In his first State of the City address as mayor, Javier Villalobos touted McAllen’s rebound from struggles caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as the city reported an increase in sales, travel and growth in 2021.

Villalobos, who took office in June, made his grand entrance to the annual State of the City luncheon in a much more low-key fashion than his predecessor, former mayor Jim Darling, who danced, cycled and even made his way to the stage for his condition. city ​​addresses.

The new mayor simply took the stage with his wife, Annette Torres-Villalobos, before taking the podium to deliver his speech.

During his remarks, which included pre-recorded video messages from city commissioners, touched on everything the city had to offer.

“2021 has been a tough year – an uncertain global economy, immigration issues and a race to protect our region from a pandemic,” Villalobos said. “Yet in the face of adversity, I know a place that took adversity and created opportunity, a place united in purpose when lives were at stake.”

“I know a place that has delivered on its promise to create new possibilities for a new generation,” he said. “This place is McAllen.”

Villalobos began by talking about retail and how the city has seen an uptick in sales tax revenue this year following a drop caused by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year. financial year 2020-21. In the last quarter of 2021, Villalobos said sales tax revenue grew nearly 23% and rose about 35% in January.

“Of the top 15 cities (in the state) by total sales tax, McAllen ranked number two by total sales per capita,” Villalobos said. “That means we were almost double the amount generated by cities like Dallas, San Antonio and Austin.”

He noted that the city had accomplished this even though international bridges were closed to non-essential traffic for most of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bridges reopened to non-essential travel in November 2021.

In a video, District 2 City Commissioner Joaquin “JJ” Zamora touted McAllen International Airport’s performance in handling more passengers in 2021 than in 2019, which had already been a banner year.

Zamora also spoke about the economic projects the city is currently working on.

“The McAllen Economic Development Corporation currently has five industrial parks under development,” he said. “In total, these projects are expected to involve more than $100 million in investment and create more than 1,200 jobs.”

The city has also made strides in public safety, reporting the lowest crime rate in 37, according to FBI statistics.

“I know a place where crime is at an all-time low,” Villalobos said, adding praise to the police department.

He noted that the city signed two multi-year labor agreements with the police department and fire department in 2021.

The mayor also highlighted a state-of-the-art training center for the fire department.

“This facility will serve as the heart of the McAllen Fire Department’s training division and ensure our 180 certified firefighters stay current on their training requirements,” Villalobos said.

District 6 City Commissioner Pepe Cabeza de Vaca reiterated the city’s public safety efforts as well as vaccination efforts both locally and in Mexico.

“We recently held another such clinic and will continue to hold future vaccination clinics for as long as we need them to help us stay safe and healthy,” Cabeza de Vaca said.

In partnership with the county and international partners, the city vaccinated 50,000 maquila workers in Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas.

Villalobos also praised the city’s response to the large number of migrant arrivals last year. The city, in partnership with Rio Grande Valley Catholic Charities, tested individuals for COVID-19 and isolated them at Anzalduas Park if they tested positive.

“I know of a place that took swift action to keep our residents safe and to ensure that anyone entering our city was greeted with human decency,” he said. “Last year, working with our community partners, McAllen saw over 141,000 immigrants tested for COVID.”

He reported that the city accessed more than $20 million in federal funds for those testing efforts, which he said covered more than 99.5% of expenses related to immigration issues.

In his video message, District 5 City Commissioner Victor “Seby” Haddad focused on quality of life goals, discussing the reopening of the McAllen Performing Arts Center, festivals and the return of the McAllen Holiday. Parade in person.

District 4 City Commissioner Tania Ramirez reviewed how the city has made improvements to recreation facilities to make them more inclusive for people with disabilities.

Some of these upgrades included improvements to parks to bring facilities up to Americans with Disabilities Act accessible design standards.

Ramirez added that the city has started providing English closed captioning for broadcasts of city commissioners’ meetings and workshops and will begin offering them in Spanish next month.

“This year, the Town of McAllen also established a Disability Advisory Council to provide recommendations to the City Commission on how to improve access and experiences for residents and visitors,” Ramirez said.

District 3 City Commissioner Omar Quintanilla addressed the city’s plans for improved drainage.

Thanks to a $22 million bond approved by voters in 2018, $14.6 million in drainage fees and $24.8 million in FEMA grants, Quintanilla said the city was able to complete 24 of the 56 planned drainage projects. Another 32 are currently in the works, he added.

“While record rainfall has exacerbated the problem, updating drainage infrastructure to accommodate McAllen’s rapid development is a top priority to prevent future flooding for McAllen residents,” Quintanilla said.

Rounding out the Commissioner’s messages, City Commissioner for District 1 Tony Aguirre reviewed the city’s work to improve traffic mobility with more than $64 million invested in these efforts.

These improvements included the expansion of Bicentennial Boulevard which was completed in 2021. Bicentennial now runs from State Highway 107 to the airport.

Aguirre also said the city is moving forward with traffic signal upgrades, a project that has been delayed due to the pandemic.

The McAllen Public Utility Board also provided its own video message during the address, noting future plans to expand its utility system to meet growing water demand as the city continues to grow.

Additionally, Villalobos also announced a new partnership between the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and MD Anderson Cancer Center for a cancer research facility at McAllen.

He also pointed to the city’s growth statistics with more than 1,700 residential building permits issued for a total of $225 million in new construction value.

Over 800 new commercial building permits were also issued, valued at over $130 million.

“This represents a combined total value of new construction in McAllen of more than $350 million in 2021,” Villalobos said.

The mayor also drew attention to the city’s financial health, noting that the city has allocated $528 million, including more than $179 million for capital improvement projects.

“Our strong financial position and our commitment to continue improving our capital assets means I know a place that will continue to grow and prosper like never before,” he said.