CITY OF
CITY
COUNCIL MEETING
M2003-R-03
I. CALL
TO ORDER
With a quorum present, Mayor
Elizabeth G. Flores called the meeting to order.
II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor
Flores led in the Pledge of Allegiance.
III. ROLL CALL
In
attendance:
Elizabeth
G. Flores, Mayor
Alfredo Agredano, Mayor
Pro Tempore, District I
Hector Garcia, Council
Member, District II
John
C. Galo, Council
Member, District III
Eliseo Valdez, Jr., Council
Member, District V
Gene Belmares, Council
Member, District VI
Jose
A.
Juan
Ramirez, Council
Member, District VIII
Gustavo
Guevara, Jr., City
Secretary
Jaime
Flores, City
Attorney
Motion to excuse Cm. Amaya.
Moved: Cm. Galo
Second: Cm. J. Valdez, Jr.
For: 6 Against: 0 Abstain: 0
Cm. Agredano was not present.
IV. MINUTES
Approval of the minutes and work product of the Strategic Planning Workshop of June 27, 28, and 29, 2002.
Motion to approve.
Moved: Cm. Galo
Second: Cm. Belmares
For: 6 Against: 0 Abstain: 0
V. COMMUNICATIONS AND RECOGNITIONS
Announcements
a.
State of the City address by Mayor Elizabeth G. Flores.
Mayor Flores read the following City
Address:
"As I began to write
this message to the people of
Yesterday, I went back and
rewrote the beginning of my report for indeed in what seemed a very brief
moment; an explosion once again shattered our world. Today, our hearts are heavy with the loss of
seven of the bravest and boldest men and women in this world will ever know. Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, David M. Brown all mission specialists; Michael
P. Anderson, Payload Commander and Llan Ramon, Payload Specialist. William C. McCool, Pilot and Rick D. Husband, Commander, all
aboard the
My
fellow Laredoans. Our great City has once again been blessed
with a very good year. In spite of a
slow economy our unemployment figures remain low, our City services high and
our future solid. Because of the careful
fiscal management of our experienced and highly dedicated staff and the
leadership and prudent policy decisions of this Mayor and this City Council, we
have another banner year to report to you.
Your City’s personnel
department screened almost 14,000 applications for employment last year. Administered five entrance exams for police
officer applicants and two firefighter exams and coordinated the retirement of
36 of some of our finest senior employees.
Employees who achieved the rank of supervisor were trained in
supervisory skills, and almost $55,000 was reimbursed to City employees
participating in the tuition reimbursement program. The City formalized a
Masters in Public Administration program with Texas A & M International
University, launched the Certified Public Manager Program with SouthWest Texas University and created a local American
Society for Public Administrators Chapter.
Code enforcement officers have been giving continuing education and
training. But wellness of mind is not
all that the City’s administrative services department does. They have enhanced our employee’s overall
wellness with wellness programs and fairs, Disease Management Programs, and
safety training reducing overall absenteeism.
Thanks to an aggressive
marketing program, over $14 million in federal grants and strong management
calendar year 2002 was another successful year for the City’s
You cannot read about
Strong fiscal management has
been the mandate from the members of the City Council and the Mayor. The City’s administration has responded
quickly and successfully earning the Budget Department the Distinguished Budget
Presentation Award from the Governmental Finance Officers Association, making
it the 11th consecutive year that the City of Laredo has been
recognized. In September, the members
and I adopted a $242 million operating and capital projects budget for FY
2002-2003. This formal document was
transitioned into a electronic format making it
available on a “cd” for the first time and we can be
viewed on the City’s Web Page.
And what better way to start
the year than with the Sister City Festival and Exposition. I want to thank the City Secretary, Mr. Gustavo Guevara and his staff for working
closely with Nick Reyna, Patricia Taylor and the entire Convention and Visitors
staff for pulling off a very successful first annual festival. From as far east as Ziixing,
Hunan Province, People’s Republic of China to as far west as Sinoloa, Mexico we had visitors. They brought their furniture, clothing, paletas, candy, liquor, tequila, carne seca,
tropical flowers, masks, handmade saddles, silver belt buckles, butter soft
leather jackets, honey, beautiful silk embroidery, hand made shawls, dancers
and warm and friendly people. The Mayors
and their development staff quickly realized that
We have not forgotten that
one of the most basic needs for the family is a safe and sanitary home. This year, under the able leadership of
Erasmo Villarreal and his dedicated staff, the City assisted 135 very low and
low-income households with down payment deferred loans of up to $15,000 at 0%
interest. Throughout the year 112
elderly residents were provided tenant based rental assistance. We partnered with local service providers to
assist over 505 households with rent and utility payments when they needed the
help most. We used our federal grants to
rehabilitate and refurbish, remove asbestos, and demolish substandard
structures. The Laredo Affordable
Housing Corporation financed the construction of 30 single family housing units
and the Metro Affordable Housing Corporation constructed 10 unites, the Azteca Economic development and Preservation Corporation
complete two three bedroom apartments and started the construction of another
two duplex units. Through its federal
fund program the City provided these community housing development
organizations with funds to construct these homes.
Playgrounds are important for
our community. As our City and our
families grow, we must expand our menu of parks and recreation centers. And so we did. With the able leadership of a bright young
man, Horacio De Leon, the San Francisco/Eistetter
Park was completed and we initiated the construction of the Eastwoods
Park, Santa Rita Park, the South Laredo Park, Lafayette Linear Park, and the
George Washington Park. Improvements
were made to the Dryden Optimist Park, Benavides Softball Complex, the Del Mar
Little League Park and to the Al King Little League Park, Loma Alta Park, Del
Mar Community Park, and Los Dos Laredo’s Park.
Improvements were also made the to Wildlife
Conservation Camp and the
The City rose to the
challenge. We worked hard on housing
assistance, parks and recreations, fiscal management, administrative services,
our bridges and our airport. We did not
hide from the difficult decisions that had to be made at budget time in order
to comply with our goal to deliver excellent service and provide protection to
the people of
This City has worked hard to
eliminate discrimination at all levels.
But we must try harder. We must
work harder towards being considerate of slow drivers for they may be our elders. Just as bright but walking, talking and
driving a little slower. We must be
patient with our children, friendlier with our neighbors, more considerate of
our fellow workers and our elected leaders.
A family like the family of Jose and Esther should not suffer. Because Jose is Puerto Rican and Ester
Korean, they bring a rich culture to our city.
These wonderful, hard working people are hearing impaired. They have suffered unjustly at the hands of
people who have not taken the time to understand them or their abilities. But they remain in
This warmth, this promise of
community is what
Listen instead, as we have,
to the downtown shopper who is looking for today’s bargain buy.
Through our Public
Information Department and our Web Page we keep all media and community advised
on our progress. I can not remember any
day in previous years that we have provided so much information to so many in
such a professional and concise manner.
Our Public Information Department is also responsible for compiling the
many requests we get for open records information. And so, in an effort to improve our outreach,
we are starting a quarterly newsletter this year that we will distribute to
you.
Your code officers cleared
199 sites of graffiti, they collected 3,781 tires, they participated in 43
clean-up campaigns and they try their best to serve an every growing
We can not extend City services
without the city tax payer or city rate payer meeting their obligations. Therefore the prompt payment of city taxes
and city services is important. Your tax
department is efficient and in wanting to better serve the customer they
extended their hours during the last weeks of the season. Last year, their research improved the
granted exemptions, removed those that we not exemptions and increased the tax
roll.
When you are waiting at a red
light, chances are you're not thinking about the hard working people of the
Traffic Department. But you should, they
are working hard to improve the central system connection so that traffic flow
is improved. They are installing new lights
and replacing and upgrading traffic signal head indicators with less power
consumption LEDs.
They have installed speed humps at the request of neighborhoods
throughout the city with the help of the public works department. The traffic department issued 8,927 permits for
oversize loads and 1,556 permits for overweight loads.
At the end of the year the
Fleet Department installed a state of the art compressed natural gas refueling
station with ten slow fill stations, which can be used for support of large
transit vehicles, and four fast fill refueling CNG pumps. This type of refueling station is the first
in
Public Transportation is
important to a community like Laredo,
last year after finalizing the Labor Union negotiations, the transit department
ordered and received 18 Life equipped vans for the El Lift Paratransit
Service. They ordered 8 new buses,
started the repair of older bus lifts, contracted with Burger King at the
Of course, none of this
construction work could be done without a very experienced, very knowledgeable
Engineering department. If Public Works
is our angel, then Engineering is the wind beneath this angel’s wing. Rogelio Rivera, saw
that the Engineering Department had a hand every step of the way on all the
construction projects in the city. With
$11526,660 in airport improvements, $586,206 for the bridges, $2,177,672 for
parks, $6,985,094 for paving, $38,071,679 for structures (which include the
Laredo Entertainment Center) $13,898,991 for subdivisions, and $1,186,328 for
downtown beautification they job is important to what our city will look like
now and for years to come. The project I
listed account for 75 different projects with a total value of $73,803,486.
And all this “building up” of
our City requires a strong and focused Environmental Services Department. We began the year appropriately, with a ribbon
cutting ceremony in the new offices of this very important department. I know how happy you were Riazul Mia. Last year the department collected $34,000
pounds of household hazardous waste, responded to over 532 complaints from the
community, issued 527 hazmat permits to handle hazardous materials, finished
the Chacon Creek Flood Mitigation Plan, received various EPA grants including
one for computer and electronic recycling and for the purchase of educational
and promotional materials.
Our finances are in order, the Finance Department staff continue to receive
recognitions for the excellence in financial reporting by the Government
Finance Officers’ Association, the highest form of recognition that can be
received for governmental accounting and financial reporting.
So how have we fared after
September 11th? Our city
continues to grow, the safety and security of our citizens and residents is
still our number one concern. Did you
know that the Health Department is
The Department’s local
partnerships with Mercy Health Care System, Gateway Community Health Center and
most of all the many private providers has improved the communities ability to
deal with any potential health hazard.
Two historical Memorandums of Understanding were signed during the 4th
Annual Los Dos
I am sure many of you were
thinking that a lot of this cost could be reduced if our citizens and residents
became more aware of the problems and costs to others that they are
causing. But there will always be people
that cause us harm. So we must be
prepared. And we are. The Laredo Police Department and the Fire
Department are indeed one of the largest, best equipped and best prepared in
the State of
Which bring me to your Fire Department. To better
serve the community, the Department created three new divisions. Training, International Training and Fire
Prevention will provide the foundation for the development and growth of the
entire department. After an exciting
grand opening of the New
We have worked hard as a
council this year. We lost council
members who have served their community for many years. And we were sorry to see them go. But in return the people of this City elected
Council Members who have already shown that a team is as strong as its weakest
link, that planning is important, that vision works if you set goals for
yourself and your city. At every meeting
when we set policy, approve motions, resolutions, and introduce ordinances that
affect the daily lives of the people we serve, we too remember that we are nine
of those people with families that are affected by the decision we make. That is why we are so committed to our
work. City services are not just about
pot holes, although we take care of that too, it is about the health of our
children, the beauty of our city, the water we drink, the food we eat, the air
we breath, and the books we read. Which brings me to the wonderful acquisition of the Rodolph Gonzalez-De La Garza Genealogical Collection at the
library and the $60,000 donation from the friends of the library. We are so fortunate to have people like the
Friends of the Library. Their help
assisted us because we are able to focus funds on computer upgrades. If you have not been at the library or one of
the library branches, go. It is a
pleasure to be inside these wonderful places.
I have not forgotten the
accomplishments of our municipal court.
Our new judge is working hard to prepare his staff to move to the new
Municipal Court this year. Any one that
goes to Judge Boyer’s court will know that it is well run, that people do get
“their day in court” and that his effort to be fair is appreciated by all. We will invite all to come to our spring
ground breaking.
And so this year we have made
our City safer, we have placed new books on the shelves, we have built new
homes for deserving families, new parks for children, we have made our City a
better place by building, cleaning, and protecting. We must also promote our City. The Conventions and Visitors Bureau has been
doing just that all year long. The
inaugurated the City of Laredo’s Founder’s Day festivities, installed info
tract software to monitoring convention and tour activities, reopened the
Monterrey Information Center Office and created a new logo…the color of
Cultures. With a new official poster,
updated promotional video and visitors guide, organizing of the Paisano Rest Stop, and countless other promotions,
including a very successful Sister City Festival, the Laredo Convention and
Visitors Bureau is quickly becoming one of the best run in Texas.
I have reached the final
paragraph and thank you for your time.
It has been hard to summarize the City’s state. We have so much going on and so much to
do. One thing we have learned, we can do
what we set out to do. I am fortunate to
have a dear and understanding family. I
am fortunate to have been elected a second term and I am honored to serve the
great people of this City. Since I
became mayor,
When I attend a hockey game
and hear the cheers of the crowd, when I attend a concert or a children’s
program and see the smiles, when I see mothers, and fathers, and entire
families just having fun…it is all worthwhile and I know we can do what we set
out to do. The
Invitations
a. The Streets of Laredo Urban Mall Association invites the
Mayor, City Council, and
residents
of Laredo and the surrounding area to the 2003 Jamboozie
Festival to be held on Saturday,
February 15, 2003, between Mercado Square and San Agustin Plaza in downtown
Laredo.
Joe Garcia,
Arturo Garcia and Cindy Garcia publicly invited the Mayor, City Council and the
public to attend this event.
Recognitions
None.
Communiqués
Cm. Agredano
arrived at
Cm. Ramirez announced that Pepe
Serna, an actor from the new series “King Pen”, is a Laredoan. He also mentioned the First Annual Sister
City Festival. He commended the
Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and City Secretary’s Office for organizing the
event.
Cm. J.
Valdez mentioned how nice the First Annual Sister City Festival
was. He congratulated Gustavo Guevara,
Jr., City Secretary and Nick Reyna, Director for the Laredo Convention and
Visitor’s Bureau for their dedication to the event. Finally, he added his condolences to the
families from individuals that died in the Columbia Shuttle.
Cm. Belmares thanked
the Laredo Police Department and the Fire Department for solving the rash of
fires in his district. He also thanked
Cm.
Cm. Galo informed the
viewing public of the next City Council Meeting which would be held on Tuesday,
February 18th because of the Washington Birthday Celebration.
Cm. Garcia thanked City staff,
Mayor Pro Tempore Agredano gave his condolences to the family of the Columbia
Shuttle.
Mayor Flores commented on the
ceremony held in honor of the individuals that lost their lives in the Columbia
Shuttle. She thanked her daughter,
Christina, for suggesting dedicating the seven flags that fly over our airport
for the seven individuals that passed away.
She noted that the flags would be taken down and sent to the families of
the Columbia Shuttle. She thanked City
staff for their part in participating in creating a very touching ceremony.
VI. APPOINTMENTS TO COMMISSIONS, BOARDS AND
COMMITTEES
a. Appointment by Council
Member Eliseo Valdez of Dr. Carmen Ramirez Rathmel and Martha Dole to the Laredo Women’s Commission.
Motion to
approve.
Moved: Cm. Agredano
Second: Cm. E. Valdez, Jr.
For: 7 Against: 0 Abstain:
0
VII. PUBLIC
HEARINGS
1. Public hearing and introductory ordinance amending the City Of
2003 NPDES Fund Budget, by appropriating the
opening balance. The amendment will drawdown
$136,663.00 from the NPDES unaudited opening balance
and appropriating said funds.
Motion to open the public hearing.
Moved: Cm. Galo
Second: Cm. Garcia
For: 7 Against: 0 Abstain: 0
There was no public input.
Motion to close the public hearing and
introduce.
Moved: Cm. Galo
Second: Cm. Belmares
For: 7 Against: 0 Abstain: 0
Ordinance Introduction:
City Council
2. Public
hearing and introductory ordinance
amending the City of Laredo FY 2002-2003 Annual Budget in the amount of
$115,000.00 in grant funds awarded to the City of Laredo Utilities Department
by the Environmental Protection Agency. Funds will be used to fund the
completion of a vulnerability assessment of the water system.
Motion to open the public hearing.
Moved: Cm. Galo
Second: Cm. Garcia
For: 7 Against: 0 Abstain: 0
There was no public input.
Motion to close the public hearing and
introduce.