Featured: The Edinburg Economic Development Corporation is looking for a new visual identity, and is inviting Edinburg residents, including Edinburg public school students, and higher education students who are Edinburg residents, to participate. Edinburg residents who can design a creative, innovative and professional logo are being invited by the Board of Directors of the Edinburg EDC to compete in the contest, which has a deadline of 5 p.m. (Central Standard Time) on Wednesday, July 18, 2018 for all entries to be submitted. The winner shall be awarded a $500 (five hundred) prize. The logo created must be submitted by the original owner of the copyright for the logo. Each contestant may submit up to three logos for consideration. The 2018 Logo Contest Entry Form is available online, and may be downloaded by contacting the Edinburg EDC at 956/383-7124 for instructions on where to obtain the entry form.

Graphics Courtesy of THE CITY OF EDINBURG LIBRARY AND CULTURAL ARTS

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Edinburg EDC Board of Directors schedule special meeting for Tuesday, July 10; updates to budget and employee classification and organization chart to highlight 6 p.m. public session at City Hall

By DAVID A. DÍAZ
[email protected]

Possible actions to update the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation’s 2017-2018 budget and its employee classification and organizational chart highlight the Tuesday, July 10, 2018 special meeting of the Edinburg EDC’s Board of Directors, the organization has announced.

The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held in the Edinburg City Council Chamber at Edinburg City Hall, located at 415 W. University Drive, beginning at 6 p.m.

In Executive Session, as allowed by state law, among the issues to be reviewed include possible action regarding the sale of Lot 6, E.E.D.C. No. 1 Subdivision.

The Edinburg EDC, of which Joey Treviño is the Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of Mayor Richard Molina, Mayor Pro-Tem David Torres, Councilmember Homer Jasso, Jr., Councilmember Gilbert Enríquez, and Councilmember Jorge Salinas.

The Edinburg EDC Board of Directors is comprised of Councilmember Enríquez as President, Edinburg School Board Trustee Miguel “Mike” Farías as Vice-President, Councilmember Salinas as Secretary/Treasurer, and Mayor Molina and Mayor Pro Tem Torres as Members.

The Edinburg EDC agenda packet, which contains all the information that is open to the public, is available online by logging on to the Edinburg EDC website at:

http://edinburgedc.com/meetings-agendas/

The agenda for the Tuesday, July 10, 2018 special meeting of the Board of Directors, which begins at 6 p.m. in the Edinburg City Council Chamber at Edinburg City Hall, located at 415 W. University Drive, follows:

1. Call meeting to Order, Establish Quorum;
2. Roll Call and Certification of Posting of Meeting;
3. Discuss and consider possible action to update the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation’s 2017-2018 Employee Classification and Organizational Chart;
4. Discuss and consider possible action to update the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation’s 2017-2018 Budget

EXECUTIVE SESSION

5. The EEDC Board will convene in Executive Session, in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, Vernon’s Texas Civil Statutes Annotated, Government Code, Chapter 551, Subchapter D, Exceptions to Requirements that Meetings be Open, to deliberate under the following Subsections:

• Section 551.071, Consultation with Attorney;
• Section 551.072, Deliberations regarding Real Property;
• Section 551.074, Personnel Matters; and
• Section 551.087, Deliberations Regarding Economic Development Negotiations.

The EEDC Board may elect to go into Executive Session on any item whether or not such item is posted as an Executive Session item at any time during the meeting when authorized by the provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act. The Board will deliberate the following items:

A. Deliberate the offers of financial or other incentives to business prospects;
B. Deliberate and possible action regarding the sale of Lot 6, E.E.D.C. No. 1 Subdivision, Hidalgo County, Texas;
C. Deliberate personnel matters; and
D. Consultation with Attorney: Other Legal Matters.

Following Executive Session, the Board of Directors will reconvene and consider taking appropriate action on the Executive Session items.

6. Adjourn

TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT

The Texas Open Meetings Act is detailed in Chapter 551 of the Government Code. It states that governmental bodies must hold open meetings unless there is an authorized reason for a closed session, also known as an executive session.

Key provisions of the act are as follows:

Covered Entities

Governing boards, commissions, agencies and other bodies created within the executive and legislative branches of government are subject to the Texas Open Meetings Act. Commissioners courts, city councils, school boards and certain nonprofit corporations providing public services or spending taxpayer money are among the entities covered. Certain property owners’ associations also are subject to the law.

Quorum

A quorum refers to a majority of members of a governing body, unless a quorum is defined differently by an applicable law or rule or charter of the body. A quorum must be present for the body to take action.

Posting of Notice

The governmental body must give the public notice of the date, time, place and subject of an upcoming meeting. The notice must be posted in a place readily accessible to the general public at all times at least 72 hours before the meeting. In case of an emergency or “urgent public necessity,” a meeting notice or addition to a meeting agenda may be posted at least two hours prior to the meeting. The governmental body must clearly identify the emergency.

Other Exceptions to Posting Law

Boards or commissions with statewide jurisdiction must have their meeting notice posted on the Internet by the secretary of state at least seven days before a meeting. Committees of the Texas Legislature are not subject to the meeting notice rules above. Their rules are set by the Texas House and Senate.

Closed Sessions

Closed, or executive, sessions may be held by a governmental body in certain situations. Executive sessions are permitted when a body is meeting with its attorney on litigation or a settlement offer; deliberating personnel matters; deliberating the purchase or lease of property; discussing certain financial contract negotiations; or discussing deployment of security devices. Several other exceptions to open meetings are also contained in the Texas Open Meetings Act.

Deliberations Between Meetings

Under a new provision of the act that took effect Sept. 1, 2013, members of a governing body are allowed to communicate with one another about public business between meetings if they do so in writing and on a publicly accessible online message board. The message board must be prominently displayed and easy for the public to find on the government entity’s website. Officials may not take action on the message board. That must wait for a posted meeting.

Video Conferencing

The Texas Open Meetings Act now allows for members of a governmental body to attend a public meeting via a video conference call. The head of the board or commission must be physically present in the designated meeting place and the public must be given access to that meeting space. The public must be able to witness the comments and actions of those officials attending the meeting remotely via audio and video equipment and be able to participate via the videoconferencing just as they would at a traditional public meeting.

Also according to its website (http://foift.org), The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas works to encourage a greater appreciation, knowledge and understanding of the First Amendment and helps to ensure that the public’s business is conducted in public. Since its formation in 1978, the Foundation has helped citizens access government meetings and documents.

The Foundation seeks to inform journalists, legal professionals, educators, students, public officials and individual citizens about their rights and responsibilities as participants in our democracy. With the clear objective to protect and preserve the state’s open meetings and open records laws, the non-partisan Foundation acts as a statewide information clearinghouse and offers guidance and assistance on FOI-related issues through a network of attorneys and through public seminars and conferences.

FOIFT is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) supported through grants and tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporations and foundations.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2018 DEADLINE APPROACHING FOR EDINBURG RESIDENTS TO SUBMIT PROPOSED NEW LOGO FOR EDINBURG EDC

The Edinburg Economic Development Corporation is looking for a new visual identity, and is inviting Edinburg residents, including Edinburg public school students, and higher education students who are Edinburg residents, to participate.

Edinburg residents who can design a creative, innovative and professional logo are being invited by the Board of Directors of the Edinburg EDC to compete in the contest, which has a deadline of 5 p.m. (Central Standard Time) on Wednesday, July 18, 2018 for all entries to be submitted.

The winner shall be awarded a $500 (five hundred) prize. The logo created must be submitted by the original owner of the copyright for the logo. Each contestant may submit up to three logos for consideration.

The logo should be recognizable and help promote the Edinburg EDC’s community mission, which is: “To promote economic growth in the Edinburg EDC and South Texas through the attraction of new innovative commerce, retaining and preserving our existing businesses by providing the resources that support successful business and quality of life for the citizens of Edinburg.

No entry fee is required, but the entry form must be submitted via hand-delivery in a sealed envelope, to the Edinburg EDC at Edinburg City Hall, 415 West University Drive, Edinburg, Texas 78541.

The entry form must be in a USB or CD.

The 2018 Logo Contest Entry Form is available online, and may be downloaded by contacting the Edinburg EDC at 956/383-7124 for instructions on where to obtain the entry form.

What follows are more details regarding who is eligible, submission requirements, logo specifications, judging, disqualification, binding agreement, ownership and logo use, and prize.

Who Is Eligible

All Edinburg students and Edinburg residents. Minors will need to submit a parent or legal guardian consent form. However, Edinburg EDC board members, employees and their immediate family members are not eligible to participate, nor are city officials, city employees and their immediate family members.

Logo Specifications

Logo must promote the mission of the Edinburg EDC, ‘Business Development, Job Creation, and Quality of Life.’ Design should be universal in theme and not nation specific. Only color digital logos will be accepted. There are no limitations and any colors may be used. Must be eye-catching but still be legible.

Logo must be legible and able to be utilized in any color or black & white. Must be submitted in JPEG and in its original source file (For example: Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop). Logo should be submitted in a format resolution of 300 dpi or higher. Must be easily reproducible and scalable for large and small formatting. Logo must be suitable for government use. Obscene or graphic logos will not be acceptable.

Logo must not have watermarks, signatures, or copyright notices. Logo cannot contain copyright material. Logo must have been created and edited by the contestant. Logo may not include images or licensed images that have been previously published. Contestant may submit up to three (3) logos.

Judging

Logos will be judged based on quality, creativity and how the image captures the mission of the Edinburg EDC.

Logos will also be judged on originality technical excellent, overall impact and artistic merit.

Edinburg EDC reserves the right to not select a winner if, in its sole discretion, no suitable entries are received.

Disqualification

Violation of any of these rules or federal, state or local laws by any contestant will result in disqualification and forfeiture of all prize money:

• Contestant does not follow rules and requirements.
• Extremely poor quality (resolution).
• Inappropriate or unsuitable.
• Logo work is not of the owner submitting the logo.
• Broken content rule and/or broken copyright rule.

Ownership and Logo Use

Participants DO NOT retain the copyright, ownership, and all other rights to future use of the logo(s) they enter.

By entering the contest, participant agrees to have his/her submitted logo used on the Edinburg EDC website and/or other official Edinburg EDC documents and displayed eat Edinburg EDC without any fee or other form of compensation.

Contestant agrees the winning logo may not be limited to be used in production of brochures, promotion, public relations, advertising, books or other media, without any other fee or form of compensation other than the prize.

Logos will be credited to the participant listed on the registration form.

If ownership of the logo is contested in any manner, Edinburg EDC may disqualify or discontinue the use of the logo.

This logo may be featured on websites, social media platforms, and other mediums (stationary, pamphlets, t-shirts, etc.).

Contestant agrees that Edinburg EDC may publish the logo and may be used for advertising campaigns and/or marketing materials in the future.

Contestant assigns all ownership rights, including all intellectual property rights to the logo to Edinburg EDC.

Edinburg EDC may alter, modify or revise the logo as it sees necessary to achieve the goals of the Corporation.

Edinburg EDC is not required to use the winning logo for any specific period of time.

Winner, if any, shall be required to sign a waiver or release form transforming all rights and ownership interests to Edinburg EDC. Thereafter, Edinburg EDC shall have the right to alter the logo in any which way it deems necessary.

Binding Agreement

In order to enter, the Contestant must agree to these Official Rules. These rules form a legally binding agreement with respect to this Contest. Please read them carefully.

If Contestant does not agree to the Rules, Contestant is not eligible to participate or win the prize.

Contestant agrees that his/her registration, as an individual contestant, constitutes his/her agreement to these Rules.

Winners will be notified within a week after selections are made via the information provided on the contest entry form.

Prize

Contest winner, if any, will receive $500 (and bragging rights!). The contest winner may have his/her logo images used on the Edinburg EDC website and other official Edinburg EDC documents, and may be displayed at Edinburg EDC owned buildings or offices.

View the contest rules online at http://www.edinburgedc.com/logocontest

Please complete, sign and return 2018 Logo Contest Entry Form to: Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, Edinburg City Hall, 415 West University Drive, Edinburg, Texas 78541. Deadline to Submit is Wednesday, July 18 at 5:00 pm. (CST). For more Information or Questions, Contact: Edinburg Economic Development Corporation at 956/383-7124.

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For more information on the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation and the City of Edinburg, please log on to http://edinburgedc.com