City Council - Regular Meeting

partners on the first of its kind collaboration to improve drainage infrastructure at Bryan and Castro Elementary Schools. And this is a first, like I said, of its kind, and I'm so, so thankful to our mission...

Thank you.

Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for being here. I'm going to call this meeting to order. It is 432, and today's date is Tuesday, July the 14th, 2026. Ms. Anna, can you please establish quorum?

Mayor Norrie Garza. Present. Mayor Pro Tem Ruben Plata.

Present.

Councilwoman Marissa Gerlach. Present. Councilman Alberto Vela.

Present.

Councilwoman Jessica Ortega. Present. Mayor, we've established quorum. Thank you.

Next item is invocation and pledge of allegiance. The invocation will be led by Pastor Silvia Lopez from Restoration Church. Thank you for being here, Pastor.

Father, we boldly come before your throne, Jesus. And we ask, Lord, for guidance in this moment. Father, we thank you for the privilege we have to gather here today as public servants, as dedicated people that care for the progress of this city, Lord. And as you remind us in the word in Jeremiah 29, 7. To seek the peace and the prosperity of the city where you have placed us. And to pray on its behalf because it is for our own welfare, Lord. We ask, Father, for guidance. We ask for wisdom. We ask for peace and we ask for knowledge, Lord. And we ask that your peace that surpasses all understanding, Father, come upon this place, Father. And that you guide them in every decision that needs to be made, Father. And in everything that there is... Lord, I ask for unity, Father. I ask, Lord, that you come boldly, Father, and surround this place, Father, and guide them and instruct them as you might want them, Father, to govern this city. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. Ms. Ana, have any conflicts of interest been submitted? No, not yet. Okay. Next item is presentations. Chief Silva, are we good? Okay, we're gonna go out of order for a little bit. We're gonna move to item number three.

Good evening, Mayor, City Council, City Manager, distinguished guests, members of our community. It is my privilege to recognize an extraordinary team effort that truly demonstrates what can happen when preparation, training, and partnerships come together to save a life. On June 23rd, Mission firefighters and paramedics responded to Veterans Memorial High School for a report of a 17-year-old who had suddenly collapsed just before tennis practice. When our crews arrived, they found the young man in cardiac arrest without a pulse. They immediately began advanced life support, providing CPR, airway management, life-saving medications, and every intervention possible. As the patient was being transported to Mission Regional Medical Center, our crews continued their efforts. I met the ambulance upon arrival at the hospital and just before the rear doors opened, I was informed that our crews had successfully restored the patient's pulse. That was a moment that none of us will ever forget. The emergency department at Mission Regional Medical Center immediately continued life-saving care and stabilized the patient before he was transferred to Driscoll Children's Hospital for specialized treatment. Today, I'm happy to share that he continues to recover. He remains under close medical supervision. He is undergoing additional testing and continues to make encouraging progress. We are all hopeful he will be home with his family soon. This outcome was not the work of one person or one agency. It was a true team effort from the school staff and bystanders who acted quickly, to our firefighters and paramedics, to the staff at Mission Regional Medical Center, the critical care transport team, and the specialists at Driscoll Children's Hospital. Everyone played an important role in giving this young man another chance at life. To my staff, thank you for your dedication and your unwavering commitment to serving the citizens of Mission. I am incredibly proud of each and every one of you. I couldn't ask for a better team, and I have complete confidence in your professionalism, your compassion, and your commitment to this community. To our Mayor, City Council, and City Manager, thank you for your continued support of the Mission Fire Department and your commitment to fire-based EMS. Your investment in our personnel, equipment, and training allows us to provide the highest level of care when our community needs it the most. Today's recognition is a testament of the impact and the support it has on our lives and the citizens of Mission we serve today. Thank you to everyone who played a crucial role in this young man's care. There is no greater reward than knowing we all helped give him another chance of life. And today I would like to bring up Driscoll Children's Hospital, the representatives. Also Mission Regional Medical Center, they're here. You all can come up front. and also Mission CISD for a few words and then we will provide them a certificate of recognition.

Thank you. A little shy?

yes good afternoon mayor City Council today how we're celebrating not just an act of service but an act of of a gift of another day of life As superintendent of Mission CISD, when parents, guardians drop off their children at our facilities, I am their daytime mommy. So on behalf of Mission CISD, we thank our first responders. We thank our Mission CISD staff and any bystanders that were there on that day. We truly have heroes among us and they walk among us every single day. Our student has a second chance at life and I cannot forever be grateful. I'm forever grateful of what everyone did on that day. I happened to be with Texas Education Agency out of the valley and I get the call from our athletic director and how I wish I could have been here. And so I was getting the 411 minute by minute, and all I could do was get back into my hotel room. It was around dinner time, and I run to my hotel room and get on my knees and start praying. So I thank God. I thank the Lord. I thank everybody here at Driscoll, our first responders, and, of course, Mission CISD. for affording the Garzas that beautiful gift of saving their son. And I thank you for saving our mission CISD son. I just am so grateful. And I can't wait to see Aaron and his family And I do want to call up our board of trustees that are here. And we, everybody works together as a team to save a life. And so thank you for Mission CISD. Thank you.

On behalf of Mission Regional Medical Center, we're deeply honored to accept this recognition from Mission Fire Department. We sincerely thank you for this award, and more importantly, for your unwavering partnership and dedication to our community. Saving lives is a team effort, and this successful cardiac arrest response reflects the exceptional collaboration between Mission Fire EMS, Driscoll, our hospital team, and we are grateful to stand beside you in providing life-saving care when every second matters. Thank you.

I'm a part of the flight team and I feel very honored and I appreciate the EMS who got there and stabilized Aaron and then going to Mission Hospital and then we got there and we flew him to Corpus for ECMO. It's such a great feeling to see how he's recovered. You know, we're just glad being with dad that day, flying with him was rough because I'm a parent myself, and I couldn't imagine being in that situation, but this is what we're here for. And I just want to thank all of the EMS who got there first. They did a great job, plus the students who did CPR on their friend. That's amazing. So thank you for the community who taught BLS to these students. Let's continue the good work.

Mayor, I would also like to ask Jerry Garza and Amanda Garza to come up front to the podium. They're in the audience. These are the individuals that also need to be very well recognized as they initiated the chain of survival chain, calling 911 and initiating CPR and giving Erin a chance. I don't know if you would like to speak or not, but they do need to be recognized.

First and foremost, I'm very proud of my daughter, being able to step up and do what she needed to do. When I asked her, you know, what was going through her mind, she said nothing, you know, it just had to do with what I was trained to do. And she was surprised that everybody was thanking her, but really it's... She was driven, and she stepped up to the occasion. So I'm very proud of her. We're also very proud of just being a part of the journey of Erin's recovery. So we're thankful to be here. Thank you.

Chief, just before you, can you expand a little on Amanda's participation? I don't think too many people know.

Do you want to do it? Yeah, she'll do it. She's good. Okay.

Thank you. Hello, everyone. So the day that it happened, Aaron and his dad usually get there early the day of practice. They just hit around and do serves. When I got there, he told me to go hit with him. So I went to go hit with him a couple balls, like around four. And then after the four balls, he hunches over and... He just doesn't feel well, so his dad asks him, what's wrong? Like, are you okay? And he just says, I don't know, I just have a weird feeling all over my body. And after that, his dad told him to go sit down. So two steps into walking to the benches to go sit down, he just collapses. And I just stand there shocked, like, I don't know what happened. So as the dad's running to him, I finally realize, oh my gosh, something's happened to Aaron. I run over and one of the guys from the soccer field, Jesse, he started CPR. And after about five rounds that he was doing CPR, I took over and I started doing CPR as my coach was telling me to go harder and harder. This was my first time doing CPR on an actual person, so obviously it was very scary. But I just wanted to take the opportunity to help my friend and do what I had to do. After that happened, my dad did take over and he finished till the EMS got there. It was a very scary moment after my dad took over, me and my mom were just praying all the time. Then my dad joined once the EMS came and we were just praying, praying to God that Aaron would be okay. I've been very close with Aaron since my freshman year. We've been mixed doubles partners and we've made regionals multiple times. And it was just a very scary moment to see my friend in that type of situation. But I got to go visit him, and he's doing well. He's recovering. He's able to walk and speak. His memory is still a bit sluggish, but I'm just very glad that he's okay. And, again, it was a very scary moment, but I'm glad that I got to help and step in and do what I had to do as I did get my certification. So I guess I just want to say that don't be afraid to step in. It is what it is to do to help your community and I'm very thankful that I have the strength and the ability to step in to help my friend. Thank you.

i'm going to pass them out and then i'll bring up my and then we can take a picture okay i guess while chief is passing out the certificates i just want to say that on behalf of the entire city council we appreciate everything that everyone did to to help aaron get to where he is today. Hopefully he will be 100% recovered very soon. We are making plans already to be at his first tournament play or first practice. Even his practice will show up. We're very excited about his recovery and his uh... journey uh... it's amazing and you know he you you're talking about heroes amongst us i'm talking about angels angels amongst us so thank you all of you for your participation and for getting aaron to where he is today yes excuse me mayor and the city council along with everyone present just to give you a little insight it is required that we do have uh...

training, CPR training. Not only, all extracurricular coaches and sponsors, everyone has to be trained in CPR. And then of course we have our classes and teach our students. So it just proves exactly what's done in those initial seconds makes the difference. And that's the whole thing. to try to keep them going until the certified people get there and that was the whole thing and they should play a part in that. So I just want to give you a little insight. Thank you so much.

Anybody else want to say anything?

Actually, I don't have no words, but thank you. That courage that you had to help out, I mean, as you can see, really made a difference. So you're absolutely right. I hope we have more children, and some of us are adults, that we can learn from that. So God bless you.

Thank you. Anyone?

yeah you all are truly angels walking amongst us and i believe it's god's perfect timing and god's perfect plan for setting those people all every each and every one of you there at that moment and i pray for aaron's full and complete recovery as we all do so um my son also goes to veterans and is a friend with aaron so they're both juniors so it is a it's very heartfelt so thank you thank you to everybody thank you i just want to thank everyone for doing their part

Thank you. And again, Mayor, this is a team effort. This was all started from the very beginning from the initiate state of Mission CISD coming to the forefront and doing what was necessary to Mission Regional, to our staff, and to Driscoll. It was a team effort, and there's no one better than having these partners all together working every single day to make sure that their life is saved. So again, I appreciate everything that they've done, and of course I appreciate them being here for being recognized.

Thank you. I think in the middle.

Thank you.

Want to bring it all back? Yeah.

Thank you.

As we continue, Mayor, I know this is like a two-part recognition deal. So if I can have Firefighter John A. Marin to the front. Firefighter Abel Gutierrez. Firefighter Paramedic Eric Baliviez. Firefighter Paramedic Victor Lopez. And Lieutenant EMT Garcia. Mayor, Council, these are the individuals that Fortunately, we're on duty that day as any other day of our staff that is medically trained and certified in the advanced care that they provide each and every day. These are the individuals that also need to be recognized for their good faith efforts. Not only that, but the job that they did to bring back Erin during that crucial time. And so today, I do want to recognize their Excellent job they do, not only that day, but each and every day they come and serve this city. They took an oath, and that oath has always been up to the very front of the best quality of care that we can have, the compassionate care, and they need to also be recognized for a job well done. I'm so proud of them, so thank you.

I just wanted to say thank you to the parents for putting faith in our team. I know it's hard for a father, especially, to see his son go down. Our paramedics did an absolutely astonishingly good job, and I will put any of my family members in their hands and have full faith in our team. Everybody was dialed in, and Eric and Victor Lopez, they're on it. And I just want to say that that was the reason why everything went planned, because they were just working as good as they could together, and it was perfect.

Hello, everybody. I'm happy Aaron's doing fine. And just wanted to commend the team again. You know, Chief explained, you know, the training and everything that goes into it. But it's also, like, the friendship and the brotherhood. You know, it's an honor to serve with these guys. It's an honor to serve the city of Mission. And there's no other team that, you know, I'd want caring for my family than the guys right here. So, you know, thank you all for the acknowledgement and everything. Thank you, Chief. Thanks again.

Thank you. I just want to thank the city and the department for appreciating us. I'm happy that we go through training and we have probably the best equipment that I've ever used, to be honest. I just felt like we worked really good as a team that day, so that's about it.

Good afternoon. There's really not much to say. I mean, these guys pretty much said everything there is to say. Everybody was on their A game that day. I'm really, really happy that Aaron is doing good. And I hope to hear his side of the story, what was going through his mind when all that was going on. But I'm really glad he's doing okay. And again, thanks to these guys right here that they did an amazing job. And, you know, thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yo, Mayor. City Council. I just want to say thank you because of you guys. We're here because of your support. You all trust in us. Chief, the city, our brass with him, taking us to the trainings, allowing us to be on those boxes day in, day out. It's an honor for us to be here for you guys, serve you guys. We are your servants. We are here to serve and protect. And it's an honor. We're so happy that Aaron is doing great. And we thank you again.

If you may, please.

Are you ready? Thank you.

Chief?

We are next.

Yes.

Hello, Mayor and Council, Chief Torres, Mission Police Department. Here today, what an honor to highlight some of our staff and the awards that they've received throughout the state and the federal government. Mission residents expect protection, transparency, accountability, service, and the Mission Police Department is producing and delivering. We are now best practices. certified city, so we're very happy that our staff are delivering every day. Today we are here to honor and acknowledge Teresa Martinez right here to my right. She's an intern with our crime victims program. This program assists victims of crimes through shelter, food, clothing, emergency purchases, funerals, etc. Her leadership and dedication to the program is fantastic, and in fact, she has worked over 555 hours for the Crime Victims Program in the past few months. So thank you. In Texas, there are approximately 78,500 officers. Today, we display 10 out of 78,500 officers in Texas. and they have delivered in a big way for the citizens of Mission. This year, the Texas Narcotic Officer Association has awarded canine officer Juan Garcia here to my left with his canine mauling. They received the team of the year award. Remember, 78,500 officers. They were involved in the forfeiture of approximately $14 million worth of drugs, and approximately $1 million in cash. What an honor to have Mission Texas on the map. Congratulations to both, job well done. This year, the Texas Commission of Law Enforcement has awarded a leadership award in Austin, Texas. This award is one of the highest honors and Sergeant Leal earned it through her leadership role in the canine unit. Sergeant Leal has obtained about six free police dogs from organizations from across the country. These dogs are worth from $6,000 to $10,000 per dog, and they cost zero to our taxpayers. Sergeant Leal has also been involved in the forfeiture of approximately $61 million worth of drugs and approximately $2.5 million in cash. What an honor. Mission Texas again. Congratulations, Sergeant Leal. Thousands of victims have been killed due to drunk drivers. DWI interdiction is vital in saving lives. Police officers often deliver bad news to loved ones when victims are killed as a result of drunk driving. From the entire state of Texas, four mission officers earned top awards, and I'm very proud of them. This year, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers has awarded four awards in San Marcos, Texas. Jose H. Salinas, right here to my right, Rookie of the Year. His brother, next to him, Educational Leadership Award. Sergeant Luis Gutierrez, top arrests of the year, as he did last year as well, so. And usually I don't do this, but your chief received the leadership award of the year with the mothers against drug drivers in San Marcos, Texas. So thank you. I am impressed beyond belief. We have some task force officers assigned to the FBI, Department of Justice, Homeland Security, and the DEA. Our Task Force Officer from Mission PD, assigned to the FBI, received an Investigations Award. Detailed investigations, deep, they go all across, all over the world, so we're very proud of them. The Department of Justice awarded two Mission Task Force Officers with Task Force Officer of the Year and also Unit of the Year Award. These two Task Force Officers were involved in critical investigations that came in from all over the world and they were involved in seizing millions of dollars worth of drugs and millions of dollars in cash. The DEA awarded a Mission Task Force Officer with Officer of the Year. He was also involved in critical investigations and was involved in the forfeiture of millions of dollars in cash and millions of dollars worth of narcotics. They are not here as a result of their status as undercovers for the FBI, HSI, and DEA. Again, 10 officers out of 78,500 officers in Texas. We do not execute in a pinnacle way for an award or recognition. We do it for the citizens we love and the citizens we serve. Our commitment to public safety is invaluable and our citizens always benefit. For the men and women of the Mission Police Department, those that are here and those that are not here, I am proud of you and so everyone else. We are thankful for the support of elected officials and our city manager's office, because without you all, we can't do our job. Does anyone here would like to say a few words?

Hello, everyone. Yes, I was the intern this year. My name is Teresa Martinez. I would like to sincerely thank the mayor, the city manager, and the city council for supporting the crime victims internship with the Mission Police Department. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to learn, grow, and serve our community through this experience. A special thank you to Chief Cesar Torres, the Assistant Chiefs, Corporal Pasaman, and Isela Marin, our Crime Victims Liaison. Thank you for your guidance, encouragement, and for sharing your knowledge with me. I appreciate everything you have taught me throughout my internship. Your mentorship has made a lasting impact, and I will carry these lessons with me in the future. Thank you all for your leadership, support, and for making this internship such a meaningful and rewarding experience. Thank you all.

Mayor, City Council, I just want to say that I'm super proud of every single officer of the Mission Police Department. In combination, we have over 300 arrests for the fiscal year. We were number 10 on leaders for the state of Texas, and that's up there with Amarillo PD, Corpus Christi, and those cities with a very large population. Something that I'm also very proud of that Chief did not mention is that he received a leadership award because in the state of Texas, there's 432 drug recognition experts. The city of Mission has eight. We are up there with the departments like San Antonio PD, Dallas PD, Houston, they have thousands and thousands of officers. With our force size, we're up there with them. Officer Salinas here received the Education Award because he is one of our instructors for the Valley. He teaches a lot of academies and I'm super proud of him. His brother, Humberto, He's been following his brother's footsteps and making sure he keeps us on the map. So I'm very proud of every single officer in the department, and I want to thank Mayor and City Council for the funding that we received, the equipment, and Chief Torres for his leadership. Thank you.

So I just want to show my appreciation to everybody for the training that we receive that we get sent to because without that I wouldn't be able to do what I do out there to serve the citizens of Mission at the end of the day. So my our job is to kind of keep everybody safe here and the last thing that I want to do is to go notify a family that they're Loved ones have been killed right so I've done in the past and I've learned from all that and that's that's what I strive for every day and that's what I work for and I just want to thank everybody and especially chief chief told us we're giving them the opportunity and To give us pretty much anything that we asked for as long as it's for the for the betterment of the department and for everybody that the citizens of mission He allows us to go out there so that we can perform at our peak right and that's through training that we received So like sergeant said the DRE program is one of the pinnacle and it's pretty much the epitome of GWI investigation. So there is a very selected few out of the 78,500 officers in the state of Texas, there's about 400 of us that are drug recognition experts. And if it's not for the training that Chief Torres and Sarge allows us to go to, we wouldn't be able to have that recognition and put mission on the map on that end. We just went to San Marcos to receive these awards, and up there they asked us to stand up for the DREs, right, and out of the whole room, It was an honor to have Mission as one of the, you know, smarter cities with as many VREs as a bigger city like San Antonio, Austin, and Houston. So thank you guys for giving us the opportunity and Chief the opportunity also to send us. And we're just very thankful for everything, okay?

Thank you.

And I'll just close by thanking my wife, who's back there before I'm in trouble tonight, and her best friend Kelly, and Jaime, my best friend, and everyone else, all the citizens that are here. Thank you, thank you, thank you. God bless you all.

Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

The one that spoke is over here. We're going to have the senior turn it in here. Senior turn it in here.

We're gonna go to item number one. Is Brad, where's Brad? There you are. Okay Brad, you're up.

What a ceremony. Good evening, Mayor, City Council. I'd like to share a few words, not only the proclamation, but also a few words I've put together from friends and colleagues in the business of parks and recreation. Working in parks and recreation is rewarding, but it can also be challenging. A lot of work happens behind the scenes and after hours. We've got staffing, scheduling, budgets, maintenance, weather, customer concerns, safety, planning, council meetings, and all the little things that have to go just right for the perfect facility to work the way people expect it to. It's not easy. It is easy to get caught up in the operational side of it. Recently, though, I got a good reminder of why our work matters. My grandchildren, Braden and Allison, took swimming lessons again this year. The difference was their little baby sister, Madison, joined them for her first time. I got the experience of her getting comfortable in the water, learning something new, and building confidence on the last day of swim when she got to jump off the one meter diving board. That was good. And then I was reminded that this is the impact that parks and recreation can have on families. The work is not always easy, it's not always noticed, but it does matter. I'm thankful for an industry full of people who keep showing up, solving problems and creating spaces where everyone can learn, connect and make memories. I spent my past 21 and a half years of my career in parks and recreation, and over the years, the one thing I've learned is that the best part of this profession often goes unnoticed. When the parks are clean, programs run well, fields are ready for play, and families have places together, it just feels like the community is working the way it really should. Over the years I worked with many people who genuinely care about making that happen. The work isn't about recognition or headlines, it's about creating places where life happens. I've come to believe that Parks and Recreation isn't just about maintaining parks or organizing and supporting events, it's about helping shape the character of our community. The places we build and care for are become part of people's routines, traditions, and memories. And I'm thankful for the opportunity to be part of this profession and to serve alongside of people who make a difference every day, even if most of the work happens behind the scenes. Our proclamation reads today as, whereas Parks and Recreation Month began in 1985 as a way of recognizing the importance in establishing the quality of life for the people living in our community, and whereas parks and recreation activities and leisure experiences provide opportunities for young people to live, grow, and develop into contributing members of society. And, whereas parks and recreation encourages physical activities by providing space for many popular sports of hiking trails, pickleball, table tennis, swimming pools, and many other activities designed to promote active lifestyles. And, whereas parks and recreation generate opportunities for people to come together and experience a sense of community through fun recreational pursuits. And whereas parks, playgrounds, ball fields, nature trails, open spaces, and historic sites make a community attractive and desirable while contributing to our ongoing economic vitality. And whereas parks, greenways, and open space provides a welcome respite from our fast-paced, high-tech lifestyles, while providing and preserving our natural environment, and whereas parks and recreation agencies touch the lives of individuals, families, groups, and the entire community which positively affects the social, economic, and environmental quality of our community. Now, therefore, Norrie Garza, mayor of Mission, Texas, does hereby proclaim July 2027 as Parks and Recreation Month in the city of Mission, proclaiming this day the 14th day of July 2027. But in closing, I'd like to say, in the game of basketball, when you make a basket, You point to the player who threw the pass, not just the person who scored the goal. That applies not just to basketball, but everything we do. No one makes it through life without assists. Please recognize me with one person from Mission Parks and Recreation staff, and that's Pete Lopez, my parks manager. There's others that are still behind the scene working. I know Pete's over in McAllen arguing about something that happened with Taff. So he's over there trying to keep us in place. And Taylor had to go leave to take care of her mother. But also our park supervisors, JC Calderon, Eloy Garcia, parks foreman. Everardo Paz, parks foreman also. Rick Contreras, aquatics manager. And of course, Pete Charles, recreation assistant, athletic supervisor. Also joining with us today is a portion of the parks advisory board, Maggie Guajardo-Lupena, chairwoman of the board. Julissa Barrera-Martin, assistant chairwoman of the board. Tony Guerrero, previous chairman of the board. I'll meet by tenure. And Jesus Mendiola. I like working with Jesus. He brings up very good ideas and very strong concerns. But it's always a pleasure to work with the board. And we couldn't do it without their assistance. Thank you very much.

City council, I mean the mayor, the city council. Our park system in the city of Mission is by far the best in the valley. We give everything that the kids desire. Our meetings are different. We very seldom vote on anything. It's usually by consensus, and the one question we ask, is it best for the kids in the city of Mission? And not only the infants, the toddlers, the middle school, but also that experienced child that we have in the city of Mission, the one that's over 65. So I really want to thank you for giving us the tools for our park system, for giving us Brad. I mean, he's essential to the park system here in Mission. He brings so much to the park system.

Mayor and council, I just want to thank you for this proclamation and for this recognition for the Parks and Rec because we are really appreciative because we know all the employees, everyone in the team does everything, goes always above and beyond for the city. Everything they do, they do with a lot of love. So thank you very much for this recognition.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I just wanted to say, Mr. Mendiola really represents us a lot. You go to a lot of bike competitions, you do a lot of bike riding, and you're probably one of the board members that uses most of the park, right? I don't know why . Thank you.

You know, you mentioned Jesus. He presented a program, what, about four years, five years ago? And he's still digging his feet in. And you guys are going to be blown away with what's getting ready to happen for the city of Michigan. We're going to put you guys on the map, and it's going to be something international. Great. Thank you.

Can't wait for it. Okay, well, before we step down for a picture, I need a motion to accept the proclamation. I move to approve. Second. There's a motion and a second to approve the proclamation as read. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. Motion carries unanimously. Thank you. Thank you. All right, we'll go down for a picture. Okay.

I'll get in the middle. Salud a la familia.

I know.

Bobby, please, come for me.

Hi, well I want to personally thank the mayor, city council members, and city manager for allowing me to take a few moments today to share a little bit about our Speedy 5K. On behalf of the Speedy Moral Foundation, I want to sincerely thank all of you for continuing to partner with us and supporting us at the seventh annual Speedy 5K. We are truly grateful for everything you've done to help us be as successful as we are. Because of your commitment, alongside the dedication of sponsors and volunteers and law enforcement agencies and over 2,300 participants that we had this year, it was an incredible success. Is that your record? So far, yes. Every year it's been going up a couple hundred.

That's amazing.

It's amazing to see everybody there. And it continues to be one of the largest 5Ks here in the Rio Grande Valley. And of course, we're especially proud that it is held here in the city of Mission, the community Speedy proudly protected and served for so many years. And together, I'm proud to say that we, I say together because it takes a partnership of people, we raised $50,000, 18, no, $50,018.18 this year. And every dollar will go directly towards scholarships for the children of law enforcement here in the Rio Grande Valley. And since the foundation was established, we have now awarded $190,000 in scholarships, and it's helping students pursue a higher education while honoring the sacrifice of my late husband, Corporal Speedy. And I know that a lot of you sponsored here, so just know that everything that you've donated is going back to those children. And of course, the Speedy 5K is an event that so many people look forward to each year. It is a day when our community comes together to honor Speedy, but also to remember our fallen law enforcement officers, support our law enforcement, and give back to the community. What began from tragedy has become something that brings hope, unites people, and creates opportunities for others. The event has also become a destination that brings visitors from across the Rio Grande Valley and throughout the Texas state to here, to the city of Mission. Participants and their families support our local restaurants, hotels, businesses throughout the race weekend, and create a positive economic impact for our community. In fact, the hotel nearby that we could see a locked hotel has already expressed interest in partnering with us by offering discounted room rates for participants and their families next year. We are excited about the opportunities like this one that will grow the event, but also showcases Mission as a welcoming destination for visitors across the state. Following each event, our team meets together and we evaluate everything and of course we look for any ways that we can improve it. We believe that every successful event provides a valuable lesson that helps us make the next one even better. As our race continues to grow each year, safety remains our highest priority and I am proud to share that this year's event concluded with no reported injuries or safety incidents and we have maintained this for all seven years of the Speedy 5K. However, with participation increasing for several hundred runners each year, we believe it's important to continue planning. Our recommendation we would like to explore with the city is to work together with TxDOT to seek authorization to temporarily close both northbound lanes of Sherry Road during the race. Right now we just have one lane. This would provide additional running space, reduce pedestrian congestion, and create a safer environment for participants. During this year's event, Runners occasionally moved beyond the designated cone area due to the limited space available. We have also discussed contingency planning for parking in the event of the inclement weather or future construction in that empty field at the Mission Events Center. We are grateful to HEB for generously offering the use of their parking lot for any alternative parking if needed. We understand that events of this size require careful planning and strong partnerships. That is why we like to begin preparations months in advance so we can work together to address concerns, consider recommendations, and ensure another safe and successful event for our community. Thank you again, once again, for believing in our mission, for your partnership, and for helping us keep Speedy's legacy alive. The Speedy 5K is a beautiful reminder that even in the darkest moments, good can grow. Together we have transformed tragedy into something that continues to make a positive difference and bring our community together, while showcasing the very best of the city of Mission. We look forward to continuing to work alongside each of you to make the Speedy 5 plate even safer, stronger, and more successful in the years to come. So thank you all very much. for this opportunity and for always being there for us. Thank you.

Thank you for being here.

Yes. Thank you.

We'd like to get a picture with you guys. Okay. I think, yes. If you all would step up. Oh, over there. Okay. The next item is Boys and Girls Club quarterly financial report.

Don't be over 50 and sneeze the wrong way, folks. Before I start with our report, can I just have a minute? My daughter was there when the event happened at Vets, so this is the second such time that she's witnessed something like this. She did speak to Aaron last night, and I think him and I are going to be really, really good friends. So I do want to remind everybody that the road to recovery is rough, and it is long. And as long as we know that we have support, whether it's just a text or a call or just somebody just... asking you how you're doing, it makes a world of difference. You know, he's young and he's strong and he is going to make it back. But just reminding everybody that the road is very, very long. So thank you all. Thank you. Okay, I won't bore you too much with details. So I'm not very good at financial reports, because this is the first one I've done in front of people, so.

Other than our board.

Our year-to-date revenue stands at $271,864. This was as of the end of quarter two. We have expenses of $240,000. Our surplus is $31,739, and our ending cash balance is $249,929. Those of you that know about nonprofits, if you're running in a surplus, you're running a good system. We have identified some areas where we can cut costs. It's in our contracting, which is basically our officials for all our sports leagues and other stuff that we do and our operational expenses. The thing with operational expenses is quarter two is heavy because it is the beginning of our summer program and so our expenses go up. The thing about that is we have a very complex inventory system now, so we won't be having to spend those monies more often than maybe every two to three years. So we're in a good system on that sense. We have discussed with other cities as far as other programs as far as how we can mitigate our contractor costs, which will bring down that cost as well. A big chunk of our cost was police presence at some of our games. Those of you that have been to some youth league games or have seen anything on TV, you know the reason that we need police presence out there. So we've started to discuss ideas like that. So we are mitigating our costs as much as we can. I can say that as of today, our bank balance is 440,000. There are some outstanding checks, but I did like Roseanne, so I sent the Waterville to the light company, the Lightville to the water company, and the Waterville to the... But we're on a good road. Everything is looking up for us. We do have this coming year, I think it's about $180,000 in active grants. We have another $150,000 we're applying for that are pretty much given through BGCA. So we're looking at bringing in another $350,000 in grants alone in the next coming fiscal year. If there aren't any questions on that, can I report on our programs as well, or?

Yes, please, go ahead.

I'll keep it short. Our staff is very detailed, so there's like 27 pages of grant information that I'm not going to, I'll send that to you all. Okay. And let's see. Okay, so I just spoke about the grants. We're in our second to last week of summer program. I invite everybody to go out there and see what it's about. We are carrying at this point about 220 to 250 kits daily out of two units that are active. It's amazing. It keeps us going. We did have Boys and Girls of America safety assessor there today. He absolutely loved what we're doing. I'm happy to say we passed the assessment with flying colors, so we're on a good spot with Boys and Girls of America. So we had, just a quick story, we had a donation of $500 come from a parent. I didn't know, they didn't have any information or anything like that. So they informed me that it was one of our parents. So she was there, I went to thank her in person. And she mentioned that the reason that she gave the donation is because this is the first time that her son has ever felt like he belongs anywhere. And so that is why we do what we do. You know, those stories. So she starts crying, of course, I'm a crier, so we cry together, and it's just one of those things, you know? We, our flag football and volleyball registration is going on right now. That's, again, always a big program. We held our golf tournament in April, and it was sold out. We had a blast. It's always one of the tournaments that everybody's asking as soon as it's over, when is your next one? So that's always a good thing. we did install a security feature at main and batworth unit now so you have to be buzzed in to get into our doors now uh with cwv our customer unit will get that coming in in the fall so it's a regular buzzing unit our staff has access but any anybody that's not associated with the club has to be buzzed in so that gives us an extra security feature there at the club Huge news again, Amy Drogo, she's our receptionist, kind of do it all. She was named the South Texas Support Staff of the Year at the Rio Grande Valley All Staff Conference at the Island in May. So that's big news for her. And I want to invite everybody, I will send you the email. On Monday, July 27th, we have a Kohl's grant shopping spree for our kids. Kohl's awarded us $1,000. The club is going to match with $1,000. So we're taking 20 of our members to spend $100 each at Kohl's on Monday, July 27th at 9 a.m. But I'll send the info for that. That way, you know, if you'd like to attend, it's always fun watching, walking behind these kids and seeing them get things that they wouldn't normally get. Yeah, so that's all I've got, you know, if anybody's got any questions. If not, I do welcome you to come out and just visit us for a while. Give us about a week because our admin office, the AC is out, so it's a little hot, but everything else is working. He knows. But everything else is working, and I can't say enough about our facility staff. We give them a call, and they're there right away. So everybody with the city has been amazing in this transition, so I just want to thank everybody for everything.

Thank you, Rick.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

Any questions for Rick? The next item is a report from Mission Economic Development.

Thank you, Mayor. Hello, Council. Good to be with you today. I am standing in for Tecla Garcia. He is at a TxDOT conference moment. And I'm happy to provide the latest economic update.

All right, here we go.

We're happy to announce the latest round of Downtown Assistance Program awardees. We were able to award seven businesses with a total of $150,000 in grant funding to uplift our downtown area. Winners include Conway Food Mart, Safe Coinsurance, David Jose Garza, who is an owner of one of the buildings, Deluxe Events, Southern Fried Restaurant, Lonez Western Wear and Mission Boot Shop. Projects range anywhere from equipment purchases to facade and signage improvements. And we just can't wait to see what this round of funding will do for our downtown area. I'm happy to also report that our universal electric vehicle chargers are now available and ready to use at the Seed. We have two chargers ready for use, and they're pretty easy. You drive up, you scan the code, you download the app, and you're ready to charge. These are the first universal electric vehicle chargers in southern Hidalgo County, so we're very glad to have them here in the city of Mission. Lots of companies growing here. In Mission, RGB Healthy Vending, who is a tenant at The Seed, is expanding their operations. They've added on some new contracts and clients, and so they're going to move into what used to be the 5x5 taproom. They will be adding up to 15 new employees, and so we're happy to have them grow with us there at The Seed. It's just a good testament as to the programs that we have available for our small businesses and entrepreneurs. Earlier this year, we made an announcement of a $50 million recycling plant that's to go in here in Mission. Zaluma Sustainable Aluminum, also known as Century Recycling, will be breaking ground, taking the first step to go vertical on July 28th at 9 a.m. So we invite you all to come out and support the latest member to our business community. All right, we are almost at the completion of our Mission Ready internship program. And I'm gonna brag a little bit. We've got two Mission EDC interns here. If you could give us a little wave. That is Alyssa Cedillo and Regina. Valdez, I'm so sorry. And they've been doing phenomenal work at the EDC and they're one of 15 interns across the city of Mission who are working with small businesses to help increase productivity and bring innovation to some of our businesses. You'll see some of the employers listed there. We had 155 applicants. across the city of Mission from students ranging from their freshman year in high school to their senior year in college and only the top top 15 students were selected to take spots at the small businesses. This is a six-week internship program which ends at the end of this month and we'll be celebrating them August 6th as well for a job well done in providing new ideas to some of the businesses. This one's my favorite. A lot of folks don't know that Mission residents can take advantage of a scholarship at South Texas College. You must be a resident of Mission, as I mentioned, and meet the grade point requirements and credit hours. But anyone living within the city of Mission can apply. You are eligible for up to two semesters or two, I'm sorry, two years of scholarship funding through the META scholarship program. The deadline to apply is July 31st, so those that haven't gotten their application in, please scan the QR code and get that in as soon as possible. And then just a quick sales tax report for the month of June, or funds received in the month of June. We're doing great in April. Activity was up almost 8.8% over last year, and we're up 2.75% year-to-date from last year. So things are going quite well. Folks are coming to Mission. They're shopping. They're exercising their economic spending power, and so we're happy to see it, and we're happy to keep promoting that here at the EDC. The council has any questions?

Mayor, I have a question. Go ahead. Yes, ma'am. On the slide where you said that they could scan to power their electric vehicles. Yes. I'm just curious how much that costs.

Yeah. So there's a $5 fee to initially connect. um and i believe it's 40 cents on a per kilowatt hour so if you were there for 30 minutes i think some folks were there for a few hours they paid like eight bucks um to charge up their car so it just depends on on how quickly your vehicle charges up interesting yeah thank you no problem anything else thank you council questions thank you thank you thank you

Next item is our departmental reports. Those are our packets. Any questions or comments?

May I move to approve the reports as presented?

Second. There's a motion and a second to approve the reports as presented. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. Motion carries unanimously. Next item is citizens participation. Ms. Donna, did anybody sign up? No, ma'am. Okay. We'll go on to announcements. Ms. Jess? Yes. No, Mayor, I have no announcements. Okay, anything? Okay, all right, we'll move on to, well, we don't have, we'll wait. City managers.

Yes, Mayor, I have a couple of announcements that I want to invite the public. Tomorrow we're having our Operation Chill by the police department from 430 to 630 at the strides located at the southeast corner of Sherry and Mile 2. Also, I want to remind the public that we continue having every Saturday sandbag operations. They're at the same area recycling transfer station between 15 and Perkins from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday through hurricane season.

Okay.

That's all I have, ma'am.

Okay. Thank you. Andy?

Nothing on my end. Thank you, ma'am.

Nothing on your end? Okay. Well, next item is public hearing, but we have no public hearings today. So we'll move on to plan and zoning recommendations. And there are none. So we're going to move on to consent agenda.

Mayor, I move to approve the consent agenda item from items 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22. 23 and 24.

Okay. There's a motion and?

Second.

A second to approve the consent agenda as presented with resolution number 2067 for item number 20. And that's all right, Ms. Anna? Yes, ma'am. Okay. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. Motion carries unanimously. Next item is approvals and authorizations, item number 25.

Yes, Mayor, Council, good afternoon. Item 25 is consideration and action on matters related to the approval of Resolution 2068, ordering a general election for November the 3rd, providing for the election of mayor and council members for places one and three. Okay.

Move to approve.

Second. There's a motion and a second to approve resolution number 2068, ordering a general election on November the 3rd, 2026. All in favor?

And just for the record, filing will begin on Monday, July the 20th, and run through August the 17th. Okay.

All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. Motion carries unanimously. Thank you. Next item, Michael.

Thank you. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council, co-city managers. Item number 26 is seeking discussion and possible action on matters related to the acceptance of a grant award from the Texas General Land Office for the Resilient Communities Program in the amount of $250,000 with no match requirement and with respect to a budget amendment. On May 18th, the city received award notice from the Texas General Land Office for the Resilient Communities Program. The project will allow the city to administer planning activities specifically for the development and adoption of an updated comprehensive plan. The comprehensive plan will identify local hazard risks, population study, and increase projections over the next 20 years, housing stock study, land use plan, infrastructure study that describes water, wastewater, drainage, and street systems, economic development, and zoning ordinances. The grant program has no match requirement. Therefore, staff and city managers recommend your approval.

Motion to approve. Second. There's a motion and a second to accept the grant award from the Texas General Land Office in the amount of $250,000 with no match requirement. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. Motion carries unanimously. Thank you. Next item.

Mayor, City Council, item number 27 is consideration of possible action on granting a variance to ordinance number 2198 to allow the Boys and Girls Club a Macon fireworks display on Wednesday, July 15, 2026 as part of the opening ceremony for the 2026 Pony International Softball World Series at Richard Thompson Stadium under the supervision of the Mission Fire Department and Fire Prevention Division. Staff and the co-administration managers recommend approval.

Are there any questions? Motion to approve. Motion. Second. And a second to approve the Barron's request. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. Motion carries unanimously. Thank you. Thank you. This is tomorrow. Yes. Yes. Okay. It's tomorrow. Okay.

Good afternoon, Madam City Council. I come before you to present item number 28, discussion of possible action and matters related to the approval of solicitation of bids for Horner Road. This project involved the construction of about a quarter mile extension of Horner Road to connect with First Street, along with the west side of Home Depot, which are approximately 1,100 feet of roadway. Havan Associates have completed the design phase for the Horner Road project. Funding for the project will be provided through the Mission Redevelopment Authority Tax Increment Contract Revenue Bond Series 2026. Staff and Co-Interm City Manager recommends approval.

I'm going to approve.

Second.

There's a motion and a second to approve the solicitation for bids for Horner Street project. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. Motion carries unanimously. This is going to be a great asset for that area. Thank you, JP.

Yes, mayors. Approximately 50 acres that haven't been developed. We do have a sewer project in the area. That's a $2.5 million project that we started at the beginning of the year. So as we see the grow in that area, we wanted to punch through this corner road, which is going to benefit a lot of the people there in Denny's, Home Depot, all the dealerships that are there that connects to the frontage road. Yes. Thank you. Yes. Thank you.

Okay. There is no unfinished business. We do have an item in executive session, so may I have a motion?

So moved. Second.

There's a motion and a second to go into executive session pursuant to Texas government code section 551.072. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. Motion carries.

I'm going to reconvene.

Second. There's a motion and a second to reconvene. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. Motion carries unanimously. On item number... One. Yeah, but we need to, for the record, Mr. Rubio, do you want to clarify item number 28?

No, we're not going to look at that one. I thought it was out.

It's not? Yeah, we're good. We're good? Yes. Okay. All right, so then item number one.

Mayor, I move to approve. Discuss the next executive session. Okay. Second.

There's a motion and a second to move forward with the- sale of 1400 West Ray Circle as discussed in executive session. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. Motion carries unanimously. Thank you.

Motion to adjourn.

There's a motion to adjourn. Second. And a second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed say no. Motion carries unanimously.