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Editorial: This is your page — Addressing content provided by readers

By
AIM Media Texas Editorial Board
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A pile of newspapers (Adobe Stock)

This space, like editorial and opinion pages across the country, might occupy a relatively small portion of our daily content, but it is one of the most vital parts of any newspaper. That’s because it gives you, our reader, the opportunity to interact with this our leadership, and with other readers. Your thoughts are important, and we are deeply grateful that you choose to share them with us and with our community.

Like most other newspapers, we strive to maintain objectivity in our news reporting. Most news articles are straightforward, reflecting what happens and what key people have to say about it. News articles provide the basic facts about newsworthy events and allow readers to develop their own opinions about them.

On these pages, however, we print editorials that offer our assessment of those events and how they should influence decision makers and affect public policy.

Not everyone agrees with us, however, and their thoughts are just as valuable. So we provide commentary from local officials and community members as well as professional opinion writers, hoping to provide a healthy variety of opinion.

But the most important section of our opinion pages belongs to you — dedicated readers who are willing to share your own thoughts. This page is dedicated to you, and we value your contributions.

Some people have asked about the letters we print and why we choose certain letters. Some accuse us of making biased choices; conservatives accuse us of preferring liberal writers and liberals say we give conservative letters preference.

In reality, we do our best to publish all the letters we can, regardless of the positions they express. Some names appear frequently, and some people assume those writers are our “favorites.” In reality, they simply send us more letters; in fact, a few write so often that we can’t print all of their letters, lest we not have enough space for other letter writers.

That isn’t the only reason a letter might not see print. While we agree that criticism of government officials and other public figures is valid, we don’t print personal attacks. This page is intended as a place to exchange ideas, not to trade insults. Letters that simply berate other contributors without lending constructive comments aren’t published; if a letter does address the issues, the offensive statements are edited out. Opposing viewpoints are to be expected, but we don’t want people to stop offering their opinions because of unnecessarily vicious attacks.

As with all content, commentary is edited for grammar and length; minor parts of a letter might be cut simply because they don’t fit, although we try to be judicious with such edits. We also do our best to fact-check letters, as the best arguments are based on verifiable facts.

We hope this information helps explain and clarify the decisions that are made regarding the opinions printed on this page. We appreciate and welcome all contributions, and hope all readers know they are welcome to contribute to the healthy debate of issues with other members of our community.

UTRGV women’s basketball pushes past Seattle for first WAC win

By
UTRGV Reports
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Graphic via UTRGV Athletics.

Sophomore Charlotte O’Keefe had a career night Thursday to lead the UTRGV women’s basketball team to an 84-77 victory over the Seattle Redhawks at the Redhawk Center in Seattle, Washington, earning the team’s first Western Athletic Conference (WAC) win.

O’Keefe grabbed a career high 21 rebounds – the third most rebounds in a single game in program history and the most by a Vaquero since 2015. She also scored a career high 15 points, shooting 60% from the field, and had two blocks.

Junior Arianna Sturdivant and senior Mele Kailahi scored 14 points each and both knocked down three 3-pointers as UTRGV (2-12, 1-4 WAC) finished the night with 10 buckets from behind the arc. Juniors Iyana Dorsey and Kade Hackerott scored nine points each.

Seattle U (1-13, 1-4 WAC) was led by Makayla Moore’s 23 points. Asta Blauenfeldt and Mya Moore scored 15 each while Iren Korolenko added 12. Mya Moore had 11 rebounds and four blocks.

Seattle U hit the first two buckets of the contest, but freshman Jayda Holiman answered with a pair of baskets, including a 3-pointer, to put the Vaqueros on top, 5-4. But the Redhawks controlled the majority of the opening quarter, growing a double-digit lead. The Vaqueros went on a 5-0 run late in the frame sparked by a three-pointer from Sturdivant to get within five, but the Redhawks answered and led 24-15 at the end of the quarter.

The second quarter started physical and fast, leading to a little bit of sloppy play from both squads. After falling behind 35-22, UTRGV made a string of free throws, then Kailahi got hot from behind the arc and cut the deficit to 36-32 at half after knocking down a buzzer-beating three.

UTRGV made six 3-pointers in the third quarter, getting big buckets from four different Vaqueros. O’Keefe played well down low to slow Seattle U’s bigs down and finish layups. The Vaqueros went on a run aided by solid defense to hold off the pesky Redhawks and used great ball movement to hold a 58-55 lead at the end of the quarter, leading by as many as seven points.

Moore powered Seattle U back into the game, putting the Redhawks on top 63-60 early in the fourth quarter after a layup. UTRGV buckled down and tied the contest at 64-64 off a layup from Hackerott.

O’Keefe’s massive game got even better down the stretch. She pulled in rebounds like a magnet, finished strong in the paint and knocked down jumpers. UTRGV also made its way to the free throw line often and converted the opportunities, growing the lead to 76-66 after an 8-0 run backed by six made free throws.

With Seattle U forced to foul to stop the clock playing from behind late, UTRGV continued to shoot well from the charity stripe to put the game away. The Vaqueros finished 22-for-30 from the stripe.

UTRGV will be back in action at 1 p.m. Saturday (CT) at Utah Valley.

Editorial: Valley officials need to be vigilant against computer hack threats

By
AIM Media Texas Editorial Board
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(Adobe Stock)

A popular storyline in fantasy crime stories involves an evil genius or terrorist group that threatens to inject a poison or mind-altering drug into a city’s water system. That threat is becoming less of a fantasy and more of a reality in our nation’s increasingly automated, and internet-based, utility systems.

Unfortunately, we can’t count on Batman to come and save the day.

The recent cyberattack against several water utilities underscores the need for all government offices, no matter how small, to ensure that their computer systems have the best protection possible.

The small Aliquippa, Pa., water authority was one of several utilities hit by Iran-based hackers. The attacks reportedly focused on specific pieces of equipment that were made in Israel.

Officials say the attacks raise concerns about the vulnerability of utility systems, because people who gain access to them might be able to contaminate drinking water supplies by reprograming the addition of chemicals used to treat the water, or by shutting down the pumps — and the flow of water — completely. Officials say smaller utilities might be more at risk because they have fewer computer technicians to monitor such things or their smaller budgets might mean fewer upgrades and protections against such attacks.

And yes, such attacks could happen here — they already have. Harlingen officials reported in October that Russian extortionists had attacked their police department’s servers, and several years earlier a Chinese group broke into the city’s municipal court system. Officials said the breaches weren’t significant, and sensitive information wasn’t taken.

The San Benito public school district wasn’t so lucky, however. The district reported it was hacked in December 2022, in which the attackers accessed confidential information.

Such intrusions are concerning, whether someone is able to take over a drinking water system or gain access to children’s addresses.

Many hacking incidents are the work of mischievous individuals whose knowledge of computers isn’t matched with a similar level of respect for private accounts. But some are the work of criminals who look to steal bank deposits, open or charge credit accounts in victims’ names, or extort money from them. More alarming is the increasing number of attacks by organized groups in Iran, China and Russia, which are hostile to the United States. Officials have said some of those groups could be sanctioned or operated by those countries’ governments.

It’s a growing problem that has affected financial institutions, retail outlets and private individuals. Attacks on government computer systems warrant concern because they could affect an entire community and even compromise public safety.

Public officials at all levels need to know about the threat, no matter how small their communities might be. They should be constantly vigilant against such attacks and keep their computer systems as well protected as possible.

It’s an unfortunate demand on public resources, but the possible cost of a successful cyberattack could be far greater than the investment in the best possible software or personnel to guard against such attacks.

RGV Vipers: Inside the Numbers

By
Henry Miller
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RGV Vipers Trhae Mitchell blocks a shot during a game against Memphis on Jan. 5, 2024 (Christian Inoferio / NBA G League)

The RGV Vipers are off to a fast start to the NBA G League regular season with a 5-1 record, falling for the first time earlier this week to Oklahoma City.

However, the teams they have played during the first six games of the season hold a combined 4-18 record.

That means Friday’s game at home against 5-2 Grand Rapids, the G League affiliate of the Denver Nuggets, will be the first game against a team with a winning percentage of more than .500.

RGV opened the season so far with two wins against G League Ignite (0-8 record), two more against the Memphis Hustle (2-4) and a two-game split with the Oklahoma City Blue (2-6). But, a win is a win when it comes to the standings and a race to grab as high a playoff position as possible.

Plus, based on numbers alone – which, in all honesty – can be deceiving but also provide a big-picture look, the Vipers have been playing some solid basketball. During one game against the Memphis Hustle, RGV score 61 points during the first half – 10 players scored and nobody at that point had reached double figures.

By the end of that game, the Vipers had seven in double-digit scoring.

“We have an awful lot of talent on this team,” head coach Kevin Burleson said. “We try to mix it up and give guys opportunities. Every night is not gonna be the same – where one guy gets 30 and we go off and win. Another night night will be a tough night – it’s gonna be like this sometime.”

The four-time G League champions and affiliates of the Houston Rockets have seven games remaining during January, only one of those teams – the Iowa Wolves – had a sub .500 record. Also on that schedule is Grand Rapids (5-2), the Texas Legends (4-2), the Rip City Remix (3-3) and Sioux Falls (7-0).

“Winning games is my job – obviously there are other levels to that – but the bottom line is winning games and it’s always good to have a good start like this and to keep it going.”

MORE NUMBERS 

Traditionally known as a team that just runs opponents into the ground with high powered offense, this season they rank No. 18 out of 31 G League teams in scoring. They are scoring 114.5 points per game. The Birmingham Squadron lead the league in scoring with 124.8 points, while defending champion Delaware is second at 123.3.

However, defense has been key this year for RGV. The Vipers are first in the league per game in rebounds (52.7), steals (13.5), overall defensive rating (100.3) and points per game in the paint (65.). They are also second in blocked shots with 8.0 per game.

Individually, Nate Hinton is averaging 3.0 steals per contest, good for third individually. Cam Whitmore, the Rockets’ 20th pick in the most recent NBA Draft, was averaging 26.2 points per game before being call up to Houston.

No other Vipers player is ranked in the top five in individual stats in the league, which, in this case, is a testament to the talent and balance they have showing during the first seven games.

[email protected]

Man on the run after shooting woman in Donna, causing heavy police presence

By
Staff Report
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Jose Escobedo Jr.
Jose Escobedo Jr.

The Donna Police Department is looking for a 51-year-old man who police say shot a woman in the shoulder with a rifle prompting a standoff.

The suspect, Jose Escobedo Jr., however, was not at the residence where they thought he was hiding.

Donna police were dispatched at around 4 p.m. to the 2400 block of Grande Street where they found a woman in a vehicle on the roadway with a gunshot wound.
She is in stable condition.

In a Thursday night news release, Donna police said its department and the Texas Department of Public Safety believed Escobedo was hiding in the residence.

“A short time later, police learned that Escobedo was not inside the residence and had fled prior to their arrival and remains at large,” the release stated.

Donna Police Chief Gilbert Guerrero previously said authorities weren’t sure he was inside the house.

“We managed to secure some of the residents out of the house, but we still don’t know if the male subject is inside the house,” Guerrero said.

Anyone with information on Escobedo’s whereabouts is asked to call the Donna Police Department. Tipsters wishing to remain anonymous can call Donna Crime Stoppers at (956) 464-TIPS (8477).

Hidalgo County splits animal control services three ways

By
Dina Arévalo
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The Palm Valley Animal Society on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, in Edinburg. (Joel Martinez | [email protected])

EDINBURG — Six months after county officials here were heavily considering severing ties with Palm Valley Animal Society over the rising costs of animal control services, they have partially reversed course.

During a Hidalgo County Commissioners’ Court meeting Tuesday, county leaders finalized plans to partner with three separate animal control service providers over the next two years, including Palm Valley.

But now, added to the mix will be the city of Weslaco, which has operated its own animal shelter for several years, and the city of La Joya, which opened its shelter in 2023.

“We were actually paying close to $1.2 million, I think, and so, what we’re looking to do is broaden our options,” Precinct 2 Hidalgo County Commissioner Eduardo “Eddie” Cantu explained to citizen watchdog Fern McClaugherty during Tuesday’s meeting.

“We used to work only with PVAS, now we’re gonna work with PVAS, Weslaco, La Joya,” Cantu added.

HISTORY WITH PVAS

For decades, PVAS has provided animal control services to the county and many of its municipalities.

The organization, which operates two facilities in Edinburg, is the largest animal shelter in the region.

In 2022, PVAS took in nearly 12,600 animals — including more than 4,200 as part of its contract with Hidalgo County.

By contrast, Cameron County took in 4,500 animals at its county-owned shelter that same year, while Weslaco took in 7,800.

But with such a largescale operation come largescale expenses — costs that were beginning to prove untenable to Hidalgo County officials.

The county was under contract to pay PVAS $840,000 per year for animal control services in 2023; however, last April, the shelter requested an additional $250,000 to pay for cost overruns.

Though the commissioners’ court approved the budget amendment at the time, PVAS officials later said that the money had not yet been transferred to the organization by July 2023, when The Monitor was the first to report the county was exploring other animal control options.

Palm Valley Animal Society on July 9, 2021, in Edinburg. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])

When fiscal planning season rolled around last fall, however, county leaders approved a $360,000 increase to the PVAS budget for 2024 for a total of $1.2 million.

But that appropriation came months after the county had hired Mission-based B2Z Engineering to explore the possibility of creating a county-owned animal control center.

The county first tasked B2Z with figuring out how much it would cost to build shelters of various sizes at three potential locations in the eastern half of Hidalgo County.

B2Z’s projections showed it would cost between $3 million to $10.5 million to build the facilities, plus an additional $1.3 million to $3 million per year to operate them, depending on the size the county chose.

Unsatisfied, county leaders next tasked B2Z with exploring two more potential sites, though officials never publicly discussed the results of that second study, which the commissioners’ court authorized in late-July 2023.

NEW TERMS

Without any further public discussion, the county appears to have abandoned plans to run its own animal shelter.

“Can you kind of explain why we’re doing this and how is it helping the people that live here?” asked McClaugherty, a longtime member of a government watchdog group known as the Objective Watchers of the Legal System, or OWLS.

“We did look into doing it ourselves and the analysis came up that we were better off doing what we did, which is basically dividing our pet population into three different centers,” County Judge Richard F. Cortez said.

By partnering with three different organizations, the county plans to save more than a quarter-of-a-million dollars per year.

Rather than pay PVAS alone $1.2 million per year, Hidalgo County will now pay a total of $924,000 between PVAS, Weslaco and La Joya.

Palm Valley Animal Society administers a microchip tracking device at Bill Schupp Park on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022, in McAllen. (Joel Martinez | [email protected])

Under the terms of the new agreements, Hidalgo County will pay PVAS $624,000 to take in up to 2,000 animals per year, with a maximum of 166 animals per month.

At $52,000 per month, that breaks down to a little more than $313 per animal.

If the shelter has capacity, it will take in additional animals at an overage rate of $365 per animal, according to a draft copy of the contract between PVAS and Hidalgo County.

The intake of dead animals will cost $30 each. And large dogs — those weighing more than 20 pounds — will be limited to eight per day.

Meanwhile, Weslaco and La Joya have each agreed to take in 1,000 animals per year for $150,000.

Weslaco added further stipulations to its contract with the county, including that it will only accept a maximum of 20 animals per week, and that deceased animals will not count toward that tally.

However, the city will still charge $85 per animal to process dead animals.

Weslaco will further charge the county $150 for each instance of tranquilization or euthanasia, and $250 per animal that requires quarantining.

Combined, the county will pay the three entities $924,000, for an annual cost savings of $276,000.

“We were looking to see if we could provide the best service animals at the lowest cost to the taxpayers,” Cortez said.

Ahead of cold front, Hidalgo County agency offering space heaters to its most vulnerable

By
Tami Cupples-Hernandez
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Monica Hinojosa, an emergency services coordinator for the county, and sheriff's deputy Manuel Morales hand out space heaters and smoke detectors to those in need at the Hidalgo County Community Service Agency on Friday, Jan. 22, 2022, in Edinburg. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])

In response to freezing temperatures expected to arrive next week, the Hidalgo County Community Service Agency is offering aid to its most vulnerable residents.

The agency has announced the availability of a limited number of space heaters amid a nationwide winter storm warning. The National Weather Service in Brownsville/RGV anticipates widespread freezing conditions Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, with temperatures reaching in the 40s and low 50s.

The Hidalgo County Heater Distribution program provides a space heater and a smoke detector for families who have no other means of heating their homes.

The program is federally funded through the state, and has very specific requirements, according to Hidalgo County Community Service Agency Executive Director Jaime Longoria.

“Families must qualify through income guidelines, and then of course we have to prove legal citizenship and residency,” Longoria said. The county has 140,000 to 150,000 households which meets this specific criteria, he added.

Residents will be asked to complete a program application and provide proof of income for the last 30 days showing they’re at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level; identification and proof of residency via ID and birth certificate for all members of the household; and unpaid electrical utility bill, water bill and natural gas, if applicable.

Longoria said the unpaid bills will be addressed by the agency, to help the household’s utilities remain in service.

“Residents who are in need of a space heater or who may have other weather-related needs should reach out to our office,” Longoria said. “Weather extremes can be difficult for vulnerable family members to endure. We would like to help make this more bearable.”

Heaters are available at the main office, located at 2524 N. Closner Blvd. in Edinburg. For more information, call (956) 383-6240.

Harlingen planning to ease burden of water rate hike

By
Fernando Del Valle
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The Harlingen Waterworks System office is pictured Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022, on East Van Buren Avenue in Harlingen. (Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald)

HARLINGEN — City officials are planning to lessen the burden of higher water rates aimed at helping fund a sewer system overhaul carrying a price tag of more than $100 million.

As part of the project, city commissioners and WaterWorks System board members are applying to the Texas Water Development Board for $2.1 million to fund a survey and inventory of water line material.

During a meeting, officials also appointed a committee charged with proposing water rate hikes.

The committee includes Planning and Zoning Commissioners Nick Consiglio, Jesse Gamez, Adele Clinton-Solis, Wandy Cruz-Velasquez, Sergio Perez, Carlos Sanchez and Luis Villarreal along with contractor Armando Casas.

In a presentation, Dan Jackson with Willdan consulting outlined water rate plans including those charging customers based on their water usage.

“Looking toward the future, I think that most communities are looking toward conservation,” Mayor Norma Sepulveda said during Monday’s meeting, referring to water rate plans which charge customers based on their water usage.

In his presentation, Jackson proposed five years of water rate hikes which would boost residents’ average monthly charge of $41.51, based on 5,000-gallons of water and sewer on a three-fourths-inch meter, by about 11%.

During discussion, Sepulveda suggested the city fund much of the sewer system overhaul to lessen residents’ burden.

“I have a lot of our residents concerned about what’s going to happen and what the future’s going to look like in terms of their water bills,” she told officials. “I would like to find that spot where we could fund as much as possible, as quick as possible, as responsible as possible, with the least impact to the residents.”

Jackson described the city’s water rates as the third lowest in the Rio Grande Valley, coming out to about half of the state average.

“You have done a remarkable job of keeping your rates very low over the last 10 to 20 years,” he told officials.

A view of Harlingen’s WaterWorks System facility on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)

Now, the city’s current monthly water rate stands at $7.93 on a three-quarter meter, plus $1.65 for an additional 1,000 gallons, while the sewer rate is set at $6.18 on a three-fourths meter, plus $3.66 for an additional 1,000 gallons, with average utility bills charging residents about $644 a year.

Sepulveda said the city’s past officials’ management of the sewer system was forcing the city to take on the project.

“There’s no hiding the fact that we need to do it,” she said, referring to the project. “I wish things would have been done differently in the past so we wouldn’t be where we are. We’ve got to figure out a way to move forward, but how can we do it with the least amount of impact to the residents.”

For years, Tim Skoglund, the WaterWorks System’s general manager, has been planning one of the city’s biggest projects aimed at overhauling the city’s aging sewer system to make room for growth.

To help fund the project, officials are requesting the Water Development Board grant $24 million under the state’s Economically Distressed Areas Program.

In November, Skoglund unveiled a $107 million project aimed at upgrading the sewer system in which pipes are overloading, spurring some sewage overflows.

The project includes the construction of a main “interceptor” pipeline while building a deeper lift station and installing gravity lines to eliminate old lift stations, he said.

While the Water Development Board granted WaterWorks a $10 million low-interest loan in September, the agency’s planning to apply for further funding, Skoglund said.

UTRGV Football adds Brasfield as WR coach

By
UTRGV Reports
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UTRGV head football coach Travis Bush announced the hiring of Chris Brasfield as a wide receivers coach on Thursday. Graphic via UTRGV Athletics.

UTRGV head football coach Travis Bush announced on Thursday the hiring of Chris Brasfield, who has nearly 20 years of coaching experience and additional high level recruiting experience, as a wide receivers coach with the Vaqueros.

Brasfield served in roles including running backs coach, assistant head coach and special teams coordinator, and senior analyst and special assistant to the head coach at SMU (2018-20), associate athletics director of student-athlete recruitment & experience (2015-17) and director of high school relations for football (2014) at Nebraska, running backs coach at Oregon State (2011-13), defensive graduate assistant at Oregon (2010), running backs coach at Samford (2007-09), Chicago Hope Academy head coach (2005-06), Fort Worth County Day School head coach (2002-04), offensive graduate assistant at TCU (spring 2001), assistant coach at All Saints Episcopal School (2000), assistant wide receivers coach at Texas State (1999), and wide receivers coach at Midwestern State (1996).

Brasfield’s time at Texas State coincided with Bush’s senior season as a wide receiver in 1999. They also worked together at TCU in 2001.

“I have known Chris for 25 years now,” Bush said. “In fact, he was one of our receiver coaches my senior year in college at Southwest Texas. We also spent some time together again as graduate assistants at TCU. Coach Brasfield is an outstanding football coach, and he always gets the most out of the guys he coaches. He has been at some of the top FBS programs in the nation, in multiple roles, and will make an immediate impact for UTRGV Football. He has even been ranked as one of the top recruiters in the nation in FBS. I can’t wait for him to get on campus and get to work.”

During his time as special teams coordinator at SMU in 2020, Brasfield coached kicker Chris Naggar to American Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Year honors. Naggar was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award and on the watch list for the Ray Guy Award, finishing the season as the conference’s leader in scoring (9.4; 17th in the NCAA) and field goals per game (1.70; 12th in the NCAA) and was one shy of the SMU single-season record for field goals made at 17. Naggar was selected to play in the NFLPA and Hula Bowls.

As a team, SMU ranked ninth nationally in kickoff return defense at 16.95, with Tyler Page finishing the season fourth nationally in punt returns at 15.2 yards per return.

In 2019, Brasfield mentored Doak Walker semifinalist and all-conference selection Xavier Jones to top FBS statistical honors for points per game (11.5) and rushing touchdowns (23). Jones was also second nationally in total touchdowns with 25 and third nationally in total points scored with 150. His rushing yards (1,276) and rushing yards per game (98.2) were also in the FBS top 25. Jones’ season points, rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns were all SMU records. Jones went on to sign with the Los Angeles Rams in 2020.

In his first season at SMU, Brasfield mentored Paul Hornung Award Watch List member Braeden West, who led the Mustangs with 138 carries for 589 yards and six touchdowns and finished his career 10th all-time at SMU with 2,519 career-rushing yards and seven career 100-yard games.

Brasfield has also built a reputation as a dynamic recruiter, voted as one of the top 50 recruiters in the nation by 247 sports during his time at Oregon State. That led to Brasfield following head coach Mike Riley to Nebraska, where Brasfield took on a recruiting-specific role.

A member of the NFL Minority Coaching Internship Program, Brasfield spent time with the Tennessee Titans in 2009. He also served as an intern with the Oakland Raiders in 2000 and was an area scout for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2001-02.

Brasfield has also coached at the high school level in Texas and Illinois.

“I am ecstatic to be a part of the UTRGV football family,” Brasfield said. “Knowing Coach Bush, his character and commitment to excellence, seeing the collaboration between our university and athletics leadership, in conjunction with an ever-growing donor base that wants to establish a football program the Valley and state of Texas will be proud of, is a winning formula. I’m grateful to Coach Bush for the opportunity. Go Vaqueros!”

Originally from Fort Worth, Brasfield earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a Master of Liberal Arts from TCU in 1996 and 2001, respectively.

Mission makes EDC money transfer, reimburses itself with federal funds

By
Dina Arévalo
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The city of Mission City Hall on Jan. 26, 2022. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])

Just a few weeks after questions arose over months’ worth of sales tax revenues that the city of Mission had failed to transfer into the coffers of its economic arm, top officials announced that the Mission Economic Development Corporation has since been made whole.

Mission City Manager Randy Perez delivered the news during a city council meeting on Monday.

“The funds to the MEDC were transferred on Friday for the amount of $2.7 (million) that was previously allocated,” Perez said.

At the same time, the city manager also sought the council’s approval to use some $1.9 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to reimburse the city for what he characterized as “government services.”

Resolving the issue, however, sent ripples into the MEDC and toward the man who first brought the matter of the missing sales tax revenues to the public’s attention.

That’s because, just moments before the council voted to approve the $1.9 million ARPA reimbursement, they also voted to replace Noel Salinas, whose term on the MEDC board of directors was set to expire at the end of the year.

Last month, Salinas was the first to speak out about the nearly $3 million in sales tax revenues that the city had failed to transfer from its bank accounts to the MEDC’s.

Those funds represent months’ worth of the MEDC’s portion of the city’s sales tax revenues.

Of the 8.25% in sales taxes that consumers pay while shopping in Mission, 6.25 cents per dollar go to the state, while the remaining 2 pennies come back to the city.

Decades ago, Mission chose to allocate one-half penny of that to the MEDC.

Today, that half-penny contribution adds up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue each month.

But, for an untold number of months, the city had not transferred the MEDC its share of those sales tax revenues.

Salinas alleged that the money had been used to fund the city’s daily operating expenses, including employee payroll.

On Monday night, the Mission City Council unanimously voted to replace Salinas on the MEDC board with Julian Alvarez.

Meanwhile, the city manager continues to insist the city never lost track of funds meant for the MEDC.

“The city asserts that all EDC funds were accounted for at all times,” the city stated in a news release sent to The Monitor on Wednesday.

“There was never any money missing from Mission EDC, and the delay did not impact Mission EDC operations. All of Mission EDC’s expenditures and financial obligations were met,” the release further states.

Instead, the city delayed transferring the MEDC sales tax revenue allocations because of “the timing of cash flow for various city projects,” the release stated.

In essence, Mission used the MEDC’s share of sales tax revenues to make front-end payments on several infrastructure projects, including a new fire and police substation, and three road projects at Military and Inspiration Roads, Taylor Road, and the 365 Loop project.

“The city is the fiduciary agent on several projects … that required an upfront contribution of funds with expected reimbursements. As a result, the EDC’s allocations were deferred,” the city stated.

Mission officials also objected to characterizations that federal COVID-19 relief dollars were used to repay the MEDC.

The city transferred nearly $2.8 million out of its coffers to the MEDC on Jan. 5, Perez explained to the council on Monday.

As a separate issue, the city manager was asking the council to consider reallocating $1,951,832 of American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, funds that they had previously earmarked for infrastructure projects.

Those federal dollars, the city manager explained, would be used not to pay the MEDC, but to repay the city itself for funds spent on “government services.”

“I just wanted to make that clarification that these are for reimbursements for government services and the funds to the EDC have been transferred as of Friday of last week,” Perez said.

The city manager said he had reached out to attorneys at Weslaco-based law firm, Jones, Galligan, Key and Lozano, whether that type of reimbursement is allowable under U.S. Treasury Department guidelines, which govern the use of COVID-19 relief funds.

“The city may properly designate the allowance towards the proposed items reflected in the budget amendment,” Perez said.

A 10-page Treasury Department guide on ARPA funds describes acceptable uses to include “general government operations, such as general government administration, personnel costs, administrative facilities, record keeping…” and more.

City records show that the $1.9 million was deobligated from an $8 million fund of ARPA money meant for “machinery and equipment.”

That’s according to a Dec. 13, 2023 budget amendment — a proposal dated a week prior to Perez’s cash flow analysis presentation to the city council on Dec. 18.

Four out of the council’s five members voted to approve Perez’s recommendation to reallocate the ARPA funds.

The lone “nay” vote came from Place 2 Councilman Ruben Plata, who, during that mid-December meeting, had vocally disagreed with pulling funds away from planned projects to replenish the city’s general fund.

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