Votes at a glance: Rio Grande City commission actions on Jan. 31, 2025

The Rio Grande City commission took the following formal actions at its Jan. 31, 2025 meeting. Items are listed with the agenda reference where available and the action outcome as recorded on the meeting record.

- Consent items (Item 2 a-f): Approved (minutes and board actions from Nov. 12, Nov. 19, Dec. 3, Dec. 17 and Planning & Zoning minutes). Motion approved by voice vote.

- Travel requests and training approvals (part of Consent): Approved (police training and other staff travel requests).

- Ordinance (4a) Medina Electric franchise: Approved to increase franchise fee by 2% (see separate article). Outcome: approved.

- Ordinance (4b) Regulating private use of the name "Rio Grande City": First reading approved; item will return for second reading with amendments as needed. Outcome: first reading approved.

- Kelsey Bass Museum bylaws (Resolution 5a): Approved with amendments. The commission asked legal staff to add explicit removal language allowing the commission to remove advisory-board members by majority vote and clarified the board's advisory role relative to department directors. Outcome: approved with amendment.

- Resolution 2025-02 Operation Stone Garden Grant (5c): Approved; police department to apply for/accept an award cited in the meeting as $290,025 for overtime/border security grant. Outcome: approved.

- Resolution to open a bank account for the TDA downtown Main Street CDBG (5d): Approved. The resolution authorizes the finance director to open an account for grant CDM240074 (downtown rehabilitation/Main Street program), a $500,000 grant discussed in the meeting. Outcome: approved.

- Airport routine maintenance grant (5e): Approved the resolution to apply for routine airport maintenance grant funding (meeting referenced approximately $100,000 with a 10% city match); staff to proceed with application. Outcome: approved.

- Logic account resolutions (5f/5g): Approved closing one legacy logic account and opening a debt-service logic account with the city's authorized financial institution. Outcome: approved.

- Contracts and expenditures (6a): Multiple contract approvals including annual software payment to Tyler Technologies (Encode) (~$46,000), payments for EDC and department invoices, and consultant payments. Outcome: approved.

- Time Clock Plus promotional plan (6b) and Aflac Plus 5-year agreement (6c): Approved 5-year plans that lock rates for the first three years (legal reviewed). Outcome: approved.

- USDA community facilities grant agreement for the Public Safety Building (6e): Commission executed the agreement enabling reimbursement under the awarded USDA grant (amount stated in the meeting as unclear in transcript). Outcome: approved.

- GrantWorks contract for TDA CDBG grant administration (6d): Approved execution of a grant-administration contract so the city can proceed with engineering and procurement for the downtown Main Street project. Outcome: approved.

- Invoice Cloud contract for utility payments (6h): Approved. Outcome: approved.

- Consultant agreement for public utilities (6i): Approved consulting contract with Enrique Catur (consultant) with added language (as amended at the meeting) including termination clauses. Outcome: approved (with amendment).

- Multiple lease agreements (6j/6k): Approved commercial lease with tenant at 410 E. Main Street and renewed a lease with Valley Metro for Tijerina Courtyard space and parking. Outcome: approved.

- Surplus and auction of city property/vehicles (7b): Approved declaring items surplus and using a third-party auction service to remove and sell vehicles. Outcome: approved.

- Certificates of construction completion for public-safety subdivision drainage improvements (7c): Approved final completion certificates. Outcome: approved.

- Sewer extension project on Monroe and Lopez Streets (7d): Approved proceeding with bidding/procurement (engineering estimate cited ~ $187,000). Outcome: approved.

- Property acquisition (7e): Commission voted to send item to executive session and subsequently authorized staff to obtain an appraisal of 0.356 acres adjacent to Silver Star Park from Pena Family Central property; appraisal to be returned for future consideration. Outcome: appraisal authorized.

- Replats and zoning-related items (8a/8b): Planning & Zoning recommendations were approved, including a wine and malt beverage off-premises permit in the one-mile ETJ and replat approvals. Outcome: approved.

- Conversion of one-way streets to two-way in downtown (8c): Approved initiating the process (public notice and striping changes to be handled by staff). Outcome: approved.

- Executive session personnel and legal matters (Item 9/10): The commission met in executive session on personnel and legal/real-estate matters; subsequent actions included tabling the airport advisory board appointment item and approving an EDC executive director appointment subject to legal review of the contract.

- EDC executive director appointment (post-executive session): Commission accepted the EDC board's recommendation and appointed Rosabelle Barrera as Executive Director, subject to legal review of employment contract. Outcome: approved (subject to legal review).

This roundup captures the formal votes and motions recorded in the public meeting transcript. If an item lacked a numeric roll-call in the transcript, the meeting record shows approval by voice vote; specific roll-call tallies were not recorded in the transcript for every item.