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HARLINGEN — After nearly 100 years, Harlingen’s mayor might be getting a vote on the city commission.
In November, voters will decide the fate of the proposed City Charter amendment heading for the city election’s ballot.
But amid some residents’ opposition, commissioners shot down a committee’s proposal to pay the mayor and commissioners as compensation, also voting down a measure that would have allowed them to opt into the city’s health insurance plan.
During a four-hour special meeting, commissioners also voted against the Charter Review Committee’s recommendation to boost the mayor’s and city commissioners’ terms from three to four years as part of a plan to draw more voters to the polls.
Like Commissioner Rene Perez, Commissioner Daniel Lopez proposed aligning city elections with presidential elections, arguing state and national elections help boost local voter turnout.
“Overall, I’m satisfied with the way everything went,” Perez said Friday. “I think it was a good effort by the commission to fix and update the charter.”
On Friday, Mayor Norma Sepulveda said she had favored giving voters the chance to the determine of the fate of the committee’s recommendations for revisions to the City Charter, which dates back to 1927.
”My position was clear last night: Respecting the process and upholding the integrity of our democratic system is paramount,” she said in a statement. “By putting all of the committee’s recommendations on the ballot, we ensure that the ultimate decision lies in the hands of our voters. This approach not only honors the hard work and dedication of the Charter Review Committee but also reinforces our commitment to a participatory democracy where every citizen’s voice can be heard.
”I’m proud of our commission for recognizing the value of these recommendations and for supporting the vast majority of what was presented. Letting the voters decide will help shape a future that truly reflects the will of our community.”
Among its recommendations, the Charter Review Committee proposed paying the mayor $25,000 and commissioners $15,000 as compensation for their time of service.
“We recognize that to serve as a commissioner or mayor is a public service,” Delia Avila, a committee member, told commissioners during Thursday’s meeting.
“We want to provide something to open the door for more people to participate in city government … who might not otherwise be able to afford to run for office,” she said.
Across the country, many cities pay their elected officials as compensation for their time of service.
“The committee was looking at figures in other cities in the Rio Grande Valley,” Avila told commissioners.
In Brownsville, the city pays the mayor $40,000 while paying commissioners $25,000, she said.
“We also had a very healthy debate on our committee that we are not interested in providing a full salary or a significantly large stipend to the commission,” Avila said. “We also are interested in providing a small stipend … in the interest that the commission be more accessible during daytime hours.
“We recognize that it can be difficult to juggle a full-time career in addition to elected office and by providing a stipend we hope the commission would be able to be more accessible during business hours to the public.”
Among the committee’s recommendation was a measure that would have allowed the mayor and commissioners to opt into the city’s health insurance plan.
When the two measures came to a vote, commissioners unanimously shot them down.
But most commissioners supported the committee’s recommendation to give the mayor a vote on the commission.
Now, Harlingen stands as the only Valley city which doesn’t give the mayor a vote, officials said.
“The mayor, particularly here in the city of Harlingen, is the only elected representative who represents the city at-large, so without having a member on the commission to vote on behalf of the city as a whole, we’re doing a disservice to our community,” Avila told commissioners.
“Also, the mayor’s vote can become part of the voting record and therefore be held more accountable for their voting record and thereby giving more transparency and power to the people to be able to make sure their elected representatives are representing them,” she said.
This year, the six-member Charter Review Committee held eight, two-hour meetings, City Manager Gabriel Gonzalez told commissioners during Thursday’s meeting.
“There were 12 articles in the charter — 99 sections,” he told commissioners. “We went over each and every one of these in nauseam and by the time we were finished we ended up with 101 sections.”
The charter’s review marked the city’s first since 2006, Sepulveda said Friday.
“I was truly impressed with their dedication and commitment,” she said, referring to committee members whose work she described as “a crucial part of our democratic process.”
“These volunteers delved deeply into their tasks, demonstrating meticulous deliberation, spirited debate and thorough research,” Sepulveda said. “The last committee of this nature convened in 2006, and it’s clear that our current committee took their responsibility seriously, representing our community with great integrity and insight. It is essential to honor their efforts and recommendations because they encapsulate the community’s voice.”
