City Secretary Releases Statement on Term Limits Petitions

McAllen City Secretary Annette Villareal states the following in reference to petitions presented seeking to amend the McAllen city charter to provide term limits for elected officials,

“At approximately 2:30 p.m. on Friday, August 17, 2012, several individuals delivered over 1000 pages of petitions seeking to amend the McAllen City Charter to provide for term limits for elected officials. Upon receiving the petitions, I requested that the Hidalgo County Elections Administrator provide me with a certified total of the number of registered voters residing within the City of McAllen as of August 17, 2012. The number of registered voters varies from day to day as new registrants are added to the list and the names of persons who have moved, died, or otherwise become ineligible to vote are deleted. Because the petition must contain signatures amounting to at least five percent of the number of qualified voters in the city, the first step in verifying a petition is to obtain an up-to-date number of registered voters in the city. I received the certified total at approximately 4:30 p.m. this past Friday. The number of registered voters certified by the Elections Administrator is 59,812. The petition must contain 2,991 valid signatures in order to qualify to be placed in the ballot in the next election.
My staff and I are currently engaged in testing the petitions to determine if they contain the necessary number of valid signatures. As soon as we determine whether the petition signatures can be verified, I will recommend that the item be posted in compliance with the Texas Open Meetings Act so that the city commission can vote on submitting the proposition to the voters.”

Free Back to School Fair August 25 at Convention Center

McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez hosted a news conference Thursday August 16, at the McAllen Convention Center to announce the details of an upcoming Back to School Fair.

The free event set for August 25 and co-sponsored by the McAllen Police Department, the McAllen Independent School District, Doctors Hospital at Renaissance and Walgreens, will offer free school supplies (while available) and free hair cuts, health screenings, and information about school programs.

Parents and children from grades K-12 are welcome and there is no cost to participate.
There will be family-engagement activities, information on programs and organizations for each child’s success. More than 40 organizations from arts, sports, safety, health and education will offer resources to benefit school-age children.

For more information, contact the McAllen ISD Parental Involvement Program at (956) 632-5192.

Transportation Engineer Updates City Road Projects

McAllen/Hidalgo International Bridge Improvements

The McAllen/Hidalgo International Bridge has been awarded a million dollar grant for southbound lane improvements. From Bridge Avenue to the southbound bridge canopies, completed construction will include 4 continuous lanes of traffic and a sidewalk. The existing ashpalt will be replaced by concrete for more durability and less maintenance. View this video clip, recorded by the McAllen Cable Network (McAllen's Time Warner Cable Digital Channel 17.12).

Bentsen Road Widening Project (Pecan to 3 Mile Line)

City of McAllen Transportation Engineer Jeremy Santoscoy updates community on the progress of the Bentsen Road Widening project, expected to be completed in early 2013. Bentsen Road is being expanded to 5 lines, from Pecan to 3 Mile Line. Watch this video clip produced by the McAllen Cable Network.

Dove/Bicentennial Bridge Widening

Drivers should expect reduced lanes of traffic on the Dove Avenue bridge, from late September to late November. The bridge is being widened by 20 feet to install a left turn lane, for traffic turning southbound on the Bicentennial extension. Sidewalks are also being added on each side of the bridge. Watch this video clip, produced by the McAllen Cable Network.

Officials Host Groundbreaking for New VA Outpatient Clinic

A new VA outpatient clinic will open its doors in McAllen next summer. Federal, state and local leaders were on hand Wednesday (8/15) for a groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility, expected to be twice the size of the old facility.

The new clinic is being constructed at the corner of Hackberry and McColl.

The Valley has over 20,000 veterans, many of whom have to drive to San Antonio for serious medical services.

The project is expected to create over 200 construction jobs.

McAllen PD, FD Partner With Walgreens for Child Safety Day

Walgreens, at 7301 North 10th and Trenton Road, has partnered with the McAllen Police Department and McAllen Fire Department for Child Safety Day, Saturday August 18, from 1 to 5 pm.

The free event will offer child identification photos and child fingerprinting. Firefighters will bring a fire truck and talk to children and their parents about fire safety and share safety information from a local poison control center.

The famous crime fighting dog McGruff is expected to make an appearance after 2 pm.

Walgreens has also joined with Kids in Need Foundation to collect school supplies for underfunded teachers. Walgreens will accept donated school supplies through August 18.