HARLINGEN — City commissioners Frank Morales and Ford Kinsley are requesting new Public Works Director Oscar Garcia present an “assessment” of the department along with his plans to improve operations.
Garcia, who was hired in October, took over for former Director Rodrigo Davila, who resigned in July.
During a meeting Wednesday, commissioners agreed to hold a workshop in which Garcia would make his presentation.
In response, City Manager Gabriel Gonzalez said he would set the workshop’s date.
Requesting public works’ plans
Garcia takes over the department after years of experience in public works, Morales said.
“I strongly believe we hit a home run with his guy,” he said Thursday. “This guy’s rolling up his sleeves and getting to work. This guy is raising the bar.”
Morales requested Garcia present commissioners with his goals along with plans to improve the department.
“I’d like to hear from them, what they have done to improve the department and what are their goals and what we as a commission can do to implement them,” Morales said, referring to Garcia and his assistants. “I’d like to know what he’s come across, what has he implemented to turn things around and what is he implementing to save the city funds.”
Meanwhile, Kinsley said he called the workshop to request Garcia present commissioners with his goals.
“It’s kind of a welcome-aboard,” he said, adding the public works department is “a huge part of the city.”
“It’s an opportunity for the new public works director to give us his thoughts — are there things that he likes and areas that he wants to focus on and where he hopes to be a year from now and two years from now,” Kinsley said, adding, “overall, they do a good job.”
Residents raising concerns
Residents have raised concerns surrounding the public works department, Morales said.
“There are plenty of questions out there,” he said. “These are issues people have brought up. Some of the things I hear from citizens are not pretty.”
Cleaning inlets to improve drainage
Morales said he wants to know whether the city needs to buy a vactor truck price-tagged at about $500,000 or whether it can repair its two vactor trucks.
The city needs the equipment to clean inlets to better drain streets, he said.
“Look at the inlets — we have vegetation inside,” he said. “If they’re filled with a little forest, the water doesn’t drain and it gets on people’s property.”
Better-maintained inlets would help cut down on pot-holed streets, Morales said.
“We have to take care of our drainage issues,” he said. “When water sits on the street, you get potholes. We have potholes all over the place. The faster we get the water off the street and in the inlets, the less potholes.”
Employee turnover
Morales also questioned whether the city is paying overtime as a result of the public works department’s employee turnover.
“I’ve heard there’s a lot of turnover,” he said. “Are we paying too much overtime?”
Morales said he also wants to know whether Garcia’s push to improve the department has impacted turnover.
“I believe he’s looking at being efficient and sometimes when you’re trying to be efficient people don’t cooperate because they don’t know how,” he said. “Is he holding people accountable? I believe he is — and are these people moving on because (the department is) being accountable? As he makes his staff more accountable, is he saving money? I believe he is.”
Aiming for better service
Commissioner Daniel Lopez said Garcia’s presentation is aimed at helping the city offer better service while saving taxpayer money.
“The city of Harlingen is proud to have recently hired Mr. Oscar Garcia to lead our award-winning public works department,” he stated. “Now having sufficient time to evaluate the city’s needs and resources at his disposal, Mr. Garcia will be reporting his findings and his solutions to better serve our citizens in a fiscally responsible way. I look forward to learning where we stand and his vision for the future of his department.
Long-awaited department audit
Meanwhile, Morales questioned the release of a so-called performance audit into the public works department which the past city commission ordered in late 2021.
“It’s been a long time,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going to come of it. Will we ever get notice of what they’ve found?”
Earlier this week, Lopez stated the city is awaiting the audit’s findings.
In November 2021, the past commission hired the auditing firm of Ernest and Young to conduct the $60,000 audit based on concerns raised by then-Commissioner Richard Uribe, whom Kinsley defeated last year’s election.
At the time, Uribe requested the audit’s scope include “all aspects of public works — the whole operation” during at least the last 10 years.
About 10 years ago, the city investigated complaints including accusations of theft, the alleged sale of scrap metal and motors along with what he described as “fake invoices and phantom checks,” Uribe said during a meeting.
Meanwhile, then-Mayor Chris Boswell said the police department’s investigation found no basis for the allegations stemming from lost scrap metal.
