The Texas City Management Association selected the McAllen City Commission as the 2021 Council of the Year, the city announced last week.
The recognition to the city commission highlighted “the Commissions’ focus on completing scheduled projects and other accomplishments for the benefit of the community, despite being in the midst of a global pandemic, during a critical Census count for the community, getting hit by a hurricane and suffering the loss of two officers killed in the line of duty,” the city stated in a news release.
“This award absolutely confirms what I have known about Mayor Darling and the McAllen City Commission: they are all true public servants and laser-focused on projects, programs, services that benefit every resident of our community,” City Manager Roel “Roy” Rodriguez said in the release. “Their dedication also extends to the well-being of the employees of our organization and the result is a workforce that strives to fulfill the vision of the McAllen City Commission.”
The city stated the criteria used in selecting the commission for that designation included a demonstrated commitment to ethics, supporting prudent financial management and professional development, and placing the welfare of their citizens above personal and political motives.
To earn the recognition, city councils must be nominated by “someone with knowledge of their contributions to local government’ and the association’s membership committee then reviews and determines who will receive the award, according to TCMA President Brad Stafford.
“The city of McAllen has endured multiple major issues over the past year and have handled it very well, and continue to serve their citizens well through everything,” Stafford said in an email about why McAllen was chosen for the award.
“This recognition by TCMA is a result of the hard work and dedication of the McAllen City Commissioners who represent their constituents and the entire city of McAllen to ensure that our residents are safe, healthy, have an amazing quality of life, and can prosper,” Mayor Jim Darling said in the release. “I am honored to have worked with them, especially this past year, as we as a community, as elected officials dealt with so many unknowns and challenges, but ultimately, our city and residents survived the storm.”
The city noted that when COVID-19 cases spread throughout the Rio Grande Valley, the city adjusted its workforce to work remotely, thereby socially distancing their departments, employees and their city commission meetings.
Additionally, the city touted that they had no pandemic-related layoffs or furloughs among their employees.
“Like every city dealing with the challenge, McAllen officials were adamant that services not be affected, and that residents affected by the pandemic were not penalized with late fees or other charges,” the release stated.
