Texas Border Business
On February 8, 2022, Mayor Javier Villalobos addressed the City of McAllen during the State of the City Address; the following is his speech.
Hello McAllen! Welcome! ¡Bienvenidos! Thank you so much for being here! What an exciting day in McAllen! It is so good to be here together, with you our citizens, guests, elected officials, together for McAllen!
We all share in our city’s success, challenges, and plans for a better future. Thanks to all sponsors for today’s sold-out event! Your support is why this event is zero-cost to McAllen taxpayers, with all proceeds going to our local non-profits.
I also want to take a moment to welcome all of the dignitaries who took time out of their day to be here; senators, congressmen, mayors, consuls, council members, trustees, university leaders, welcome, all of you.
I also want to acknowledge and welcome my friend and former mayor of McAllen, Jim Darling. Mayor, thank you for being here!
Most importantly, I would like to recognize my beautiful wife, Annette and my family who are here with me today. Thank you for your encouragement and support, I love you!
2021 was a difficult year, with an uncertain global economy, immigration issues and a race to safeguard our region from a pandemic. Yet in the face of adversity, ‘I Know a Place’ that took adversity and created opportunity, a place united in purpose when lives hung in the balance. ‘I Know a Place’ that made good on a promise to create new possibilities for a new generation.
That Place Is McAllen!!!
Friends, I am honored, and proud to report to you that the state of our great city is stronger than ever!
McAllen’s greatest strength in 2021 was our willingness to work together within our community, and across city, state, and national borders to get things done. And this didn’t go unnoticed.
I am proud of my colleagues on the McAllen City Commission, who brought our city special recognition when the Texas City Managers Association awarded McAllen the Best City Council of the Year for the State of Texas!
This honour recognized their leadership and decisive actions taken to protect their community during the COVID Pandemic.
The McAllen City Commission’s rapid response to the crisis ensured fresh water and food security, provided free neighborhood wi-fi, livestreamed recreation programs, supported business resources and more. Additionally, the City quickly adapted, allowing certain employees to work from home, protected every city job, and continually provided every city service without interruption! This amazing program is an example of how when we come together, no matter the obstacle, we can persevere!
I am also very proud of the entire City of McAllen Management team, who was awarded the 2021 Municipal Excellence Award for Management Innovations by the Texas Municipal League.
There are more than 1,100 Texas cities in this organization and the McAllen team was honored to present at the 2021 annual conference in Houston.
Thank you to the City Manager’s office for your support, leadership, and guidance throughout 2021! We are lucky to have such an amazing team to work with.
McAllen understands the value of our position as the gateway for commerce, culture, and hospitality. Friends, ‘I Know a Place’ where working together gets things done!
On behalf of our City, I thank our community for the honor of serving you and pledge that McAllen will continue to be a leader, to work with our local, regional, and international stakeholders.
Y por eso con gusto le saludo a nuestros amigos mexicanos, el Diputado Andrés Cantú, los alcaldes Jesús Nava, Cesar Garza, Carlos Peña, y nuestro Cónsul de México Froylan Yescas.
As a city that transcends borders, McAllen has deep regional significance across Texas and Mexico. It is in McAllen’s nature to partner with others in daily life, in business, and friendship. We have developed a one-of-a-kind McAllen hospitality that welcomes residents from across the entire region including Mexico to experience our unique festivals, culinary scene, and world class retail.
When faced with an uncertain economy in 2021, the City of McAllen worked together with our retail partners to rebuild consumer confidence attracting an estimated 39 thousand visitors every single day totalling an estimated 18 million visitors last year.
McAllen’s total sales tax revenue surged by 22.95% in the last quarter of 2021, with January’s allocation surging 34.8 percent, propelling McAllen’s ranking to 14th in the state. Even more impressive is that out of the top 15 cities in total sales tax, McAllen ranked #2 in total sales tax per capita. That is almost double the amount generated by cities like Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin. And we accomplished this with our international bridges closed due to the pandemic. Now, with bridges reopened and new opportunities on the horizon this is only the beginning!
Other cities across the state look to this economic success and are surprised, but we are not. Our leadership, combined with strategic efforts over the past year put us in the position to achieve this great success. We partnered with the McAllen Chamber of Commerce to allocate more than 4 million dollars in COVID relief for McAllen businesses.
To modernize and beautify our downtown, the McAllen retail and business development office invested $363 thousand dollars to revitalize small business storefronts as part of the Refresh 50/50 grant program.
Beyond this, our airport was awarded more than $27.6 million dollars in federal funds and was able to open new routes across the U.S. and Mexico.
Our leadership recognizes the importance of our airport propelling McAllen above and beyond! So, in addition to new routes, we created a new regional partnership with South Padre Island making sure that McAllen is the gateway to fun and relaxation!
This important investment in our airport and partnership with airlines helped McAllen outperform its pre-COVID record, exceeding 847,000 travelers in 2021. Capturing more than 51% of the region’s market share and generating more than $633 million dollars in economic impact.
To further community partnerships this year, we held the Mayor’s Development Forum where we, invited feedback from McAllen’s development community on our local development processes. I am pleased to say that after a great turnout and a healthy conversation, we were able to take immediate steps to simplify several aspects of the development process, making sure McAllen is always open for business.
Here with more ways McAllen is supporting our businesses community is Mayor Pro Tem and District 2 Commissioner Joaquin “JJ” Zamora.
Thank you, Commissioner Zamora. By making good together, McAllen and our business community have made us the #1 City in America for making your dollar go the furthest for housing, transportation, food, and healthcare.
Our incredible economic strength was an opportunity to reinvest in our city’s public safety, during a time when the entire country debates the challenges of the pandemic, border security and more. And despite it all, McAllen had the lowest crime rate in 37 years, was ranked as the 9th safest city in America, and reported the 2nd lowest violent crime rate in the State of Texas. ‘I Know a Place’ where crime is at an all-time low- thank you, McAllen PD.
2021 was also the year McAllen partnered with the McAllen Police Department and McAllen Fire Department to reach a multi-year collective bargaining agreement.
Both teams worked hard for three months to draft agreements that were beneficial for all citizens and the people who protect us. Thank you for your efforts, and let’s hear it for those departments, and the fine men and women who serve us. Thank you for making McAllen one of the safest places to live.
And for the first time, the McAllen Fire Department will have a state-of-art training facility within our city to improve readiness and continue their tradition of excellence. This facility will serve as the heart of the McAllen Fire Department Training Division and ensure our 180 certified firefighters stay current on all continuous education requirements.
Of course, public safety has taken on a new meaning since the emergence of COVID. I would like to thank not only the McAllen Police and Fire Departments, but City staff for their efforts to minimize the effects of the virus on our health and economy.
The City of McAllen worked with a broad coalition of organizations to protect our region when we opened free vaccination clinics at the McAllen Convention Center in partnership with Hidalgo County and McAllen ISD- immunizing thousands. We must also recognize the efforts of McAllen’s hotels and hospitality professionals who safely hosted visiting healthcare and government workers during the pandemic. Thank you!
This joint response extended beyond local borders. Together through our friendship with Samuel Garcia, Governor of Nuevo Leon and Francisco Cabeza de Vaca, Governor of Tamaulipas and with the help of County Judge Richard Cortez, we provided more than 50 thousand COVID vaccines to maquila workers. This was designed to keep the automotive and trade industries flowing, by ensuring that maquila workers in Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas were vaccinated to keep commerce moving at our international crossings.
Here with a closer look at our public safety efforts is District 6 Commissioner Pepe Cabeza de Vaca. Thanks, Commissioner Cabeza de Vaca.
In addition to the pandemic, McAllen faced immigration issues like never before. But ‘I Know a Place’that took swift actions to keep our residents safe and to ensure everyone entering our city was met with human decency.
This past year, together with our community partners McAllen saw that more than 141 thousand immigrants were COVID tested. I am proud to report that through our efforts McAllen was able to access more than $20 million dollars in federal funding covering more than 99.5% of expenses related to this issue. This funding was key to ensure that our residents remained safe, and the immigrants received services like COVID testing, medical care, transportation, shelter, food, and water.
This nationally praised response would not have been possible without our community partners- thank you Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley and Sister Norma Pimentel.
The swift response of Precinct 3 County Commissioner Ever Villarreal and Hidalgo County at the height of the surge was also instrumental in our response to the crisis. Thank you, Commissioner Villarreal, for helping to ensure the safety of both our residents and the immigrants. Sister, Ever, please stand and be recognized.
Of course, our friendship with Mexico has been part of our history for many years and positions McAllen to be a leader in international commerce. Just last month state and federal leaders visited McAllen to sign an agreement for the expansion of our Anzalduas International Bridge. This state-of-the-art expansion will allow commercial traffic to cross between the United States and Mexico more efficiently and will expand international trade.
Thank you, Senator Hinojosa, Chairman (Rep.) Terry Canales and all our RGV delegation (of State Reps); this would have not been possible without your support. Gentlemen, please stand and be recognized.
McAllen is committed to sustainability and the next generation of educational opportunities. We are proud to announce our beloved Quinta Mazatlán is doubling its footprint with the creation of the new Center for Urban Ecology. It will be the First in Texas to accomplish both LEED and Sites platinum certifications- a high honor accomplished by only one other center in the world.
Academic Alliances are a top priority for the Quinta Mazatlán expansion. Thank you – Senators Hinojosa and Lucio, State Representative (Bobby) Guerra, all the valley delegation, Dr. Guy Bailey, UTRGV, the McAllen ISD, Congressman (Vicente) Gonzalez, County Commissioners Ellie Torres, Eddie Cantu, Ever Villarreal, Friends of Quinta Mazatlán, and other community partners (Val LaMantia, L&F /Quinta Board). Please stand and be recognized.
The new Center for Urban Ecology will serve as a major research and education facility that will help study, protect, and preserve native species, flora, and fauna. And while our students undertake ground-breaking fieldwork and research, this innovative facility will be an ecotourism destination for thousands of guests from around the world.
The Quinta Mazatlán expansion is the perfect addition to continue McAllen’s rise as a top destination city.
2021 saw McAllen return to our role as a major Texas destination city for events, recreation, and retail. After careful planning the McAllen Performing Arts Center proudly “reopened the curtain” announcing the new Broadway show line up and more than 200 LIVE events. The season featured experiences including Dinos and Dragons, Michelangelo: The Experience, and the South Pole Illuminated Festival.
The comeback was an overwhelming success with more than 415 thousand visitors! McAllen’s commitment to the Arts and our world class offerings here at the McAllen Convention Center and Performing Arts Center generated more than $75 million dollars in economic impact.
2021 also welcomed the live return of McAllen’s signature destination event – the McAllen Holiday Parade Presented by HEB and Powered by Bert Ogden.
The results were amazing- the 2021 McAllen Holiday Parade welcomed a record 265,000 guests, was broadcast to more than 20 million viewers across America and generated more than $18.5 million dollars in economic impact.
With more about the experiences that make McAllen a great place to visit and live is District 5 Commissioner: Seby Haddad. Thanks, Commissioner Haddad.
But quality of life does not stop there, ‘I Know a Place’ where inclusivity is a top priority. Community partners, thousands of volunteers, and countless city employees come together each year to make good on this promise for our community. These major attractions and community activities are meant for everyone, for all of us! Here to tell us about how the City is ensuring equal access for all is District 4 Commissioner Tania Ramirez.
Thank you, Commissioner (Tania) Ramirez! McAllen is a place for everyone in our community, and we do it together.
As beautiful as nature can be, we have learned to respect its power in the wake of storms like Hurricane Hanna. That is why we invested more than $42 million dollars to improve drainage across the city, to protect McAllen’s homes from nature’s unpredictable power. And this year, we led an initiative to partner with Edinburg, Mission, Pharr, and Hidalgo County to adopt a regional drainage policy first implemented by McAllen in 2018.
Thanks to our neighbors’ prompt response, we took important steps toward a comprehensive and cohesive regional approach to control flooding. Here to tell us more is District 3 Commissioner Omar Quintanilla. Thank you, Commissioner Quintanilla, McAllen understands reliable drainage is a critical service for our community.
Our guarantee of clean and affordable drinking water is a promise McAllen Public Utility is making good on. Here to tell us more are MPU Board Trustees Charles Amos, Ernie Williams, Albert Cardenas, and Rick Godinez.
Thank you, Trustees! Because of your dedication to our great city, during the 2021 freeze, MPU never lost water pressure and thanks to our disaster preparedness, never lost power! This meant that when others were without, McAllen provided!
I hope everyone here today can see how working together has served as a catalyst for success. And soon, another key partnership will save McAllen citizens precious travel hours to access specialized medical care.
McAllen welcomes a new partnership between UTRGV and the MD Anderson Cancer Center to bring a world-class cancer research center to the university’s McAllen Academic Medical Campus.
McAllen residents and our Valley neighbors will have access to oncology services and critical treatments at the new University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in McAllen- a healthcare breakthrough for South Texas.
As we welcome visitors for healthcare services, international commerce, urban green spaces and ecological tourism, transportation within our city will remain a key to our success. Here to explain McAllen’s important transportation advancements is District 1: Commissioner Tony Aguirre. Thank you, Commissioner Aguirre!
With a renewed focus on leading the region through partnerships, ‘I Know a Place’ that is making good, together. A place rated #1 in America to live for individuals with a college degree, #2 in sales per capita, and is one of the top three fastest growing cities in Texas.
How fast?! In 2021, there were more than 1700 residential building permits issued for a total new construction value more than $225 million dollars! And new homes, means new business. In addition, McAllen saw more than 800 new commercial building permits issued for a value of more than $130 million dollars! That is a combined total new construction value of more than $350 million dollars in 2021!
I am proud to report that our fund balance is healthy and strong. McAllen has $300 million dollars in the bank, and this year appropriated $528 million dollars that includes more than 179 capital improvement projects for everything from Roadway beautification, construction of the City’s 8th Fire station, and joint projects like City-School Park improvements! Our sound financial position and commitment to continued capital improvement means, that ‘I Know a Place’ that will continue to grow and thrive like never before!
From Quinta Mazatlán to Anzalduas Bridge, from inclusive parks to holiday parades, through pandemic relief and immigration response, support for local businesses, and regional cooperation- McAllen is thriving!
With a clear vision for a future of sustained economic prosperity, high quality of life, world-class medical care, modern infrastructure, and educational opportunities for our next generation- ‘I Know a Place’that is stronger than ever.
Ladies and gentlemen, I know McAllen.
God bless you and God bless our great City of McAllen.
