EDINBURG — It was the residents’ turn to speak their mind to their elected officials here on Thursday as part of an effort by the Edinburg city council and staff to let the community have their say in their vision for the future.
The city held a town hall meeting Thursday meant to be the first step in a process to collect community feedback that the city says they will implement into their “2040 Vision” plan.
Residents and community members took turns speaking on what they viewed as great assets for the city and what they felt the city still needed.
Among the needs the residents mentioned were the need for drainage, repairs for streets with potholes, the need better code enforcement, cleaner streets and lower taxes.
Praising the city, resident Sabrina Walker Hernandez thanked city staff for their work.
“They really do make the best of the resources that they have and they are producing what I consider to be one of the most professional cities in the Valley,” Walker Hernandez said.
She also praised the festivals the city holds throughout the year celebrating various cultures.
“Edinburg has the highest population of African-American people in the Valley,” she pointed out. “Which is like 1.5%, but still.”
Another resident listed poverty and drugs as major problems and urged the city to look into why younger generations wanted to move of the Edinburg and the Valley in general.
Hoping to provide a positive outlook in response to those concerns, one official from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, urged residents to think about their potential.
“Think about what we have here in Edinburg,” said Veronica Gonzales, senior vice president for governmental and community relations for UTRGV.
She pointed out the city was home to the university, had two hospital systems and is the county seat.
“We have room to grow,” she said. “How many of the cities are landlocked and don’t have room to grow? We have plenty of room to grow.”
She also noted they had an airport with room to expand, many cultural activities, and sports arenas.
“Do we need more to do? Absolutely, we need more to do and I think that will to keep a lot of our young people here as we have things to do,” Gonzales said.
While the city has the basics, she said it needs a vibrant downtown area with activity around the new county courthouse that is currently under construction.
“Let’s look at it from the positive standpoint, that we have a lot of assets, and then how do we improve on those assets that we currently do have,” Gonzales said. “How do we build on them and how do we turn this into a community that is affordable, safe, that is beautiful.”
After the town hall, Mayor Ramiro Garza Jr. said the meeting had a great turnout and reiterated it was meant to be a start of a longer process.
“It was structured so that we can start getting some input but also to announce the whole process … with the survey now going live tonight, the website as well, and then the sessions that we’re looking to have,” Garza said.
The key take-away, he said, was that the city still had work to do.
“Obviously we have a lot of needs in our community, that’s my takeaway, and I think that’s why I’m very excited about this process,” Garza said. “It’s a way for us to address some of those needs and put them as part of a plan.”
Their ongoing needs of the city are to be expected, he said, as part of their continued growth.
“We have our challenges, but that’s what this is for,” Garza said, “so we can properly plan for our future.”
The city has three more town hall meetings that will be held in different areas of the city.
They are scheduled for March 22, March 24, and March 29.
