Texas Border Business
ALAMO, Texas – This past week, City of Alamo staff and officials visited with state legislators in Austin to discuss funding opportunities for infrastructure, drainage, and many more projects within the city. Alamo City Manager Bobby Salinas, Assistant City Manager Alexandra Rangel, along with Comm. Okie Salinas and Comm. Jr. Garza joined a delegation of over 100 staff and officials from cities all across the Rio Grande Valley for RGV Day at the Capitol. Utilizing strength in numbers, the Valley delegation met with state leaders to discuss issues affecting the Rio Grande Valley region such as broadband expansion in rural communities, infrastructure improvements for streets and highways, and drainage improvements for low lying areas prone to flooding. The group was organized by The RGV Partnership who worked to connect city leaders with their area representatives.
City of Alamo officials met with staff and representatives of State Senator Morgan LaMantia, State Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, Representative Ryan Guillen, and Representative Armando “Mando” Martinez to discuss funding opportunities for several projects in the area. Especially important to officials were improvements to current drainage systems within the city. Recently, the City of Alamo received $973,285.00 in grant funding from the Texas General Land Office for several drainage improvement projects in the area. These projects include drainage improvements for the area bounded by US Bus 83, Expressway I-2, and Alamo Road including a 2.50-acre detention pond, installing new inlets, installing 1,400 linear feet of 24-inch pipe, and installing 1500 linear feet of 18-inch pipe. Infrastructure was also top of mind for city officials. As the City of Alamo has grown, so has the need for improvements to several key roadways within the city. Officials discussed funding for improvements and paving to major key thoroughfares within the city.
State legislators meeting for the 88th legislative session are currently facing a historic $33 billion budget surplus for the upcoming biennium, a record for the state of Texas. Events like RGV Day at the Capitol provided a good opportunity for the Valley delegation to ensure that some of the surplus is directed to issues affecting Valley communities. Members of the RGV delegation were honored with a special resolution during Senate proceedings as the Texas Senate adopted Senate Resolution No. 196 recognizing February 22, 2023, as Rio Grande Valley Day at the State Capitol. With the leadership provided by the entire Alamo Board of Commissioners, along with the help provided by neighboring communities attending the event, City of Alamo officials were able to make a strong case for the continued support of state officials in order to ensure that the City of Alamo continues to be a healthy and growing community.
