Weslaco commission appoints mayor pro tem, approves public-safety and equipment purchases and updates towing ordinance

The Weslaco City Commission on Jan. 7 appointed Commissioner Israel Gonzalez as mayor pro tem and approved a series of equipment purchases, a new emergency medical services (EMS) reporting contract, and an ordinance update for wrecker/towing rotation and fees.

The action items — taken in voice votes during the meeting at Weslaco City Hall — included purchases budgeted or previously authorized by staff and several procurement cancellations prompted by vendor production delays. The commission also accepted grant and community donations for Gibson Park earlier in the meeting during recognitions and presentations.

Why this matters: the purchases and ordinance changes affect core city services including EMS reporting, firefighter protective gear, stormwater and sewer maintenance capability, and the city's towing response and fee structure, which can affect residents who need to recover vehicles after accidents or enforcement actions.

The commission's most notable administrative action was the appointment of Commissioner Israel Gonzalez as mayor pro tem. The motion to appoint Gonzalez was made by Commissioner Rias and seconded by Commissioner Lopez and was approved by voice vote.

On procurement and public-safety items, the commission approved an agreement with ESO Solutions to replace the city's EMS reporting software. Staff said the vendor offered a $10,000 discount on the initial 12-month term; the presented price was $22,932 with the discount reducing the first-year cost to $12,932 and a recurring annual fee of $19,136 thereafter. The fire/EMS chief told the commission the city will retain ownership of its data and that the ESO platform integrates with hospitals and other…