By ARABELLA SERRATA
editor@sbnewspaper.com
The City of San Benito held a regular meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024 discussing a number of pivotal items including a water rate hike and possible changes to it City Charter.
During public comment, Mike Travis thanked the board and all who attended the meeting. Travis then thanked public works, the police department and the housing authority. He thanked Fred Sandoval, San Benito City Manager, for his transparency in attaching relevant documents to the meeting’s agenda. Travis then encouraged the board and the public to “look into” Project 2025 and Project 2030.
Travis also encouraged the public to use records on political candidates for this upcoming election and to vote. He then asked for the board to amend the charter so Sandoval would not have to relocate.
Currently, Sandoval resides in Pharr, Texas. The charter Travis was speaking of is the official city charter, which states that city officials, “must reside in the city during his or her term of office and in the City of San Benito six months before filing deadline.”
Travis then thanked the board for their work with the city grants.
Eddie Lowe said he opposed a conditional permit for constructing a storage unit for Ramiro Pesina. This is due to Pesina’s fence being over six feet tall. Lowe claims the enclosure is not windstorm certified, and cites the city charter as the rule that Pesina cannot have another storage facility.
Luiz Chaves represented the Dana subdivision, which has property in San Benito. Chaves claimed they had been trying to contact Johanna Maldonado, the City of San Benito’s Director of Planning and Development, about the pavement of a street in front of the property the subdivision owns. Chaves claims that the subdivision has tried many times and has not received a reply.
Emily Upshaw of Valley View Consulting provided a quarterly investment report for the City. Upshaw reported that the Fed fund’s rate is slated to decrease in September. The average yield is 5.60%.
She says that fixed-income investments should be used to carry the portfolio yield as interest income is set to decrease. The interest comes from the City’s account with Texas Regional Bank, which Upshaw says has the highest interest out of most accounts the bank deals with.
According to Upshaw, the city’s short-term investments are reported to be making a good turnaround. However, she is insistent on the importance of shifting the portfolio for lower interest rates. Upshaw says that the portfolio has about two years to transition.
Financial reports for June 2024 were presented. The total assets were over 19 million dollars, an increase from last year. Total liabilities were over two million. Total revenues are over nine hundred thousand and the year-to-date total was over twelve million.
Total expenditures for the month-to-date are a little over one million, and the year-to-date was over eleven million. The revenues over (under) expenditures were over two hundred thousand, and the year to date was over one million. The yearly tax comparison saw a 3.29% increase, and the allocation historical summary was shown.
Item one discussed the construction of a storage building larger than 200 square feet. The item was approved, only if Pesina would remove a preexisting storage unit.
The board discussed item two, the onsite alcohol consumption at Stripes convenience store locations. This comes with the new addition of their margarita machines. The item was approved.
Items three, four, and five were approved together. Item three was a hearing to rezone property, item four was the first Public Hearing on the City of San Benito’s proposed ad valorem property tax rate and item five was the proposed budget for the city.
For the consent agenda, all the items were approved at once. Only items four and six were considered independently. Item one was to approve the minutes from the Feb. 20, 2024 regular meeting. Item two was to approve Order Number 2024-0806-001, for the City of San Benito on Nov. 5, 2024, Charter Amendment Special Election.
Item three was the fifth and final payment to Axon Enterprise Inc. for the Taser X26P. Item four was to approve the contract for Southern Trenchless for support railing and bracket replacement for their lift station.
Item five was approved to allow an Artwork Loan Agreement for the art exhibit “Cruzando Fronteras.” Item six approved the Preliminary Plat of Cielo Grande Subdivision, which is the basic plan of the property layout.
Sandoval said the Charter election draft had conflicting elements within it and that it was going to be sent to the city attorney. The meeting was promptly adjourned.
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