAT, AT BEST, THIS PROPOSED DATA CENTER WOULD BRING ABOUT MAYBE 30 TECHNICIAN JOBS, AND I AM SKEPTICAL AS TO HOW MANY OF THESE JOBS WILL ACTUALLY GO TO LOCAL FOLKS. SOMETHING THAT WE CAN ALL AGREE ON IS THE VALLEY IS A PLACE WHERE IF ONE CITY BRINGS SOMETHING NEW TO THE TABLE, OTHER CITIES ARE SURE TO FOLLOW. THINK OF ALL THE FOOD TRUCK PARKS POPPING UP EVERYWHERE ACROSS THE VALLEY.

THE CITY HAS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO SIGNAL TO ITS SIBLING CITIES THAT THE RGV WILL NOT FURTHER ENDANGER ITS WATER SUPPLY AND FRAGILE POWER GRID TO AI COMPANIES WHO ONLY CARE ABOUT A BOTTOM LINE, NOT THE COMMUNITY. IF HARLINGEN FOLLOWS THROUGH WITH BUILDING A DATA CENTER, IT MAY BE INDIRECTLY ENCOURAGING OTHER CITIES TO DO THE SAME AND COULD LEAD TO AN INEVITABLE DEGRADATION OF THE VALLEY. INSTEAD, I IMPLORE THE CITY TO CONSIDER A MORATORIUM OF AI DATA CENTERS AND ENCOURAGE ITS SIBLING CITIES TO DO THE SAME.

PLEASE PROTECT HARLINGEN AND THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU.

MR. OKAY, NOW WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO JESSIE MARTINEZ. IZZY, ARE YOU HERE OR PUBLIC OR BOTH? FOR BOTH. BOTH PUBLIC HEARING AND CITIZEN COMMUNICATIONS. YES, MA'AM.

OKAY, GREAT. CAN YOU TELL ME WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO. BECAUSE I'M A LITTLE SLOWER THAN MY YOUNGER FRIENDS OUT HERE, AND RIGHT NOW, JESSE MARTINEZ, 1806 HAVERFORD BOULEVARD. I DO SUPPORT ALL OF YOU. YOU HAVE. AND I'M VERY GLAD YOU'RE HERE TALKING AND TELLING OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS OF OUR THEIR OBLIGATIONS TO US. BUT I'M HERE REALLY FOR THE $1.2 MILLION THAT IS AVAILABLE FROM THE AARP. COVID MONEY THAT WAS APPROVED IN 2023, THAT'S AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY TO BRING HOUSING ASSISTANCE TO THE VERY, VERY NEEDY. APPARENTLY, IT'S THE AGENDA. THERE'S 1.2 MILLION TO 8 HOMELESS FAMILIES AND AT RISK FAMILIES FROM BEING HOMELESS.

THAT'S THE KEY. THAT'S WHAT THE MONEY IS FOR. I'M HERE TO ASK, AS I ASKED THE DIRECTOR, I COULDN'T READ IT IN YOUR IN YOUR BOOKLET AND YOUR DOCUMENT. THERE'S A LOAF AND FISSURES.

THERE'S NONPROFIT CORPORATIONS, ETC. BUILDING OR DEVELOPING OPPORTUNITIES FOR KIDS AND FAMILIES AT RISK. OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT RECENTLY LOST 600 KIDS IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.

ENROLLMENT THAT'S MOSTLY IN THE INNER CITY. THE CENTRAL CITY. YOU HAVE A REDEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST. DOWNTOWN HAS NO MONEY FOR REDEVELOPMENT, AND EDC JUST GAVE HIM 100 GRAND WHILE THEY GAVE TCC 1.5 MILLION. NOW, YOU KNOW, WE GOT TO GET OUR FUNDING AND I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO BUDGET. AND TOMORROW WE'LL DISCUSS THE FOR BE MAYOR. AND UTERINE IS NOT PART OF FORBI. YOU KNOW THAT AND I KNOW THAT. BUT YOU CAN DO FUNDING THROUGH SOME SAVINGS AND SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES YOU HAVE IN YOUR BUDGET FOR NEUTERING IT. ANIMAL CONTROL IS. BUT HERE IS A RESPONSIBILITY OF $1.2 MILLION TO GET TOGETHER WITH THE CDBG DIRECTOR AND HELPER.

THERE'S A LOT OF EXPERTISE OUT HERE THAT CAN HELP DEVELOP THAT. OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS LOST CHILDREN. THEY'RE PROBABLY GOING TO CLOSE THE SCHOOL TO REDEVELOPING AND REPURPOSING THESE FACILITIES IN THE BARRIOS, IF I MAY. THAT'S WHERE WE GREW UP. IT'S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT AND PART OF OUR VISION TO REDEVELOP OUR DOWNTOWN AND CENTRAL CITY. SO I ASK YOU, DON'T RUSH IT. YOU'VE ALREADY WAITED SINCE 20, 23, THREE YEARS OR TWO YEARS, TAKE A FEW MONTHS, WORK WITH US AND WE'LL DEVELOP A GOOD PROJECT BECAUSE THIS IS THE END. THIS IS THE END OF THE MONEY. THE MONEY. SO PLEASE BE CONSISTENT. FINALLY, THE FIRE PLAN, THE FIVE YEAR PLAN. WE USED TO DO IT IN-HOUSE. WE NEED TO DO IT IN-HOUSE AGAIN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SIR I'LL SEND YOU I'LL SEND YOU MY. I APPRECIATE MY REVIEW. YES, SIR. OKAY, MAYOR, WE'RE GOING TO

[01:15:01]

MOVE ON WITH ANGELA VALDESPINO. OKAY? ANGELA VALDESPINO 420 AUSTIN. ACCORDING TO THE REAL ESTATE PURCHASE OPTION CONTRACT SIGNED BY ENNIS ENERGY, THEY HAVE UNTIL JULY 3RD, 2026 TO DECIDE TO PURCHASE THIS PROPERTY. THAT'S FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS AWAY. WHAT IS STOPPING THE MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS OF HARLINGEN FROM PASSING A MORATORIUM NOW THAT WOULD LAST SIX MONTHS. THIS WOULD OUTLAST THEIR CONTRACT. DID YOU KNOW THAT ENNIS ENERGY ROUTINELY REQUESTS LETTERS OF SUPPORT FROM THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES THEY ARE INTERESTED IN? THEY WILL EVEN PROVIDE A TEMPLATE FOR PEOPLE AND COMPANIES TO USE. IN SEPTEMBER 2025, THEY CONTACTED TSC WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS AND OUR TEXAS STATE REPRESENTATIVE FOR SUPPORT, JUST TO NAME A FEW. WHY WOULD THIS COMPANY SEEK RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THEMSELVES IF THEY HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE? TO ME, THIS IS A THIS. THIS IS A DISTRACTION. WHY WOULD ENNIS ENERGY ALSO PROVIDE A NONDISCLOSURE AGREEMENT FOR PARTIES TO SIGN? THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ANOTHER RED FLAG WHEN PUBLICLY ELECTED OFFICIALS SIGN AN NDA, THEY NO LONGER REPRESENT THE RESIDENTS OF THEIR CITY OR THE RESIDENTS OF THEIR COUNTY. THEY REPRESENT AN OUT-OF-STATE CORPORATION. MAYOR, I HAVE READ A COUPLE OF YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS WHERE YOU SAY THAT YOU ARE WORKING WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY ON A LOCAL ORDINANCE AND A POTENTIAL MORATORIUM. YOU ARE JUST ONE OF THE SIX ELECTED CITY OFFICIALS, ALL FIVE CITY COMMISSIONERS SHOULD BE WORKING SIDE BY SIDE WITH YOU AND THE CITY ATTORNEY TO DEVELOP THIS LOCAL ORDINANCE.

ALL FIVE CITY COMMISSIONERS SHOULD KNOW ALL THE INFORMATION, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST A SELECT FEW.

WHY? BECAUSE THERE ARE SIX VOTES. WHY? BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY SHOULD LOOK LIKE.

THE CITY OF HARLINGEN IS NOT RUN BY ONE PERSON. THE CITY MUST PASS A LOCAL ORDINANCE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AGAINST THESE LARGE INDUSTRIAL CORPORATIONS. THEY WILL DESTROY OUR LAND, CONSUME OUR WATER, GAS AND ELECTRICITY, INCREASE OUR UTILITY BILLS, POLLUTE OUR ENVIRONMENT, HARM OUR HEALTH, AND DESTROY OUR CITY. THIS NEW LOCAL ORDINANCE SHOULD ALSO PROTECT HARLINGEN FROM OTHER RAPIDLY GROWING INDUSTRIES LIKE WIND FARMS, SOLAR FARMS, BITCOIN MINING AND CRYPTOCURRENCY MINING, WHICH ALSO CONSUME LAND, WATER, GAS AND ELECTRICITY RESOURCES. HOW WILL THIS DATA CENTER AFFECT OUR AIRPORT? WELL, FLOODING OCCUR MORE FREQUENTLY, CAUSING THE AIRPORT TO BE CLOSED MORE OFTEN. IF THAT HAPPENS, WE WILL LOSE OUR AIRPORT. IT WAS REPORTED THAT HARLINGEN HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH. WE ARE DOING THIS WITHOUT THE HELP OF ANY DATA CENTER OR ANY OTHER LARGE INDUSTRIAL CORPORATION. DON'T SELL HARLINGEN OUT TO ANYONE OR TO ANY COMPANY. WE DON'T WANT THEM, WE DON'T NEED THEM, AND WE WILL GROW ON OUR OWN TERMS WITH OUR OWN RESOURCES. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. OKAY. MAYOR, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON WITH CHRISTOPHER GARCIA. DO WE HAVE CHRISTOPHER GARCIA? OKAY. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON WITH CESAR PEREZ. CESAR PEREZ, SEE HERE, MISS BOLT. YEAH, HE'S ON HIS WAY. HIS MOTHER WENT TO THE HOSPITAL. WE'LL CALL HIM WHEN HE GETS HERE, OKAY? OKAY, THEN THAT IS ALL WE HAVE FOR CITIZENS COMMUNICATION, MAYOR.

OKAY. SEE IF WE CAN JUST. IF MR. PEREZ GETS HERE YET. EMERGENCY. WE CAN. WE CAN LET HIM SPEAK. JUST LET ME. THANK YOU. OKAY. SO THEN WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO ITEM SIX, APPROVAL OF MINUTES FOR THE REGULAR MEETING OF NOVEMBER 5TH, 2025. OKAY. IS THERE A MOTION MOTION TO APPROVE. ARE THERE ANY AMENDMENTS? NO. HE'S ACTUALLY WALKING IN. ALL RIGHT.

OKAY. LET'S JUST GO AHEAD WITH WE GOT A MOTION ON THE MINUTES. IS THERE A SECOND, SECOND SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. HI. MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY OKAY. LET'S GO BACK TO CITIZEN COMMUNICATION, MR. PEREZ. HELLO. SORRY I'M LATE. MY MOM'S IN THE HOSPITAL. NO PROBLEM. LET ME CATCH MY BREATH. OKAY. I WAS RUSHING OVER HERE. MY NAME IS CESAR PEREZ. I'M THE

[01:20:02]

PRESIDENT OF WATERSEDGE. AT THE FEBRUARY 4TH MEETING. THIS ITEM SHOULD HAVE BEEN REQUIRED A SUPERMAJORITY VOTE. BUT I'M HOLDING IN MY HAND. HERE IS A LETTER THAT WAS SENT TO 24 PEOPLE WHO WERE GOING TO BE AFFECTED BY THE ZONING CHANGE IN ANNEXATION. THE CITY DID THE RIGHT THING BY SENDING THIS LETTER OUT TO THESE AFFECTED RESIDENTS. THE CITY ALSO APPROPRIATELY ACCEPTED THE PETITION AFTER THEY APPROPRIATELY ACCEPTED THIS, APPROPRIATELY ACCEPTED THIS PETITION AFTER THE SUBMISSION. AFTER THE SUBMISSION TO THE CITY OFFICIALS, HOWEVER, THE CITY COMMISSION DID WRONG BY IGNORING THE VOICE OF THIS RESIDENTS. I'M NERVOUS. YOU WANT A MINUTE? WE CAN COME BACK. WE CAN COME BACK TO YOU. NO.

IT'S OKAY. OKAY. I JUST NEED TO CATCH MY BREATH. BUT THANK YOU. THERE'S A TERM CALLED EQUITABLE ESTOPPEL. ESSENTIALLY, IT REQUIRES THE GOVERNMENT ENTITIES TO BE HONEST AND TRANSPARENT ABOUT THE FACTS AND ITS REPRESENTATION. AND IN THIS CASE, IT MEANS THAT IT CANNOT SEND OUT OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION OR LETTERS TO RESIDENTS SAYING ONE THING AND THEN LATER SAY, NEVER MIND. WE DON'T THINK THIS APPLIES HERE. I PERSONALLY WORK WITH JOEL SOWELL, JOEL OLIVO, AND SOL NUNEZ FROM THE PLANNING AND ZONING DEPARTMENT, AND WE WENT BACK AND FORTH FOR TWO DAYS TO MAKE SURE THE PETITION CALCULATIONS WERE CORRECT. WE ONLY NEEDED 20%. WE HAD 23 RESIDENTS, OR 95.6% OPPOSE THE ZONING AND ANNEXATION. ANNEXATION NOW BEING CONSIDERED FOR THIS AGENDA ITEM. BY THE WAY, I TOOK THIS. BY THE WAY, I ALSO TOOK THE LIBERTY OF DOING ANOTHER SURVEY FROM WATER'S EDGE, AND I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO PREPARE IT, BUT I'LL EMAIL IT TO YOU GUYS. BUT I DID ANOTHER SURVEY AND PETITION AND I GOT 100 SIGNATURES OPPOSING THIS HORSESHOE POINT DEVELOPMENT. IN FACT, WE'RE HAVING OUR ANNUAL MEETING ON FEBRUARY 25TH, AND THIS WILL BE THE BIGGEST TOPIC BECAUSE THIS IS THE CONCERN PEOPLE HAVE ABOUT THIS. THIS IS THE CONCERN OF THE THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST CONCERNS PEOPLE HAVE ABOUT THIS PROJECT AND THE NEGATIVE IMPACT IT WILL HAVE ON OUR SUBDIVISION. COLLECTIVELY, ALL OF OUR PETITIONERS ARE SIGNIFICANT TAXPAYERS HERE IN HARLINGEN, AND WE ARE BEING IGNORED BY THE CITY COMMISSION.

LET ME BE CLEAR. A SUBDIVISION WITH WELL OVER 300 HOMES AND ONE STREET ACCESS IS UNSAFE AND IRRESPONSIBLE. THERE IS EXTENSIVE RESEARCH AND PRECEDENT FOR THE TEXAS PUBLIC SAFETY STANDARDS AND SUBDIVISION, ESPECIALLY WITH REGARD TO THE ACCESS AND SAFETY.

THE BEST PRACTICE DICTATE THAT, FOR INSTANCE, WHEN YOU HAVE WELL OVER 300 HOMES, THE INDUSTRY STANDARD WITH A LEVEL DENSITY IS TO HAVE 3 TO 4 ACCESS POINTS. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO ENSURE SAFETY WHEN IT COMES TO EVACUATION, FIRE AND MEDICAL EMERGENCIES. AS AN ASIDE, I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL DIFFERENT MAPS AND RENDERINGS SHOWING THIS PROJECT AND FUTURE STREET ACCESS CONNECTING TO INTO WATER'S EDGE STREETS, AND THIS HAS BEEN MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY BY THIS COMMISSION. ALMOST ENCOURAGEMENT. I WILL TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, WATER'S EDGE RESIDENTS DO NOT WANT THIS. WE DO NOT WANT IT. AND SADLY, ONE COMMISSIONER THAT I SPOKE WITH MENTIONED INTERNAL PRESSURES BEING APPLIED TO THE VOTE IN FAVOR OF THIS ITEM

[Item 9 - Public Hearings ]

BECAUSE IT WAS THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE MONEY FOR THE CITY INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. THIS IS NOT GOOD GOVERNANCE. NOBODY SHOULD BE COERCED AND THE VOTE OF SOMETHING THEY DON'T WANT TO VOTE FOR. THEREFORE, THIS AGENDA ITEM IS IF IT IS ALLOWED TODAY TO PASS WITHOUT A SUPERMAJORITY VOTE, WE WILL PURSUE LITIGATION AND WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT THE TRUTH WILL COME OUT AND WILL PREVAIL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND I APPRECIATE YOU WAITING FOR ME. HAVE A GREAT DAY. THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. ALL RIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO ITEM SEVEN, WHICH IS CONSENT AGENDA. NO DISCUSSION IS ANTICIPATED ON ANY OF THE ITEMS IN THIS SECTION BECAUSE THERE ARE ROUTINE BUSINESS, WERE INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET ADOPTION PROCESS, OR HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED AS A STAFF REPORT OR DISCUSSION ITEM.

THESE ITEMS WILL BE CONSIDERED COLLECTIVELY BY A SINGLE VOTE, UNLESS A COMMISSION MEMBER REQUESTS AN ITEM BE REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA. IS THERE ANY ITEMS TO BE REMOVED? I JUST HAVE A QUESTION ON C, PLEASE. OKAY, LET'S REMOVE ITEM C. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE

[01:25:05]

ITEMS A, B, D, E, F AND G? MOTION TO SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. OKAY. ITEM SEVEN C READS CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE A ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF HARLINGEN AND UNA, FORMERLY EAST SERVICE SOLUTIONS. AND THAT IS WITH SPECIAL PROJECTS DEPARTMENT. OKAY. MY QUESTION IS VERY SIMPLE. WHO'S GOING TO HAVE ACCESS TO SEEING THE INFORMATION THAT COMES THROUGH? EVERYBODY, PEOPLE. THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE? YES. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT ANSWER IS? I DON'T IT'S FOR USERS AND IT'S MOSTLY FOR THE SPECIAL PROJECTS DEPARTMENT. WE ARE IN CHARGE OF DOING THE GRAND RESEARCH. IS IT FOUR, THREE, FOUR? OKAY. YEAH. BECAUSE WHEN I WAS I HAD ACCESS TO THAT SIVAS, IT WAS VERY LIMITED. AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I WAS OFF OF IT. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH ICE. THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT COMES THROUGH.

YES, YES, IT WILL BE FOR FOR FULL USERS. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? THAT'S IT. MOTION. MOTION TO APPROVE. SEE SECOND, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.

AYE. OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY OKAY. MOVING ON TO ITEM EIGHT IS STAFF REPORTS AND OTHER DISCUSSION ITEMS. ITEMS IN THIS SECTION ARE NOT EXPECTED TO REQUIRE ACTION BY THE CITY COMMISSION AND ARE GENERALLY FOR INFORMATION ONLY. HOWEVER, ANY ITEM LISTED IN THIS SECTION MAY BECOME AN ACTION ITEM AT A FUTURE MEETING WITH THE REQUEST OF THE MAYOR, OR AFTER THE REQUEST OF TWO CITY COMMISSION MEMBERS OR CITY MANAGER. ITEM EIGHT A CITY MANAGER'S REPORT. MR. GONZALEZ, DO YOU HAVE ANY REPORT? NO, THE ONLY REPORT I HAD I'VE ALREADY ASKED SHANNON TO TALK ABOUT, WHICH IS RIBBON CUTTING. OKAY. AND THE OTHERS BY STECK. OKAY.

[Item 10a - Consideration and possible action to approve an ordinance on first reading, amending ordinance No. 2025-10 to ensure the full compliance with Chapter 2303 of the Texas Government Code.]

THEN ITEM B IS STAFF REPORTS AND WE HAVE A PRESENTATION OF THE STECK REPORT. THE RIO RENEE PEREZ. PEREZ, ONE OF PEREZ'S. IT WAS THE REAL IT'S THE REAL RENEE. IT'S IT IS I'M A NURSE PARAMEDIC WITH SOUTH TEXAS EMERGENCY CARE FOUNDATION. I'LL GIVE YOU A QUICK REPORT, OUR ANNUAL REPORT, AND WE HAVE SOME OF OUR INDIVIDUALS HERE FROM THE ORGANIZATION THAT ARE HERE AS WELL. SO IF YOU WANT TO ASK QUESTIONS TO THEM, YOU'RE WELCOME TO ASK THEM QUESTIONS AS WELL. SO JUST REAL QUICK, JUST KIND OF WANT TO GO OVER NUMBERS THAT WE SAW OVER THE THE COURSE OF 2025. AND AGAIN IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANYTHING WE CAN WAIT TILL THE END AND GO OVER THAT. BUT JUST, YOU KNOW, INTRODUCE YOU TO OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS, THE 2025

[Item 10b - Consideration and possible action to approve an ordinance on first reading amending the City of Harlingen's budget for Fiscal Year 2026.]

BOARD OF DIRECTORS. I'M NOT GOING TO GO THROUGH EACH ONE OF THEM, BUT THEY'RE, THEY'RE THEY'RE LISTED REPRESENTING CITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS FROM AROUND THE SERVICE AREAS THAT WE PROVIDE. SO WHICH IS A CHUNK OF CAMERON COUNTY THERE. SO BUT YOU KNOW, THE IMPORTANT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, YOU KNOW, OVERSEE THE OPERATIONS OF SOUTH TEXAS EMERGENCY CARE FOUNDATION.

AND WITHOUT THEM, IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT THEM. SO VERY THANKFUL FOR THEM, BECAUSE THEY PROVIDE THE SUPPORT THAT WE NEED TO PROVIDE THE CARE OUT IN THE FIELD. MISSION AND VISION STATEMENTS. AS YOU CAN SEE, I'LL KIND OF GO OVER. I'M NOT SURE IF ANY OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH OUR MISSION STATEMENT, BUT WE ARE THE SOUTH TEXAS

[Item 10c - Consideration and possible action to approve an ordinance on Second and Final Reading for the voluntary annexation and to establish the initial zoning of Planned Development (PD") District to allow internal streets to have 50 feet R-O-W, with 32 foot wide paved roads, and for 135 out of 358 Residential, Single Family lots to be less than the required 6,000 square feet, for a property bearing a legal description of 35.754 acres out o f a Part or Portion o f Blocks 65, 66, and 72, and out of Reserved Horseshoe Lake, Lon C. Hill Subdivision, located south of Morris Road, approximately 2,095.97 feet southwest of South Ed Carey Drive. Applicant: Melden & Hunt, Inc. c/o Leonard P. Simmons Ill & Mary Beth Simmon.]

EMERGENCY CARE FOUNDATION. WE ARE AN AIR AND GROUND MEDICAL SERVICE PROVIDING RAPID TRANSPORT WITH THE HIGHEST QUALITY PATIENT CARE. SOUTH TEXAS EMERGENCY CARE FOUNDATION IS COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY SERVICE AND PROMOTES SAFETY, ILLNESS AND INJURY PREVENTION.

AWARENESS OF AVAILABLE MEDICAL RESOURCES THAT ARE IN OUR AREA. AND OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, TAKING CARE OF OUR PATIENTS. OUR VISION STATEMENT IS DEFINITELY TO EXPEDITE SERVICE TO ALL PATIENTS, TO CARE FOR THEM REGARDLESS OF ANY TYPE OF FINANCIAL STATUS, AND THEN PROVIDE THE FULL MEDICAL ATTENTION THAT THEY NEED FOR FOR THE PATIENT, WHETHER IT'S HERE LOCALLY OR WE HAVE TO MOVE THEM TO OTHER AREAS OF THE STATE FOR SPECIALIZED CARE. OF COURSE, COURTEOUS AND PROFESSIONAL STAFF SAFE, RELIABLE, EFFECTIVE, COST EFFECTIVE TRANSPORTATION, PROVIDING CONTINUING AND INITIAL CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR OUR NOT ONLY OUR MEDICS, BUT ALSO FOR OUR FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY AS WELL. AND THEN OF COURSE, ALWAYS BE READY FOR ANYTHING THAT COMES ABOUT. AND SO THAT'S KIND OF GOING FORWARD, OUR INTRODUCTION AND OUR HISTORIC OVERVIEW IS, AS MANY OF YOU OF YOU KNOW, WE ARE A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT WAS ACTUALLY STARTED HERE BY THE CITY OF HARLINGEN VALLEY BAPTIST MEDICAL CENTER, ROTARY CLUBS, THEY'RE THE ONES THAT GOT TOGETHER AND SAID, WE NEED A DIFFERENT TYPE OF SERVICE, AND HENCE THE CREATION OF THE SOUTH TEXAS EMERGENCY CARE FOUNDATION. BACK IN THE DAY, IT WAS IT WAS CALLED THE COMMUNITY EMERGENCY CARE FOUNDATION. WHEN I CAME ON BOARD, THAT WAS THE NAME OF IT. AND THEN WE MOVED FORWARD. SO SERVING THE AREA FOR THE LAST 47 YEARS. SO HAVE TO SAY, I'M VERY PROUD TO BE PART OF THAT. AND FOR THE LAST 35 YEARS OF MY CAREER, I'VE SPENT WITH WITH FOUNDATION. AND, YOU KNOW, FROM OUR STANDPOINT, WE'VE HAD SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE SPENT SOME REALLY LONG TIME WITH THE FOUNDATION.

[01:30:06]

THERE'S FOUR OF US THAT HAVE MORE THAN 35 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE OR HAVE DEDICATED THEIR LIVES TO THE SOUTH TEXAS EMERGENCY CARE FOUNDATION, BUT ALSO THE CITIZENS OF THIS AREA.

RIGHT. AND I THINK THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. AND WE HAVE FOUR INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE MORE THAN 25 YEARS, FIVE INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE MORE THAN 20 YEARS. AND THEN, OF COURSE, WE HAVE SEVEN THAT HAVE MORE THAN 17 THAT HAVE MORE THAN TEN YEARS. AND THEN WE HAVE 15 OR SO THAT HAVE MORE THAN FIVE YEARS. PLUS, WITH THE FOUNDATION, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU WRAP IT UP, IT BASICALLY WHAT IT IS IS, YOU KNOW, THE COMMITMENT OF THESE INDIVIDUALS IN THE LONG TERM IS GREAT TO WORK WITH THESE FOLKS THAT I ACTUALLY CAN CALL FAMILY.

YOU KNOW, I HAVE FAMILY AT HOME, BUT ALSO WHEN I GO TO WORK, I HAVE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF FAMILY.

AND I THINK THAT MAKES MAKES US STRIVE MORE. LET'S GO OVER SOME OF THE RESPONSE TIMES, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE SAW OVER THIS FISCAL YEAR. FOR THE 2025, WE HAD 29,388 TOTAL ALARMS. PAY ATTENTION TO THE HARLINGEN NUMBERS. FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2025. WE HAD 20,179 ALARMS IN THE CITY OF HARLINGEN COMPARED TO FISCAL YEAR 2024 OF 19,788, DIFFERENCE OF ABOUT 391 CALLS THAT WE HAD ADDITIONAL TO THAT AREA OR TO THE CALL VOLUME. SO AS YOU CAN SEE, AND I THINK SOMEBODY MADE A COMMENT EARLIER ABOUT THE GROWTH OF OUR AREA. AND IT'S VERY TRUE. AND WE'RE SEEING THAT IN THE MEDICAL. ONE OF THE THINGS I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT TO EVERYBODY IS THIS WE ARE SEEING MORE AND MORE DELAYS IN HOSPITALS AND NOT TO AND I'M NOT DIGGING ANY OF THE HOSPITALS BECAUSE I THINK WHAT HAPPENS IS OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM HAS KIND OF REMAINED THE SAME OVER THE LAST 20 PLUS YEARS, RIGHT. SO WE HAVEN'T ADDED MORE BEDS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT IN THE HOSPITALS, BUT WE DEFINITELY HAVE SEEN AN INCREASE IN POPULATION. AND OF COURSE, SOME OF THE POPULATION ALSO HAS HAVE BECOME MORE ELDERLY, AS MYSELF INCLUDED.

RIGHT. WE'RE GETTING OLDER AND SO WE REQUIRE MORE CARE. AND SO I THINK SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE SEEING IS JUST WE'RE JUST KIND OF OVERGROWING OUR CURRENT HEALTHCARE SYSTEM THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE IN OUR AREA. AND I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY WHY WE SEE A MAJORITY OF THE THE ISSUES THAT WE SEE RIGHT NOW ON THE FIELD FROM THE STANDPOINT OF HOW LONG OUR AMBULANCES ARE SITTING IN HOSPITALS OR, YOU KNOW, OR ANY OF THE 911 CALLS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, WE'RE SEEING THAT INCREASE, BUT WE'RE ALSO SEEING THAT INCREASE IN THOSE PATIENTS IN THOSE HOSPITALS. AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN FIX OVERNIGHT. THAT REQUIRES TIME, BUT IT REQUIRES PLANNING. AND IF WE'RE GOING TO PLAN, IF WE ARE LOOKING AT THE GROWTH OF THE CITY AND OUR REGION, WE NEED WE DEFINITELY NEED TO LOOK AT THOSE AREAS, BECAUSE THAT WILL SAY THAT WILL DRIVE PEOPLE IN. IF YOU HAVE ADEQUATE HEALTH CARE FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS, AND THAT HELPS THE GROWTH OF THE AREA. SO THESE ARE SOME OF OUR NUMBERS. 911 NUMBERS IS AN INTERESTING SLIDE HERE BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT IT ALL, THE RED IS BASICALLY WHERE ALL THE 911 CALLS HERE. HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE LANDLINES AT HOME. GOOD. I STILL HAVE ONE TOO. NOT VERY MANY OF US. A LOT OF DATA THAT LIVES IN THE LANDLINE PHONE. EVERYBODY ELSE PROBABLY HAS JUST CELL PHONE. RIGHT. AND SO THE LANDLINES REALLY CARRY A LOT OF INFORMATION OF WHERE THE CALLS AT AND WHAT HAVE YOU. AND OF COURSE, WE'RE STILL WORKING WITH ALL THE OUR TOWERS AND EVERYTHING IN THE REGION. AND ALWAYS THAT ALWAYS TAKES TIME. SO FINDING YOU SOMETIMES MAY BE DIFFICULT IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE AT AND YOU MAKE A 911 CALL, IT'S A LITTLE HARDER TO FIND VERSUS SOMEBODY ON A LANDLINE. SO IF YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO GET A LANDLINE, I ALWAYS TELL WHEN I'M TRAINING INDIVIDUALS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WHAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE IS, IS GET A LANDLINE, PARTICULARLY IF YOU HAVE FAMILY AT HOME THAT ARE SICK AND WHAT HAVE YOU. IT REALLY HELPS US IDENTIFY AND FIND THESE FOLKS. BUT, YOU KNOW, IN THIS AREA HERE, WE RECEIVED IN 2025, WE RECEIVED 292 OVER 292,000 EMERGENCY 911 CALLS JUST TO THE TO THE DIFFERENT NINE STATES THAT WE HAVE OR THE SECONDARY ANSWERING STATIONS THAT WE HAVE AROUND THE COUNTY. SO THAT'S A LOT OF CALLS. SO THAT'S THAT'S GET FILTERED IN AND IT GETS DISPERSED TO THE DIFFERENT REGIONS AND DIFFERENT POLICE DEPARTMENTS, FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND EMS SERVICES THAT ARE IN CAMERON COUNTY. SO YOU KNOW, THAT GETS DISPERSED. AND IT'S REALLY INTERESTING TO SEE THE HOW HOW THAT WORKS. AND THEN OF COURSE, YOU'LL SEE, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S A LITTLE DARKER RED TOWARDS THE BROWNSVILLE AREA, BUT DEFINITELY IN OUR AREA, YOU DEFINITELY SEE WHERE THE 911 CALLS ARE COMING IN MORE CENTRALIZED, MORE IN THE CITY OF HARLINGEN AREA, THERE SOME OF OUR AFFILIATIONS, OF COURSE, WITH TSTC, SOME OF THE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I REALLY WANT TO HIGHLIGHT IS OUR EDUCATION. I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THE EDUCATION WE'VE BEEN DOING WITH OUR COMMUNITY HAS BEEN REALLY IMPORTANT. STOP THE BLEED, CPR TRAINING, NARCAN. I'LL SAY THIS. WE JUST RECOGNIZED TWO STUDENTS FROM THE THE THE HEALTH SCHOOL HERE IN HARLINGEN. THE THEY WERE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING FOR

[01:35:03]

CITIZENS IN THEIR COMMUNITY, AND THEY ACTED UPON THE EMERGENCY THAT THEY WERE HAVING.

SO WE HAD MISS GWEN THAT STARTED CPR IN HER PERSON AND ACTUALLY SAVED SOMEBODY'S LIFE BY DOING THAT. I HAD JUST TAUGHT HER HOW TO DO CPR, SO I FEEL GOOD BECAUSE SOMEBODY WAS LISTENING TO ACTUALLY WHEN I WAS TEACHING. RIGHT. AND THEN WE ALSO HAD A GENTLEMAN, MR. RODRIGUEZ, THAT PLACED A TOURNIQUET ON, ON AN ACCIDENT VICTIM THAT WAS BLEEDING OUT.

AND I ALSO TAUGHT MR. RODRIGUEZ AGAIN, HE WAS LISTENING. AND THAT'S IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW, FROM THAT STANDPOINT, BECAUSE HONESTLY, THE EMERGENCIES THAT OCCUR OUT IN THE COMMUNITY WE WANT TO TEACH OUR COMMUNITY IS YOU'RE THERE FOR YOUR BY YOURSELF FOR A LITTLE WHILE UNTIL HELP GETS THERE. AND WHAT YOU DO IN THOSE FIRST FEW MINUTES IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH. IN THIS CASE, THESE TWO INDIVIDUALS DID SOMETHING AND IT MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES, AND WE JUST KIND OF NEED TO PUSH THAT OUT TO THE COMMUNITY TO SOMETIMES IT MAY TAKE MAY, MAY TAKE US A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO GET THERE, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU'RE THE ONE THAT'S GOING TO HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT RIGHT AWAY. AND SO THAT'S THE KIND OF EDUCATION THAT WE GO BACK TO. ANOTHER THING, YOU KNOW, WE TEACH A LOT OF THE PHYSICIANS FROM ADVANCED CARDIAC LIFE SUPPORT TO PEDIATRIC LIFE SUPPORT. ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT IS OUR ADVANCED TRAUMA LIFE SUPPORT. I STARTED WORKING WITH AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS ABOUT 26 YEARS AGO AND HELPING THEM JUST DO A COUPLE OF CLASSES, AND NOW I'M UP TO DOING ABOUT 40 CLASSES A YEAR THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. AND PETE AND CARLOS HELPED ME OUT AS WELL. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE TRAIN PHYSICIANS HOW TO TAKE CARE OF FOLKS IN TRAUMA. AND, YOU KNOW, ONE THING I DIDN'T SHARE WITH MY CO-COORDINATORS AS WELL WAS THIS LAST CLASS WE HAD IN HOUSTON, THE TWO NASA FLIGHT SURGEONS THAT WERE IN OUR CLASS ARE WERE THE GUYS THAT WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FOR THE TRAINING OF THE ARTEMIS FLIGHT CREW. THAT'S GOING UP TO THE MOON. RIGHT. SO WE HAD A LITTLE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THAT. AND I KIND OF I'M VERY THANKFUL FOR THAT. BUT IN SEEING THAT ATLS, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO TRAIN PROBABLY CLOSE TO GETTING CLOSE TO ALREADY 10,000 DIFFERENT PROVIDERS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES THAT COME AND LOOK FOR THE THE EDUCATION THAT WE PROVIDE. SO WE'RE VERY PLEASED ABOUT THAT. OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICINE PROGRAM CONTINUES. SOME OF YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR, CHP IS REALLY OUR KIND OF THE DIFFERENT SCOPE OF WHAT EMS DOES. YOU KNOW, EMS, WE PICK UP TAKE TO THE HOSPITAL COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDICINE IS ABOUT KEEPING THE PATIENT AT HOME, RIGHT. AND IT'S ALL ABOUT THAT. WE'VE DEFINITELY MADE SOME DIFFERENCES IN OUR COMMUNITY BY HELPING BY 60% REDUCTION IN EMS USE WITH SOME OF THESE PATIENTS, AS WELL AS 20% OF EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT UTILIZATION KEEPING THE PATIENTS AT HOME, RIGHT. THAT'S THE KEY. IF WE CAN KEEP THEM AT HOME. THE OTHER THING, YOU SEE THE PICTURE OF THE LITTLE GIRL THERE WITH THE CAR SEAT. WE STARTED THE CAR SEAT PROGRAM A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. WE HAD A GRANT FOR FOR THE PURCHASE OF CAR SEATS. WE WERE ABLE TO PURCHASE 146 CAR SEATS AND NOW WE'RE DOWN TO EIGHT. WE'VE DONE OUR FAIR SHARE OF. DO YOU NEED AN AMBULANCE, MA'AM? WE GOT GUYS BACK HERE SO THAT THAT'S OKAY. SO. SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DISTRIBUTE THE CAR SEATS TO THOSE AND THEY'RE FREE TO THE COMMUNITY. ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS JUST GIVE THEM TRAINING ON HOW TO PROPERLY PUT THEM IN. AND THEN ALSO WE DO DRIVES WITH POLICE DEPARTMENT AS WELL. WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, WE WORK ON IDENTIFYING WHO NEEDS CAR SEATS OR THE CAR SEATS ARE GOOD OR NOT. AND SO IT'S ONE OF THESE PROJECTS THAT THAT GO HAND IN HAND WITH THE COMMUNITY PARAMEDIC PROGRAM AND VERY PLEASED WITH OUR PROGRAM. WE DO HAVE WORKING ON OUR FUNDING FOR THAT AND LOOKS LIKE BY DIFFERENT PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE HAVE, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO KEEP THAT UP AND RUNNING FOR THE NEAR FUTURE. OUR MOBILE AMBULANCE LABORATORY IS PROBABLY THE ONE OF THE FEW AMBULANCE SERVICES THAT DOES LABS IN THE FIELD. SO WHEN WE DO THE DIFFERENT TYPE OF LABORATORY TESTING, THAT DEFINITELY HELPS THE PATIENTS AND HELPS IDENTIFY WHAT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THESE PATIENTS AND HOW WE TREAT THESE PATIENTS.

EMS SAFETY, WORKING CLOSELY WITH OUR PARTNERS AND FIRE DEPARTMENT AND POLICE DEPARTMENT. ANOTHER IN THE BACKGROUND, YOU SEE THE BUS IN THE BACKGROUND OVER THERE, AND WE UTILIZE AM BUS WHEN WE HAVE MASS CASUALTY INCIDENTS AND WHAT HAVE YOU. AND DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, SAFETY IS A REALLY BIG PART OF WHAT WE DO AND WORKING CLOSELY WITH OUR PARTNERS AND OF COURSE OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. WE NEED TO BE ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO FOR OUR FACILITIES. IN TIMES LIKE THESE, WHEN HOSPITALS ARE FULL. WE'RE REALLY TALKING BACK AND FORTH ON MR. MANN'S IN THE AUDIENCE HERE. WE'RE TALKING BACK AND FORTH WITH OUR HOSPITALS AND HOW WE CAN BENEFIT EACH OTHER OUT. AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THOSE OPEN LINES OF COMMUNICATION, AND I'LL KEEP IT. THAT'S ABOUT IT. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL BE HAPPY TO ADDRESS. I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. I JUST WANT TO I DON'T KNOW IF THE COMMISSION DOES, BUT JUST TO COMMEND YOU AND THE ENTIRE TEAM, I KNOW THAT YOU ALL WORK REALLY HARD AROUND THE CLOCK TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY SAFE AND TO GET TO THEM AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE, JUST TO, YOU KNOW, I WANT AGAIN,

[01:40:07]

AND I SAY THIS EVERY TIME YOU HAVE YOUR PRESENTATION, BUT THE COMMUNITY HEALTH PROGRAM, I THINK IS EXTRAORDINARY. I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S ANY OTHER, YOU KNOW, PROVIDER THAT IS THAT IN THE REGION. AND I THINK THAT'S EXCEPTIONAL BECAUSE WE ARE SEEING THESE INCREASE IN, IN ER VISITS. AND UNFORTUNATELY IT'S THE TIME OF YEAR WHERE EVERYONE'S SICK WITH RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. YES. AND SO IF WE CAN PREVENT ESPECIALLY OUR MOST VULNERABLE FROM BEING ADMITTED INTO THE ER AND GETTING SICK, POTENTIALLY FROM BEING THERE, AND THEN ALSO, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT THERE'S SPACE FOR SOMEONE ELSE THAT NEEDS TO COME IN AND YOU'RE DOING THAT EVERY DAY WITH YOUR COMMUNITY HEALTH PROGRAM. SO I THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF THE VULNERABLE POPULATION IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO THANK YOU AND APPRECIATE ALL THE THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THAT YOU ALL DO. I SEE IT, WE ALL RECOGNIZE IT AND JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU. I DON'T KNOW IF THE COMMISSION HAS ANY QUESTIONS. I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY RENE PEREZ. THAT GOES WITHOUT SAYING. WITH ALL THE CLASSES THAT YOU'VE EVER TAUGHT. WHEN I FIRST BECAME A NURSE, YOU TAUGHT ME MY VERY FIRST DAY. I LEARNED SOME OF MY CLASSES. YOU TAUGHT ME THAT THAT DAY I WENT HOME, AND IT WAS THE FIRST STOP I HAD TO MAKE TO SAVE SOMEBODY'S LIFE. AND I THINK YOU REMEMBER THAT ONE TIME AND YOU TOLD ME. AND THEN IT WASN'T HARD. AFTER THAT, I STOPPED AGAIN. AND I KEPT TELLING YOU, I KEEP RUNNING INTO YOU. AND YOU SAID, WELL, IT'S NOT THAT I THINK I REMEMBER YOU TELLING ME.

IT'S NOT THAT YOU KEEP RUNNING INTO THESE STREETS. IT'S JUST GOES WITH THE SKILL. AND AND YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. IT WENT WITH THE SKILL THAT NOW THAT YOU BECAME INTO THE MEDICAL FIELD, YOU JUST HAPPEN TO KNOW THAT SKILL. AND YOU WERE GOING TO STOP AT EVERYWHERE THEY NEEDED YOU. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND THAT STAYED WITH ME. SO THANK YOU.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU FOLKS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MAYOR. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO ITEM NINE PUBLIC HEARINGS. AT THIS TIME, THE MAYOR WILL INVITE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO HAVE FILLED OUT THE PUBLIC HEARING AND THE CITIZEN COMMUNICATION FORM TO ADDRESS EACH ITEM LISTED IN THIS SECTION. PLEASE LIMIT YOUR COMMENTS TO THE TOPIC OF THAT PUBLIC HEARING. IF MORE THAN ONE PUBLIC HEARING IS BEING HELD, YOU WILL BE ALLOWED TO SPEAK DURING EACH TOPIC PROVIDED YOU HAVE FILLED OUT THE PUBLIC HEARING AND CITIZEN COMMUNICATION FORM FOR THE APPROPRIATE TOPIC. IF YOU ARE SIGNED UP FOR TWO OR MORE PUBLIC HEARINGS, YOU'LL BE LIMITED TO FIVE MINUTES FOR ALL TOPICS. AND TODAY WE ONLY HAVE ONE PERSON SIGNED UP. OKAY. THANK YOU. ITEM NINE A PUBLIC HEARING TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TEXAS ENTERPRISE ZONE PROGRAM AND NOMINATE HARLINGEN MEDICAL CENTER LIMITED PARTNERSHIP 55501 SOUTH EXPRESSWAY 77, HARLINGEN, TEXAS 78 550 TO THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR AS IN ENTERPRISE PROJECT. THIS TIME WILL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING. AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE MR. MARTINEZ. YES. THANK YOU. MAYOR. COMMISSIONERS, I'M HERE TO SUPPORT THE THIS INITIATIVE.

IT'S GOOD, BUT I'M ALSO HERE TO ADVISE OR ASK THAT YOU EXPAND THAT OPPORTUNITY TO THE CENTRAL CITY, BECAUSE YOU HAVE A LOT OF INDUSTRIAL LAND ZONES AND A LOT OF THE BUSINESSES AND A LOT OF THESE LANDOWNERS, ESPECIALLY AROUND HERE ON WILSON ROAD AND ALONG COMMERCE, ETC. THAT HAVE AND THUS AND DANGEVILLE DOWN A ROAD AS WELL THAT HAS COMMERCE AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT OR RELATED HEALTH INITIATIVES THAT THEY BE ADVISED OF THIS INFORMATION, WE'RE PICKING AND CHOOSING OF THOSE THAT DO HAVE CAPABILITY, BUT NOT INFORMING THE REST OF THE PROJECT PROGRAM.

THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS AND AGRIBUSINESS AND OTHER INDUSTRIES, AND A LOT OF THEM ARE SUFFERING. AND HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, THE HEALTH PROGRAM DOESN'T GET CUT CUT IN WASHINGTON, BUT THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE OUR SERVICES BECAUSE WE ARE VERY LOW INCOME AREA. I DO THINK THAT EDC NEEDS TO EXPAND. ITS THE REASON I COME TO YOU BECAUSE YOU APPOINT THOSE BOARD MEMBERS AND SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T GET TO THEM. THIS INFORMATION. YOU HAVE A LOT OF INDUSTRIAL LAND IN AND ZONES ALL OVER THIS TOWN, AND WE'VE NEGLECTED THE CENTRAL CITY, COMMERCE, WILSON, RANGER, RAILROAD, ETC. THAT NEED MORE ATTENTION AND INFORMATION OF OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, MR. MARTINEZ. AT THIS TIME, HAVING NO ONE ELSE HERE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM. WE'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING, MISS MYRA. OKAY. WE'RE MOVING ON TO ITEM TEN, ACTION ITEM. CITY COMMISSION WILL DISCUSS, CONSIDER AND TAKE ANY ACTION DEEMED NECESSARY ON ITEMS LISTED IN THIS SECTION, INCLUDING THE ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION OR AN ORDINANCE.

[01:45:01]

ITEM TEN A CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE AN ORDINANCE ON FIRST READING.

AMENDING ORDINANCE NUMBER 2025 DASH TEN TO ENSURE THE FULL COMPLIANCE WITH CHAPTER 2303 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE. AND WE HAVE EDC MARK IN ORDER TO THE CITY OF HARLINGEN AUTHORIZING THE CITY OF HARLINGEN TO NOMINATE HARLINGEN MEDICAL CENTER LIMITED PARTNERSHIP TO THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM THROUGH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BANK FOR DESIGNATION AS A QUALIFIED BUSINESS AND ENTERPRISE PROJECT UNDER THE TEXAS ENTERPRISE ZONE PROGRAM. UNDER THE TEXAS ENTERPRISE ZONE ACT, CHAPTER 2303 TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE. YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR ORLANDO MOTION TO APPROVE. SECOND, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE, AYE. OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ITEM TEN B CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE AN ORDINANCE ON FIRST READING AMENDING THE CITY OF HARLINGEN'S BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026. MARK AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE BUDGET FOR THE CITY OF HARLINGEN, TEXAS FOR FISCAL YEAR OCTOBER 1ST, 2025 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2026. PROVIDING FOR PUBLICATION OF THE CAPTION OF THIS ORDINANCE AND ORDAINING OTHER MATTERS. RELATED TO THE FOREGOING, IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS? MOTION TO APPROVE. SECOND. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE.

AYE. OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. OKAY. ITEM TEN C READS CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE AN ORDINANCE ON SECOND AND FINAL READING FOR THE VOLUNTARY ANNEXATION AND TO ESTABLISH THE INITIAL ZONING OF PLAN DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT. TO ALLOW INTERNAL STREETS TO HAVE 50FT RIGHT OF WAY WITH 32 FOOT WIDE PAVED ROADS, AND FOR 135 OUT OF 358 RESIDENTIAL SINGLE FAMILY LOTS TO BE LESS THAN THE REQUIRED 6000FT■!S FOR A PROPERY BEARING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF 35.754 ACRES OUT OF A PART OF PORTION OF BLOCK 65, 66 AND 72, AND OUT OF A OUT OF RESERVED HORSESHOE LAKE LANCY HILL SUBDIVISION, LOCATED SOUTH OF MORSE ROAD. APPROXIMATELY 2095.97FT SOUTHWEST OF SOUTH ED CAREY DRIVE, MARK AN ORDINANCE EXTENDING THE CORPORATE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF HARLINGEN BY ANNEXING FOR FULL PURPOSE, 35.754 ACRE TRACT OF LAND OUT OF A PART OR PORTION OF BLOCK 65, 66, AND 72, AND OUT OF RESERVE. HORSESHOE LAKE LORNSHILL SUBDIVISION, LOCATED SOUTH OF MORSE ROAD, APPROXIMATELY 2095.97FT SOUTHWEST OF SOUTH ED CAREY DRIVE AND TO ESTABLISH THE INITIAL ZONING OF PLANNED DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT TO ALLOW FOR INTERNAL STREETS TO HAVE 50FT OF RIGHT OF WAY WITH 32 FOOT WIDE PAVED STREETS, AND FOR APPROXIMATELY 88 OUT OF 129 RESIDENTIAL SINGLE FAMILY LOTS, TO BE LESS THAN THE REQUIRED 6000FT■!S BINDING THE LAND TO AL OF THE ACTS, ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS AND REGULATIONS OF THE CITY. PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO GO INTO AN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO GET LEGAL OPINION FROM MARK. AS WE'VE HAD CITIZEN COMMUNICATION WITH A CONCERN OF LITIGATION. CAN I GET A SECOND, SECOND, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER MESMER? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. THE TIME NOW IS 7:03 P.M. WE WILL RETIRE FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION ON THIS ITEM ONLY AND BE BACK SHORTLY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE.

[Item 10d - Consideration and possible action to abandon a utility easement located at 3744 Expressway 77, bearing a legal description of Midway Subdivision Blocks 6 and 7 & MIDWAY thru . Applicant: Chris Hamby/H20 Construction.]

[Item 10e - Consideration and possible action to abandon a utility easement located at 3744 Expressway 77, bearing a legal description of Midway Subdivision Blocks 6 and 7 & MIDWAY thru . Applicant: Chris Hamby/H20 Construction.]

[Item 10f - Consideration and possible action to approve an amendment to the Heat and Pregnancy charge being increased from $30.00 to $37.50 per animal, when necessary, on the contract between the City of Harlingen and Dr. Shelly Mitchell, DVM.]

[Item 10g - Consideration and possible action to approve a resolution appointing Carolina Garcia as the Local Registrar for the City of Harlingen Vital Statistics Office.]

[Item 10h - Consideration and possible action to approve a contract agreement for consultant services with TDA Consulting, Inc., for the development of a Regionat 5-year Consolidated Plan and Strategic Plan (2026-2030) in collaboration with the Cities of Brownsville and San Benito.]

[Item 10i - Consideration and possible action to approve a request to assign the Community Development's Program Manager for the HOME Investment Partnership Program American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP) to negotiate then authorize the City Manager to finalize the purchase of property within the city limits of Harlingen to convert and/or rehabilitate into affordable rental housing for qualifying populations as approved by HUD in the HOME-ARP Allocation Plan dated September 11, 2023.]

[Item 10j - Consideration and possible action to amend the 2026 Streets Improvement Program (SIP) Project to add South "J" Street from Filmore Avenue to Tyler Avenue. ]

[Item 10k - Consideration and possible action to authorize staff to commission a new mural, designed in alignment with public input, at Lozano Plaza, as previously approved by the Keep Harlingen Beautiful Advisory Board.]

[Item 11 - Board Appointments]

[Item 12 - Executive Session ]

[Item 13 - Action on Executive Session Items]

[Item 14 - Adjournment]

[02:06:20]

EXCUSE ME. TIME IS NOW 7:21 P.M. AND WE ARE OUT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION. AND BACK TO

[02:06:30]

OUR ITEM. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? YES. MIKE. I WANT NICE HOUSES BUILT. I DON'T WANT

[02:06:43]

ANY VARIANCES TO REDUCE LOTS FROM MINIMUM 6000 TO 5000 A COUPLE. ARE THEY HERE. OH YES.

[02:06:56]