HARLINGEN — The city’s law book may be getting ready to regulate the mayor’s annual State of the City address.
Today, Commissioners Rene Perez and Frank Puente are set to propose moving the address from its traditional noon hour to 5:45 p.m. or later to allow more working residents to attend.
Earlier this month, commissioners held back on taking action to prepare the proposed amended ordinance.
Now, the legal language is ready to go into the book of ordinances.
Revising tradition
For decades, the Rotary Club of Harlingen, which has sponsored the event, held the address at noon at Casa de Amistad.
Since 2019, the club’s held the noon event at the Harlingen Convention Center.
Now, Perez and Puente are calling on commissioners to push the event to 5:45 or later on a weekday to give more residents a chance to hear the mayor’s annual report.
Mulling other changes
While the proposed amendment would change the time of the event, commissioners have been mulling other revisions.
As they planned scheduling changes, Puente’s suggested moving the event to a bigger venue.
Meanwhile, he’s expressed concern over the city’s funding of the event, which charges high ticket prices to help raise money for charities.
Instead, he’s proposed a free event to help more residents attend.
This year, the city spent $14,395 to help put on the event, City Manager Gabriel Gonzalez said.
Of the total, $6,795 went to pay for projection screens, microphones, sound and video recording along with linens, flowers and table-top “promotional items,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said, $7,600 went to buy meals for guests.
Boswell claims politics behind move
Meanwhile, Mayor Chris Boswell said he believes politics is behind the proposal, five days before early voting opens for the May 7 election, in which he and Puente and Commissioner Richard Uribe are running for re-election.
Every year, he said, commissioners approve the event’s expenditure as part of the city’s general fund budget.
Boswell said the annual address, which aims to present the city’s condition, including its financial standing and projects, is free to the public while it’s also live-streamed.
Across the nation and in the Rio Grande Valley, many cities hold similar State of the City addresses, he said.
Since about the time of its founding 99 years ago, the Rotary Club has sponsored the event, which helps raise money for charities, Lucy Cadenas, the club’s president, said.
