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Weslaco staff outline multiple grant bids including $4.16M EDA road project and SAFER firefighter request
Summary
City grant staff described awarded equipment purchases and several active grant applications — including a $4.16 million EDA request for Mid Valley Industrial Park road concrete and a SAFER firefighter staffing application — and said some local matching funds would come from the MEDC and Weslaco EDC.
Gabriel, the city’s grant writer, told the Weslaco City Commission on June 17 that the city has both secured grant-funded equipment and is pursuing several major grant applications.
Gabriel said federal Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant funding bought five electric bicycles for the police department and that two Ford Maverick trucks (about $58,506) were awarded to public works. He said those purchases were grant-funded and did not use city general-fund dollars.
The largest project Gabriel described is an Economic Development Administration (EDA) application to rebuild roads in the Mid Valley Industrial Park with reinforced concrete. Gabriel gave a total project cost of $4,162,077.44; a federal share of $3,329,661.96; and a local share of $832,415.48. Gabriel said the EDA representative recommended concrete for durability because of heavy freight traffic and nearby public facilities.
Gabriel also described a SAFER (staffing for adequate fire and emergency response) grant application due July 3, 2025, that would provide three years of funding with a federal share that falls from 75% in years one and two to 35% in year three; the city would be responsible for the rising local share in later years. "This is to ensure the city actually budgets to keep the firefighters we hire through this program," Gabriel said.
Gabriel said the city is applying for a $100,000 NAP Community Care Foundation award to fund a community health officer (no match required), and for a $200,000 Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) planning grant that would produce a comprehensive safety action plan and require public engagement across the city’s jurisdiction. He noted the SS4A planning grant would require an 80/20 federal/local split for the planning request (about $160,000 federal/$40,000 local) and stressed the plan would be required before applying for construction funds.
On another track, Gabriel said the General Land Office (GLO) selected Weslaco for round-two consideration for a $2.6 million grant to support drainage and street improvements. "We were selected for round 2 yesterday," Gabriel said, adding the city will submit a full application.
Mayor Gonzales and other commissioners asked how the city would meet local matches. Gabriel said the Weslaco MEDC and Weslaco EDC will share the city's local match on at least one EDA project, reducing the city’s direct budget burden. The mayor also said he has been working with state and federal partners, and mentioned recent outreach with a senator’s office to explore additional match programs.
The presentation concluded with staff noting that grant awards would relieve pressure on the city’s capital budget but that any awarded project requiring local matches or ongoing costs would return to the commission for authorization.
What happens next: staff will finalize and submit the grant applications, and any successful awards that require contract approvals or budget amendments will be brought to a future commission meeting.
