Pharr hands out rebate checks up to $590 to utility customers

By G. Romero Wendorf

PHARR -- After covering Pharr and P-SJ-A politics for 33+ years, excluding those three years my family and I lived in Austin between 1990 and ’93, this year, without a doubt, has been the most amazing year in city politics that I’ve ever seen. Not to mention the most contentious.

After Pharr’s municipal election this past May, I still speak to a few people who tell me (seriously) that “a lot of people” are convinced that I’m in the pocket of the new Pharr mayor (“Amos” Hernandez) and the people who support him. Which is really kind of funny considering that it was only last April that Hernandez’s campaign manager was upset with me, accusing me of favoring Hernandez’s opponents, Adan Farias, Art Cotez, Jimmy Garza and Mario Bracamontes.

Truth be told, The Advance has never chosen sides in local elections. I’ve never considered newspaper editors smart enough to tell people who the best candidate is. If I were smart, I would have gone to law school, sucked up to a few local judges and really made some money with some Ad Litem largesse.

Seriously, the 2015 Pharr race was something to behold. Most of the city’s top brass was behind former City Manager Fred Sandoval, who was clearly campaigning for the incumbents. I had several of them urge me to “plant my flag” firmly in the ground and support the Pharr First slate by writing an endorsement, because once this election was over, no one was going to remember “Amos’s” name, and his slate mates like Ricardo Medina could slide back into anonymity. And the “big guy” would understand that “Pharr was not for sale.”

I spoke to “the big guy.” He said, “Amos is my friend, but I don’t support local races.”

Still, people didn’t believe him. Anyone who keeps up with local news knows who I’m talking about.

“You have to take a stand, Gregg,” I can remember one high-ranking city employee telling me. “Trust me, Pharr First is going to kick their (expletive) so bad, they won’t be able to sit down for a week. In a month, they’ll be saying, Amos who?”

Thankfully, The Advance stayed neutral in local races, like it’s always done. 

Hello, Polo

From the get-go, no one but his supporters gave Hernandez a shot at winning the mayoral seat belonging to longtime incumbent mayor, “Polo” Palacios, who had finally decided to retire after forming and re-forming city slates for approximately 33 years; 13 as mayor. That’s not a criticism, his back-and-forth political maneuverings, but “Polo” was a master politician who clearly understood that today’s “friend” can easily become tomorrow’s “enemy.” Why he backed Hernandez in this race is still a source of discussion, depending on who you talk to. But back him he did, and it’s Hernandez who now occupies Polo’s former mayoral seat.

A relatively unknown around Pharr, at least in political circles, Hernandez the pediatric surgeon and Pharr native filed to run alone in early 2015. But he was soon joined by Ricardo Medina, Eleazar Guajardo and Ramiro Caballero to form a slate.

To put the 2015 Pharr municipal race into perspective, this was the first race during which we invoked a new policy: no more negative newspaper ads. Someone was either going to get shot or sued or both (and I didn’t want it to be me). So, both sides agreed, and the rest of the ads during the remainder of the race turned positive. The negative flyers were still being disbursed by hand, but lacked the credibility of being published in a legit media outlet. 

As we all now know, with the exception of one close race, Hernandez’s slate swept to victory. Still without a clear majority on the seven-member commission, the governmental body is acting as a relatively cohesive unit, with some occasional swipes tossed back and forth in open session, but any real bickering they may do is done behind closed doors – bad for newspapers; good for the city’s reputation as a stable environment in which to do business.

Business controversy

The only clear controversy still left on the table is whether or not the Costco Jackson/Kelly Commercial Development was a good deal for the city. The mayor and City Manager Juan Guerra say no, it cost taxpayers too much money; the return on investments is still not a sure thing; the payback in the distant future not worth the cost.

Meanwhile, guys like former Pharr City Commissioner “Jimmy” Garza say yes, the Costco deal may have cost the city millions, but in the long-run it will pay off, so will Jackson/Kelly, and besides, it helped stimulate development at the old El Centro Mall location, which had turned into an eye sore. Without Costco, the Pharr Town Center, with new development up and running, never would have happened, says Garza.

The Produce Park is another source of dissension. Good deal or bad deal for taxpayers? The Advance will try to cover that story next week.

Last week, however, was Mayor Hernandez’s moment to end the year on a positive note. He announced the city’s new Utility Rate Relief Rebate, which will disburse approximately 18,000 checks to the city’s municipal utility customers. 

Normally, the city annually disburses approximately 12,000 checks to vendors. This year, if you include the rebate checks, the number of checks written will be approximately 30,000.

“We’re working to have the rebate checks sent out within 30 days,” says CM Guerra, “but given the enormity of the task, it may take a little longer.”

These utility rebate checks include residential and commercial accounts who have had continuous utility service with the city. Refunds will extend from $50 to $590, depending on how many years of continuous active account service the utility customer has had with Pharr.

The rebate monies will be comprised of 50 percent of the excess utility fund monies, which had built up over time. Cities are required to maintain excess amounts of money in their respective utility funds to cover unforeseen utility-related emergencies and still service debt; but the approximate $3.5 million left in the Pharr fund (post rebate checks) more than covers the necessary amount, according to Guerra.

“When I campaigned for office,” says Hernandez, “despite the many naysayers, I said we would lower taxes, which we’ve done, and we’d offer utility rebates if possible. After careful financial review by city staff, it was determined the excess monies were indeed there, and so now we’re able to send out the utility rebate checks.”

In a speech last week concerning the state of the city of Pharr, Hernandez laid out the accomplishments for which he credits to his administration and staff.

Since I’m allegedly “in the mayor’s pocket,” I figured why not publish his remarks in their entirety:

“As we approach the end of 2015, we are proud of the many strides we have made to move our great city of Pharr forward. When I took office a few short months ago, I and several of my colleagues promised to make sweeping reforms to rein in spending, to prioritize resources, and to truly give government back to the people.

“As you all know, I am a surgeon by trade. My education, training, and experience in this profession have taught me to be strategic, precise, and effcient - in everything I do. I have taken this same philosophy and applied it to government, and we have been able to accomplish many milestones in such a short period of time, which may have seemed impossible to some. We are here today to announce that we have achieved many of our strategic goals for this year.

“As your mayor of Pharr, I am proud to announce that the current state of the City of Pharr is fourishing, financially healthy, and a great place to live, work and play.

“I want to thank our Pharr City Commission, my fellow colleagues who sit up here with me every week, for their part in evaluating recommendations, taking action, and implementing policies. It is only because of the collaboration among us that we were able to have made many positive changes for our residents.

“I want to thank each of you for your leadership, for your collaboration, and for your support. We all want what is best for our residents and families, and keeping that as our number one priority, we will continue to do great things together.

“Now, let me highlight some of our accomplishments.

“This year, your Pharr city leaders focused on improving city governance, improving the quality of life for our citizens, and increasing economic development in our city.

“We implemented effective management and leadership strategies in City administration and for our employees, proving that we can in fact come together and work hand in hand to improve the lives of everyone in this community.”

What follows is a partial list of the accomplishments laid out in the mayor’s speech:

• Our new City Manager now complies with state and national code of ethics, and has implemented business management reforms to foster a more positive and professional working environment for our employees.

• We expanded opportunities for gender equality in the workplace, and hired our first female directors in, Development Services, Human Resources, Finance, and Legal.

• Pharr PRIDE Program. This program mandates Principles that exemplify what Pharr represents - Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Discipline, and Ethics. All city employees are expected to model these qualities.

• We implemented an Employee Living Wage Plan by having the lowest paid full-time employee earn $11/hour

• We completed Collective Bargaining negotiations with the Police Department, finalizing a three-year contract.

• We are in the final steps of Collective Bargaining negotiations with the Fire Department that gets them in line to the regional department pay levels.

• Aside from cleaning house from the inside, we focused our energy and resources externally, to prioritize improving the quality of life for our Pharr families. Making good on promises that several of us campaigned on prior to taking office, including focusing more resources to South Pharr/Las Milpas area, city leaders worked diligently to approve measures to improve the quality of life for our Pharr families.

• We authorized the building of a bridge linking neighborhoods in south Pharr to Jones Box Park. This area was a longtime safety concern, with residents crossing through a dangerous ditch to access the park. The bridge will provide a safer route to the park, minimizing the risk associated with trying to gain access.

• We approved the building of a Development & Research Center in south Pharr at a cost of an estimated $4 million. This facility can double as a Library and Recreation Center.

• We led the effort and assisted in funding additional Metro bus services, which run all the way south to the Pharr International Bridge. Access to transportation for many residents in South Pharr was a priority to them, but resources were limited.  The additional services will help connect citizens to the places they need to be.

• We made improving the City's streets a priority by directing the development of a four-year repaving plan. Many neighborhoods had been in dire need of repaving for years, but other areas seemed to always have priority. With this strategic repaving plan, we analyzed all roadways and prioritized those areas most in need.

• In a joint collaboration with our Pharr-San Juan -Alamo ISD partners, we opened the City's first special-needs park. We transformed undeveloped land adjacent to Dr. William Long Elementary into a special needs park and playground that encourages a sensory and exploratory experience for all children, including those with disabilities. The park is open to the public in the evenings and on weekends.

• We helped those in need by creating a Utility Bill Hardship Program, which helps low income citizens and special need situations with assistance on their utility bill through a grant program.

• Finally, we reduced the property tax rate by the biggest amount since 2000 and the biggest reduction in taxes since the early 1990s. Pharr continues to be a business-friendly community, and fostering economic development remains a high priority among city leaders.

• This year, the City approved 276 certificates of occupancy, and the Pharr Economic Development Corporation welcomed over 35 new businesses into Pharr by hosting ribbon cutting or grand opening ceremonies.  

• The Pharr EDC helped facilitate the construction of a new 100,000 sq. ft. building in the South Pharr industrial corridor by connecting them to City departments to expedite the process. This development will help increase bridge traffic at the Pharr International Bridge.

• We are proud to announce that we have entered into a partnership to have a South Texas College Facility in Pharr. The facility will bring $9M in economic impact and approximately $3M in payroll. The Regional Center for Public Safety Excellence " will be an accredited facility to educate law enforcement agencies and also an STC Branch for PSJA ISD students.

• We implemented an assessment on our investment at the Produce Park in South Pharr and determined that a reimbursement fee to the City was needed to ensure the return on the City's investment.