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Thank you, thank you. So good to see you all. ¡Bienvenidos! Welcome everyone to McAllen’s 2025 State of the City!
It’s amazing how time flies. I can’t believe it’s my fourth State of the City. I remember the first time; how excited and nervous I was. And today I stand here more excited, and still nervous. I have shared some exciting and amazing things these past few years. And today I am excited to continue delivering great news on how our great city has been doing.
I welcome all elected and appointed officials. In reality, I welcome all public servants. I thank you for your time and for your sacrifice in serving our communities. And today I thank you for being here.
Above all, I welcome our residents to today’s address. You are the reason we serve, and you are the people behind our purpose.
See more photos of the event in the gallery below:
Photos by Roberto Hugo González
As mayor, and your servant, I too have had to make sacrifices. And I’ll tell you, the hardest sacrifice is the lack of time with my family. Alina, Jaime, Miranda, Javi, thank you for your understanding and for always standing with me. To my beautiful wife Annette, through ever changing times and circumstances, you have stood by my side as my pillar, my rock, and my cornerstone. You have made me strong. For that I will always love you and protect you.
I want to recognize our city partners that helped us create this once again, record-breaking event. Through this event, your generosity benefits McAllen nonprofits throughout the year.
With all my heart, I thank our Titanium, Platinum, and Gold sponsors for supporting our city and I give special thanks to our Diamond sponsors:
- Bert Ogden Auto Group – Thank you!
- CIL – and our good friend Joaquin Spamer!
- Linebarger Attorneys at Law – Thank you for all you do!
- McAllen Hidalgo/Anzalduas International Bridges – ¡Gracias!
- Ruby Red Hospitality – Thank you to the Patel family!
- Starr Camargo Bridge – Thank you, the Vail family!
- Texas A&M University – Thank you Manny, Sandy!
- And Zoho – with our good friend Raj!
To all sponsors who care so much about our city, ¡Muchísimas gracias! Thank you!
See more photos of the event in the gallery below:
Photos by Noah Mangum Gonzalez
McAllen has never been better. But we did not arrive at this moment overnight. We definitely did not get here on our own. We must recognize those who came before us and walked this path in times when our future was not certain. I want to recognize the hard work and perseverance of McAllen’s earlier generations that left us with a foundation to build upon and a legacy to continue.
Today, furthering that legacy has become our way of life. It is our way to break barriers. It is our way to think long-term and make bold investments in our future. It is our way to work together for the common good. And it is our way to take care of one another and leave no one, absolutely no one, behind.
Today, we will show the world what happens when you build a city the McAllen Way, a city that sees its future potential as limitless. What does the McAllen way mean?
The McAllen Way is without limits, because we know our potential as a city is limitless. The McAllen Way is to dream big, start small, and act together with a specific purpose.
The McAllen Way is putting our values into action and honoring our past as we embrace new ideas and bold objectives. The McAllen Way is to act with kindness to one another and build projects that benefit everyone in our community. And it is the McAllen Way to see our cultural heritage as a legacy worth keeping for future generations.
When we do things for our city, I want us to think and ask ourselves, “Are we bold enough? Does this honor our values? Will this create a better city for our future? If we are going to do anything, we should do it the McAllen Way!
My own understanding of the McAllen Way comes from my heritage and my father. I remember the sweat on his brow after a long day. I remember his weathered skin, hands, boots, and his work clothes. I remember the scent of fuel, sweat, and dirt. But what I remember the most, is his pride because he was providing for his family.
Now as mayor, I see men and women like him working tirelessly to build a future for their families. A future my father could have hardly imagined at the time. A future as now, where nothing is seen as impossible. Working hard, working with pride, that is what the McAllen Way is all about.
I want you to think about how the McAllen Way is limitless. You now live in a city where our children will learn alongside UTRGV researchers at the new Quinta Mazatlán Center for Urban Ecology.
You live in a city that will serve as one of America’s most efficient commercial corridors with the expanded Anzalduas Bridge. And you live in a city that will solve water needs for future generations by implementing bold plans and state-of-the-art technology. That, my friends, that is the McAllen Way! It is the McAllen Way to say if we can, we will. If we can, we will!
We said before, if we can build on the best of America’s past, we will make a city that looks like America’s future. Today, McAllen is a place where our quality of life is valued, and our safety is assured through the dedication of our compassionate public servants.
It is the McAllen Way to create world-class destination events that draw guests to our city and provide year-round celebrations for our residents and visitors.
We also always look to future generations. Investing in higher education, conservation, and enterprise has always been the McAllen Way. We are proud of our community spirit and the limitless potential of that next generation. Ladies and gentlemen, I am ready to show the world what the McAllen Way has accomplished.
It is my duty today to deliver the State of the City. And as I stand before you today, I say with great pride, with great honor, and with great enthusiasm, that the State of McAllen is strong, stronger than ever!
I am proud to say that McAllen is strong in ways that benefit everyone. As housing costs soar across the country, McAllen is a city where the American dream is still affordable. And why wouldn’t it be?
People believe and invest in McAllen, creating new subdivisions which create new inventory of homes and keeping the cost of homes affordable. To all investors, developers, realtors who have believed in McAllen, thank you for keeping us affordable. ¡Muchísimas gracias! And McAllen was ranked #1 in America for most affordable cost of living, providing limitless possibilities for McAllen families.
In my years as Mayor, some of my proudest moments have been when we are recognized as the one of America safest cities year-after-year. Not only am I comforted by the safety we all enjoy, but I am also thankful for our residents who take pride in our city, who are law abiding, and care about the rule of law. And of course, I thank our police department and our first responders who work hard to keep us safe. Thank You!
Being safe is the McAllen Way, and in 2024, McAllen reported our lowest crime rate in 37 years! Ladies and gentlemen, we live in one of the safest cities in the whole United States! We are number one in Texas, and Texas is a very big state!
Now hospitality and innovation are the McAllen Way, and it’s why we created a year-round calendar of events for guests and residents. We again earned the IFEA World Festival and Event City Award for creating tremendous community and economic capital as a destination city. And we remain an accessible destination, ranking in the top 5 affordable cities to visit in Texas. Because when McAllen throws a party, when we throw a pachanga, everyone is invited!
In 2024, McAllen’s retail dominance broke records. As Mayor, I’ve reported record-setting retail sales before; but never have McAllen retailers earned 96.8 million dollars in sales tax revenues for our city. People believe in McAllen, they eat in McAllen, they shop in McAllen, and they just overall enjoy our great city of McAllen. Thank you all for buying in McAllen!
McAllen is now second in total sales tax per capita in Texas among cities with more than one hundred-thousand residents; and we again lead the Rio Grande Valley in sales tax revenue.
It feels like McAllen’s retail potential is limitless, but we must recognize the efforts of our retail partners to reach this level of success. Reinvesting in our people is the McAllen Way. Our retail success has helped us continue delivering tax relief to our residents and still deliver quality city services.
Because of our great retail partners and the consumers that enjoy our city, our Commission has reduced McAllen’s tax rate for 4 consecutive years.
Holding the line on taxes, protecting property values, and all with full transparency. Promises made, promises kept. Thank you, commissioners!
And thanks to 2024’s record sales tax revenue, our City Commission’s strategic business plan is well underway. I applaud their vision that follows McAllen’s way of balancing ambition with affordability. I am proud to share McAllen’s ambitious $652-million budget for the ‘24-‘25 fiscal year: a momentous joint effort between our Commission and administration.
I want to recognize our new City Manager, Issac Tawil. Ike, thank you and our team for the leadership in drafting, organizing, and implementing this historic budget.
This new budget accomplishes our City Commission’s goals and sets the foundation for limitless opportunities for McAllen. Ike, we truly appreciate you and your team’s efforts. Please stand and be recognized.
The McAllen way is safe and fiscally sound. Our budget is backed by a $153 million general fund that provides 232 days of working capital, a number exceeding our required reserve of 140 days.
Now, imagine – a future where our families live, work, and play in walkable public spaces that strengthen our bonds as a community. In December of 2024, we didn’t just imagine it. We took action to build it by adopting a groundbreaking McAllen Unified Development Code (UDC). The UDC is a complete overhaul of development ordinances which were unchanged since the 1970’s. But that was not all, we went further. We created Envision McAllen 2040.
Envision McAllen 2040 is the award-winning plan we prepared over my past three years as Mayor; and the first plan of its kind in South Texas. Envision McAllen promotes mixed-use developments by relaxing restrictions and infill development to reduce the time and money required to break new ground.
Building a better future for our next generation is the McAllen Way, and I give thanks to everyone who worked to make Envision McAllen possible. Thank you! ¡Muchísimas gracias!
Ladies and gentlemen, join me in listening to a message from Mayor Pro-Tem Omar Quintanilla, about how greater business development is the McAllen Way for our growing city.
A vignette was presented by: Commissioner Omar Quintanilla
He spoke from the McAllen Chamber of Commerce, on UDC vision for residents, businesses and community partners.
Thank you, Commissioner Quintanilla.
I applaud our city and volunteers for producing world-class events that bring guests to our city, opportunities for our businesses, and entertainment for our residents and guests.
McAllen won over 75 IFEA awards in 2024, an accomplishment our city departments, volunteers, and private partners should be proud of. We won awards for hosting more than 800 events that generated more than $91 million of economic impact. We are honored to share these awards with cities much, much larger than ours.
Together, we created events like the new South Pole Illuminated Festival, with the nation’s tallest digital Christmas tree and the new Driscoll Electric Parade, featuring trompitos – our new spinning floats, illuminated floats, holiday balloons, and Santa!
Not only did we welcome more than 140 thousand guests to the South Pole Illuminated Festival, for one special night, we brought the magic to young patients at Driscoll Children’s Hospital. But the parade was not the magic, the magic was the smiles on the children’s faces.
And we did it together! Thanks to the support of H-E-B, Driscoll Children’s Hospital, Driscoll Health Plan, Lone Star National Bank, Sames McAllen Lincoln, McAllen International Airport, and Reliant Energy. Thank you all! What a magical event that was!
The 2024 McAllen Holiday Parade presented by H‐E‐B and powered by Bert Ogden returned for our 11th year and welcomed more than 200 thousand guests to celebrate Noche Mágica – our theme honoring our culture and holiday traditions.
Our parade is the largest illuminated holiday and helium balloon parade in Texas and has been recognized as the world’s best parade eight times! It showcased over 35 giant balloons, celebrity guests, a national broadcast, and sold-out engagements at the South Padre Island Vuelta Zone and McAllen International Airport Skybox.
Destination events like the McAllen Holiday Parade and South Pole Illuminated Festival are a yearly tradition in our community that attracts overnight guests and tourism that benefits our hospitality industry. Those guests helped our hotels report over $100 million d in revenue for three consecutive years. And while those guests are in our city, they pour dollars into our stores and restaurants.
Some guests even say they just travel here for our food! Our guests enjoyed more than 1,200 dining spots in our city known for our food and hospitality, because as we know, good food and a good time is the McAllen Way.
Island Travel Magazine even called us a southern foodie destination, saying quote – “Whether you’re looking for affordable living, dynamite food, or a thriving and diverse community, this bustling Texas gem offers so much value it feels like the state’s, and maybe the country’s, best-kept secret.” But it’s no secret to us!
The McAllen Way is to partner with local businesses and nonprofits to do big things. In ‘24, the McAllen Performing Arts Center partnered with one of the world’s largest live theater operators to bring top Broadway shows to our region. We connected people with our art and culture at festivals like Fiesta de Palmas and MXLAN, where we honor our roots through music, art, and food traditions.
These celebrations are part of our commitment to connect our next generation with our shared past while encouraging them to embrace the limitless possibilities of their future.
And we did that. At the MXLAN Economic Summit, we hosted a sister cities trade mission that welcomed over 40 businesses and 90 participants from Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Durango, Jalisco, Tamaulipas, and more. The Summit helped build more than 37 emerging business partnerships and new opportunities for McAllen.
We also created McAllen’s Department of International Relations and had an immediate impact in 2024. In our 1st year, we hosted Consuls from Ireland and France. We welcomed the Governor of San Luís Potosí and sister city delegations from Apodaca, Puerto Vallarta, Victoria, Reynosa, and Monterey. We welcomed delegations from partnering states in Mexico like Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Durango, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz, and Zacatecas.
In Mexico City, we hosted McAllen Day, and in Monterrey, we secured agreements with World Trade Center-Monterrey at the Universidad Autónoma De Nuevo León, and with the COMCE Noreste- the Mexican Council for Foreign Trade. And we just signed a trade agreement with the State of San Luís Potosí, a Reaffirmation of Sister City Agreement with the San Luís Capital, and McAllen’s FIRST Friendship Partnership Agreement with Tampico.
McAllen’s agreements will boost economic growth, help develop new businesses, build cultural connections, and bring our nations and people closer. People ask me why I am so frequently in Mexico. Simple, Mexico believes in McAllen, Mexico embraces McAllen, Mexico invests in McAllen y quiero que sepan mis amigos mexicanos que McAllen siempre apoyara a México.
We depend on each other for trade and commerce, tourism, and many times, we are just family. A todos mis amigos mexicanos, to all my Mexican friends, please stand up and be recognized. Together, the possibilities are limitless.
I now welcome Commissioner J.J. Zamora to share a story about how McAllen brought the South Pole of Texas to those that matter most.
A vignette was presented by: Commissioner J.J. Zamora
He spoke from McAllen Metro North Station, about The South Pole Express, Capable Kids and Driscoll Electric Parade.
Thank you, Commissioner Zamora.
Creating a city where our children can dream without limits, this is the McAllen Way. Today I am proud to announce that we are on the doorstep of changing the way our children will interact with nature for generations.
At Quinta Mazatlán, we broke ground on a historic partnership between McAllen, UTRGV, and several other stakeholders to build the Center for Urban Ecology. The $76 million facility has quickly risen over McAllen, featuring 500 tons, and 70-foot-tall Wings of Steel, a 14-acre research center, and a 5-acre discovery garden that will be the first of its kind in the United States.
Once completed in early 2026, guests from around the world will experience more than 20 attractions and see more than 24,000 new native plants. Together, we will open a new door for students to learn about balancing sustainability, ecotourism, and their health and wellness. That, that is the McAllen Way.
We thank Doctor Guy Bailey, Senator Juan Chuy Hinojosa, Senator Adam Hinojosa, all the valley delegation, Congresswoman De La Cruz, County Commissioners Elle, Eddie, Ever, David, and County Judge Cortez, but most importantly we thank the Friends of Quinta Mazatlán, led by Val La Mantia and John Gerling who were instrumental and worked tirelessly in securing the funding for this momentous project! Once again showing, that in McAllen, our potential is limitless. In McAllen if we can, we will! To all named and every community partner who did it the McAllen Way – please stand and be recognized.
This generational project will leave our world better than how we found it, that is the McAllen Way. But McAllen has been making huge strides for years with Keep McAllen Beautiful. We organized more than 4,025 volunteers who invested more than 12,228 service hours to make McAllen Shine like never before.
Together, they launched cleanups around the city and collected more than 554 tons of trash and debris. On behalf of our entire community, thanks to all Volunteers, to our Public Works, to our Residents. Thank you, for keeping McAllen Beautiful! Gracias!
And Keep McAllen Beautiful let our community’s limitless creativity shine through our standpipes and art. As of Today, local artists have transformed more than 230 standpipes into beautiful works of art. 84 were painted in 2024 alone. I am proud to report that we have painted more than half of all of our standpipes in McAllen and this is only the beginning!
This initiative has provided an opportunity for local artists to demonstrate their talents, highlight our community and culture, and change the way McAllen will be seen for generations to come. The Houston Chronicle and I quote wrote, “McAllen’s irrigation-pipe murals put Valley city on the art-world map”, that is the McAllen way. Let’s give all these talented artists a big hand!
The McAllen way is to make sure every resident and visitor of McAllen shares in one common goal. Last year I stood here and said we would launch a citywide McAllen Shines campaign to spark a cultural shift toward civic pride in keeping our community welcoming and beautiful. I am proud to report we did it the McAllen Way.
We launched the campaign with a press event to kick off the McAllen Shines campaign, and then successfully visited our local elementary schools and deputized over 4,000 of our youngest citizens. Through this new initiative we will continue to empower our citizens to do the right thing, beautify our city, and shine for years to come. This is a change in culture and will take years. But little by little, with everyone’s help, we will reach our goal. I ask you to help me make McAllen Shine.
Last year, for his work at Nolana Tower, McAllen Shines recognized its 1st community champion for his commitment to being a shining example of making McAllen a better place to live and doing it the McAllen way. Help me in congratulating and thanking Mr. Alonzo Cantu.
Last year, McAllen was once again recognized as a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation, in honor of its commitment to effective urban forest management! The McAllen Way includes a community that cares for sustainability, and it’s people.
Today I am proud to announce that we have made life changing investments into our health care system by investing in our regional partners in higher education. Our partnership with UTRGV continues to flourish with a $1-million investment into the UT Health RGV Cancer and Surgery Center which will open this year.
UTRGV is a world-class university, and through their partnership, we officially opened another McAllen first in October of 2024 – the McAllen ISD Collegiate Academy.
McAllen ISD Students now benefit from a 65,000 square foot, state-of-the-art science lab and lecture hall, while choosing from 4 study tracks – health science, computer science, engineering, or education. Just another reason why UTRGV is ranked #1 in Texas for providing high-quality education that’s both affordable and accessible. Thank you UTRGV!!!
And South Texas College is another important partner in education for the City of McAllen. STC’s programs include their Nursing and Allied Health Program and the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing. McAllen is proud to invest more than $2 million over the past three years to help train these much-needed healthcare professionals and logistic-manufacturing graduates. And our investment quickly bore fruit. Just 2 weeks ago, it was announced that STC’s nursing graduates ranked in the top of the state with 98% and 95% passing rate for RN’s and VN’s respectively. Congratulations to STC and its nursing program!!!
Innovation is the McAllen Way, some of these funds will go to new programs starting this year. In partnership with Intel Corporation, STC will introduce the region’s first Artificial Intelligence courses in manufacturing. This exciting new program is gaining National attention and will teach cutting edge manufacturing, programming and coding using Intel data.
I also congratulate STC for ranking as the most affordable online bachelor’s degree program nationwide and creating the STC Promise Program providing dual credit at zero cost for high school students and an opportunity for all to attend at possibly no cost tuition. Thank you STC!
It is the McAllen Way to care for its own, that is why we are so proud to see the groundbreaking of the new $49-million Texas A & M Health Nursing Education and Research Building, the future home of the Texas A&M School of Nursing, veterinary medicine and biomedical research. Right here in McAllen!
The nearly 61,000-square-foot building will include nursing classrooms, study areas, a 10,000-square-foot clinical simulation center and space for a veterinary clinic and research laboratory. What an amazing accomplishment and just another way we are unlocking a future of limitless potential in McAllen!
Our institutions of higher education are creating exactly what our businesses need, and that ladies and gentlemen is Educated Human Capital. And the McAllen Way is a shining example of work-life balance in a growing community with ever-expanding green spaces.
Let’s now hear from Commissioner Pepe Cabeza de Vaca, about how the McAllen Way will soar to new heights.
A vignette was presented by: Commissioner Pepe Cabeza De Vaca
Thank you, Commissioner Cabeza de Vaca.
Connecting our city with the people and places that matter most, this is the McAllen Way. In ‘24, I am proud to report that we reached historic new heights in both air and land travel. The McAllen International Airport had a record year with a 29% increase in passengers and 59% increase in flights. Once again breaking all previous records held throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Congratulations McAllen Airport for your new record of more than 1.2 million passengers in 2024.
And in the peak of all summer travel, July of 2024, our airport reported a 70% increase in flights, #1 in the nation. This accomplishment reflects the airport’s continued record-breaking growth and enhanced connectivity, due in large part to the addition of three new air carriers and four new nonstop destinations: Austin, Cancun, Mexico City, and Tampa-St. Petersburg.
McAllen International Airport now features nine nonstop destinations including daily non-stop service to Mexico City and three daily non-stop flights to our state capital via Delta Airlines. And travelers stayed connected to our favorite sports brands by building on McAllen’s corporate partnership with the Dallas Cowboys. Go Cowboys!!!!
Last year we once again supported student athletes through a unique partnership with our favorite and fastest-growing sports brand in the region- the UTRGV Vaqueros. We look forward to cheering on the new football team as they fly out of the Official Airport of the UTRGV Vaqueros. Go Vaqueros!
Our Airport partners went above and beyond to improve the traveler experience when Congresswoman De La Cruz secured a $7.4 million grant, an unprecedented investment in McAllen’s infrastructure.
Thank you, Congresswoman De La Cruz, for helping us secure these important dollars for our Airport and our Community! Thank you!!!
Travelers now enjoy improved boarding bridges, terminal amenities, runway improvements, a sit-down bar, and a VIP lounge coming very soon! Our next step as the leader in regional air travel is a new terminal expansion, coming soon.
And in the spirit of efficient local travel, Metro McAllen held its grand opening of the new North Transfer Center in March 2024. This new 8,000 square foot facility now serves as the new transit hub for McAllen’s northern sector.
This HUB, combined with a system redesign, immediately shortened headways, added four new routes, and realigned routes across the region. With fares of only $1 for adults and free for children under 6, the McAllen Way is to improve mobility for all.
Investing in new transit infrastructure helped us be recognized as the only city in America to reduce traffic and congestion in 2024. You may not believe it, especially around Christmas time, but yes, we did, and that is the McAllen Way.
The spirit of an international city is always connected with our friends abroad. The McAllen-Hidalgo and Anzalduas International Bridges are a shining example of McAllen’s global connectivity. Our bridges connect us to broader economic development, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic ties between our countries.
Last year, we connected more than 19.3 million vehicles and pedestrians northbound to McAllen’s retail and hospitality businesses, and to our award-winning destination events. Commercial truck empties reported a 100% increase year over year.
McAllen’s international bridges position us as an international city where commerce, trade and tourism thrive. I am proud to announce that we will be opening our new $88 million Anzalduas Expansion later this year. This project proudly received a grant for Rebuilding America that recognizes nationally significant projects that move freight and people like no other, and we do that well. Why? Because that’s the McAllen Way.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome Commissioner Rudy Castillo, to talk about our city’s power to connect people through our international bridges.
A vignette was presented by: Commissioner Rudy Castillo
Thank you, Commissioner Castillo
McAllen’s spirit of caring kept our city safe in 2024. Together, we have built a community where public safety is not just a priority, but a shared responsibility, because that’s the McAllen Way.
I am proud to report that we were recognized as the safest city in Texas. We recorded our lowest crime in 37 years. And I am proud to say, we have more officers per resident than any city in South Texas.
The McAllen way says we will always balance public safety with personal growth. A new teen court program was launched to provide teens charged with class C misdemeanors the opportunity to participate in a court system with teen jurors, attorneys, bailiffs, and witnesses. This we do in hopes that they better understand their personal situation.
More than 127 teens have successfully completed this innovative program and had their charges dismissed in the process. It’s been incredible to see the growth from our teen volunteers and we look forward to inspiring future leaders in the legal and law enforcement fields.
McAllen’s investments in public safety have helped our city’s quality of life increase over the past three years, but we have recently created a new traffic department to ensure you are getting where you need to be safer and faster, because that’s the McAllen Way.
Here is Commissioner Haddad, with a message about how McAllen is keeping our community safe.
A vignette was presented by: Commissioner Victor Haddad
Thank you, Commissioner Haddad.
To help our residents help themselves is the McAllen Way. Together, the Development Corporation of McAllen, our general fund, and CDBG combined to fund $9.3 million for key city improvements and local nonprofits.
McAllen’s nonprofits preserve our history, improve literacy, inspire small business, mentor our youth, counsel those in need, and step up to ensure every resident is treated with dignity and respect. I thank our local organizations and non‐profits for caring the McAllen way. Thanks to all of you!
The McAllen way encourages us to do things both big and small, because small acts of kindness can be the start of something big. We have “Imagine Tomorrow,” an incentive program for residents in need of home repairs, demolition, and renovations.
To date, our residents have taken full advantage of this program by investing more than $23 million of their own money to renovate 148 homes. This is a huge return on McAllen’s modest investment of $920,000.
Incentivizing our community to shine, that’s the McAllen Way. The McAllen Retail & Business development office also invested in beautifying our city with the Refresh 50/50 grant program.
We invested $986,000 to encourage small business to spend more than $2.5 million to refresh storefronts and modernize historic downtown McAllen. Preserving our character and hometown spirit, that is the McAllen way.
And there is no investment more important than our future generations. We continue to encourage a healthier McAllen. Last year we won our 7th consecutive It’s Time Texas challenge. This annual event challenges cities statewide to help their residents make small changes to improve their overall health, proving again that in McAllen if we can, we will! And we do it the McAllen way.
To keep McAllen healthy, we continued to grow our ecosystem of 98 parks and green spaces now totaling more than one thousand beautiful acres and 34 miles of hike and bike trails. Just last year the McAllen Parks and Recreation Department opened 2 new urban forests, a refreshed tennis court, soccer field, splash pad, and a new outdoor learning and special sensory environment.
And we officially broke ground on a new, 20-acre McAllen campground that will offer our children archery, fishing, boating, hiking and overnight camping. This park will officially open later this year! And we invested, we invested whatever we needed to, to help thousands of families create lifelong memories… because if we can, we will.
Our libraries continued to reach new heights of attendance with a record-breaking 16,495 guests at our South Texas Book Festival which earned the prestigious Grand Pinnacle Award.
And that’s not all- McAllen’s investments in public safety have helped our city’s quality of life increase significantly over the past three years. In McAllen we are always ready to help our neighbors on both sides of the border, because that’s the McAllen Way.
Here is Commissioner Tony Aguirre, on how McAllen’s spirit of kindness is helping us when we need it most.
A vignette was presented by: Commissioner Tony Aguirre
Thank you, Commissioner Aguirre.
When our citizens share our vision, our potential is limitless. Congratulations to McAllen’s Office of Communications for being recognized for their excellence with 5 statewide Texas Municipal League awards.
The McAllen way is to always be efficient and intelligent with our resources. I’m proud to recognize McAllen’s City Secretary’s office for being honored with the prestigious 5-star exemplary state award for their efficient processing of more than 12,000 vital records. To our Office of Communications and City Secretary’s Office, congratulations!
And we saw solid improvements to McAllen’s roads, water systems, and public infrastructure. And to keep McAllen’s streets safe, our engineering team is proud to report 16 planned storm water drainage projects have been completed with a massive investment of $12.9 million.
And now friends, let’s hear how McAllen is diversifying our water sources for generations to come from the McAllen Public Utilities Board.
A vignette was presented by: McAllen Public Utilities
Thank you! You know we are blessed to have one of the best water systems in the whole state of Texas!
2024 was a challenge for many communities facing an uncertain future. For McAllen, it was a chance to show the world that the McAllen Way is limitless.
McAllen issued more than 1,291 residential permits totaling more than 232 million dollars in construction value– a 42% increase year over year. We welcomed more families to our community with a 28% increase in new subdivisions. And more homes drove demand for more businesses, with 1,069 commercial permits totaling more than $131 million in construction value, that’s a combined total of $363.3 million in 2024 alone!
Our record $652 million budget will create more than 180 capital improvement projects, while for the third year in a row we reported the largest and most robust fund balances in our city’s history. We created an environment where our businesses earned record-breaking sales tax revenue of $96.8 million.
And we wisely reinvested that revenue into our community through one of our most ambitious budgets ever. McAllen once again delivered tax relief, improved our infrastructure, and diversified our water resources for 100 years.
We invested in our international bridges, education, transit, libraries, firefighters, non-profits, and most importantly in McAllen. In McAllen we invested in you, our residents, our guests!
McAllen balanced growth with sustainability with more green spaces, conservation efforts, and innovative initiatives to preserve and beautify our city. We grew as a destination city and welcomed thousands of guests and recognized millions in revenue. And we did it all as one of America’s safest cities, with a nationally recognized quality of life.
We have dreamt without limits for the past three years. I have been honored to serve as your Mayor. And we have changed our community for the better for years to come. Promises made, promises kept, that is the McAllen Way.
Thank you, and God bless each and every one of you. And God bless our great city of McAllen.
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