Governor Abbott speaks to RGV leaders

MCALLEN, Texas ( ValleyCentral ) — Governor Greg Abbott visited McAllen Tuesday to discuss economic and local issues impacting South Texas communities.

Mayors from across South Texas joined the governor and state leaders to voice their concerns. The mayors from San Antonio and Laredo also attended the meeting at the McAllen Convention Center to voice their concerns over issues like the economy, transportation and water.

The governor spent the morning in McAllen touring some of the facilities in and around the city. Afterward, he spoke to a group of officials touting the economic vitality of the region.

“I think that the Rio Grande Valley is in any number one as far as economic growth is concerned, you’re sitting on a veritable gold mine,” Abbott said. “American companies are realizing, you know what, and actually, non-American international companies are realizing a great place to do that is at or near the border between Texas and Mexico.”

However, Abbott did caution that growth also depends on having the necessary resources, like water.

Brownsville Mayor John Cowen says they are already looking into ways to have another water alternative.

“Brownsville is fortunate to be part of a regional owner in a desal plant,” Cowen said. “We’re 92% we have a 92% ownership in that which provides 30% of our water source. The rest comes from the river. So as the river fluctuates, we’re looking in the water reuse, which is the effluent water that that we we drain into the irrigation system. We’re looking at reusing that water, which is about eight million gallons a day,”

Tuesday’s meeting was thanks to the South Texas Alliance of Cities. This newly developed committee is made up of South Texas mayors and leaders to better tackle issues unique to the region.

Cowen said that the new alliance allows the region to have more political strength and attract the attention of state officials.

McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos says it allows local officials to speak to state officials like Texas Transportation Commission Chairman Bruce Bugg. He says this is important as the state has $140 billion set aside for infrastructure projects under the new unified transportation plan.

“We all want to talk to all of them, but one of them that’s to us is very important, of course, TXDot, they have the purse strings for the infrastructure,” Villalobos said. “We know we need a loop. We know we need to expand our highways, especially since we’re increasing the commercial traffic, so the heavier the vehicles, the faster destroys the pavement. So we definitely need to take a look at that.”

Villalobos said they will continue working with state officials to bring more funding to the area.

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