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Harlingen commission approves annexation, special-use permits, flood ordinance amendments and other routine measures
Summary
The Harlingen City Commission voted on a package of ordinances and routine items at its regular meeting, approving a voluntary annexation of 88.4 acres, special-use permits for a tattoo studio and a community residential facility, first-reading amendments to the city’s flood ordinance, the extension of the school resource officer interlocal agreement, speed-hump installations and a TxDOT maintenance resolution.
The Harlingen City Commission voted on a series of ordinances and routine items at its monthly meeting, approving a voluntary annexation, a number of special-use permits, a first-reading amendment to the city’s flood damage prevention code and several operational actions.
The commission approved on second and final reading an ordinance to annex 88.4 acres located along Kroger Avenue and Lafayette Avenue and west of Chester Park Road. The ordinance binds the annexed land to the city’s ordinances and includes an annexation services agreement. The motion passed with the vote recorded as "aye"; no opposition was recorded in the meeting transcript.
Also approved were special-use permits to allow an adult business (a tattoo studio) at 1706 East Tyler Avenue, Suites 8 and 9, and a community residential facility on the southeast corner of Breedlove Street and North Loop 499. The tattoo-studio permit was approved on first reading and the community residential facility permit was removed from the table and approved on first reading; both motions carried with affirmative votes recorded as "aye." No roll-call tallies were given in the transcript for these items.
On flood-related policy, commissioners approved an ordinance on first reading to amend Chapter 105 (Flood Damage Prevention) of the Harlingen Code of Ordinances. The amendments add definitions related to repetitive loss and increased-cost compliance, modify the "substantial damage" and "substantial improvement" definitions, and add a section addressing repetitive losses. The ordinance was introduced as "Ordinance 25" and passed the first-reading vote with no recorded opposition.
On operational items, the commission approved a first extension to the 2023–2025 interlocal agreement with Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District for the School Resource Officer program for the 2025–26 school year. The extension was approved but the record notes abstentions: the transcript states that Commissioner Perez abstained and also notes Commissioner Bettis abstained from the item.
The commission also approved the installation of speed humps at multiple neighborhood locations after additions proposed by commissioners; that motion carried unanimously. Commissioners voted to amend TxDOT resolution R13-32 concerning I-2 right-of-way maintenance; the motion passed with the chair calling for "aye" votes and no recorded opposition.
Taken together, these votes represent a mix of land-use decisions, public-safety and traffic-calming steps, and routine intergovernmental and maintenance items. Several measures were handled with little debate, and the meeting record shows no roll-call vote tallies beyond a handful of abstentions noted on the school resource officer extension.
