Laredo subcommittee rejects $30 million addition to bond referendum for street paving

A Laredo Public Infrastructure Subcommittee on Dec. 3 voted against a motion to add $30 million for street paving to the city’s 2025 bond referendum, with members saying the proposal lacked a dedicated funding source and clear priorities for where the money would be spent.

The committee’s discussion followed a brief presentation from Ramon Chavez, city engineer, who described the city’s pavement inventory and offered an example of how a multi-year infusion could be stretched. Chavez said the city has roughly 856 miles of streets, about 85.9% of which are residential, and that the city’s pavement condition index study drives repair and preservation decisions. “I don’t have the exact amount, but from previous conversations, I understand it’s close to 5,000,000,” Chavez said when asked about what 5% of property tax collections would represent annually.

The nut of the debate was whether to place an unconditional $30 million ask on the ballot or to require clearer budget commitments and targets before asking voters for more debt. Committee members repeatedly raised…