by Legislative Media | Mar 8, 2015 | Politics
Congressman Rubén Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, outlines his vision for continued economic growth and job creation for his 15th Congressional District, which includes Hidalgo County, at the Pharr Convention Center (now Boggus Ford Events Center) on Tuesday, November 4, as his wife, Martha López Hinojosa, looks on. “When I first took office in January 1997, the unemployment rate for Hidalgo County was at 22 percent. I made it my goal to help bring this number down to single digits and we succeeded,” Hinojosa said. The latest jobs figures bear him out, according to the Texas Workforce Commission, a state agency which provides information and analysis on shifts in occupations and industries within the state, including unemployment rates and employment figures, broken down by cities, counties, and regions in Texas, on a monthly basis. All cities combined in Hidalgo County averaged an 8.3 percent unemployment rate in January 2015. Also for January 2015, there were 307,706 individuals were employed in Hidalgo County. Hinojosa’s perspectives are shared by the leadership of the Texas Workforce Commission, who were appointed by then-Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican. “The diversity of skills found in the Texas workforce has contributed greatly to the strength of the Texas economy,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Ronny Congleton. “As jobs are added, Texas has skilled workers to fill them and resources available for workers to obtain new skills when needed. I encourage all job seekers to look for available positions through TWC’s online job-matching resource, WorkInTexas.com and to take advantage of the many services and training resources available through their local Workforce Solutions office.”
Photograph by MARK MONTEMAYOR
Edinburg’s unemployment rate for January 2015 was 5.1 percent, a significant improvement from the monthly rate in January 2014, when it came in at 6.3 percent, and better than the January 2015 U.S. unemployment rate of 5.7 percent, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. The EEDC is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg City Council. The unemployment rate is a key indicator of the strength of the local economy. Only McAllen had a better performance among the Valley’s major economies, coming in with a 5.0 percent unemployment rate for January 2015, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. Edinburg’s latest monthly showing also remained within striking distance of the Texas statewide average, which was 4.6 percent for January 2015, while better than the U.S. unemployment rate of 5.7 percent for the same month, the TWC reported. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, the four-county Valley’s other major communities shared in Edinburg and McAllen’s good news, continuing to boast unemployment rates in the single-digits, in the following order: Harlingen (6.3 percent); Mission (6.3 percent); Weslaco (7.2 percent); Pharr (7.5 percent); and Brownsville (7.8 percent). The January 2015 data, released by the Texas Workforce Commission on Friday, March 5, also showed an increase of 636 jobs in Edinburg when comparing the employment figures for January 2015 and January 2014. In January 2015, there were 35,536 persons employed in Edinburg, compared with 34,900 in January 2014. The January 2015 unemployment rate of 5.1 percent for Edinburg is also better than the annual unemployment rate in Edinburg for 2014, which was 5.8 percent, the best 12-month average from January through December in seven years, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.
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by Legislative Media | Mar 2, 2015 | Politics
Featured, from left: René A. Ramírez, Founder and President, Pathfinder Public Affairs of McAllen; Agustín “Gus” García, Jr., Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Rep. Óscar Longoria, Jr., D-La Joya; Edinburg City Councilmember Richard Molina; Rep. Ryan Guillén, D-Rio Grande City; Ramiro Garza, Jr., City Manager, City of Edinburg; and Edinburg City Councilmember J.R. Betancourt, at the State Capitol in Austin for Rio Grande Valley Day on Tuesday, February 10.
Photograph by DIEGO REYNA
With heavy equipment and hundreds of jobs soon to descend upon Edinburg following the Thursday, February 26 groundbreaking for the $68 million Bert Ogden Arena, legislation was filed on Monday, March 2, to bring another major new facility to Edinburg, and with it, the opportunity for more South Texans to become part of one of the highest-paid professions in the nation. House Bill 2097, by Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, could lead to the construction of the $50 million Interdisciplinary Engineering and Academic Studies Building at The University of Texas-Pan American, which will be renamed The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley in the fall of 2015, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. The EEDC is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg City Council. Canales’ measure is consistent with the long-standing role played by the Edinburg City Council and the EEDC in promoting economic development and a higher quality-of-life through more advances in higher education in the city, said Mayor Richard García, who also serves as President of the EEDC Board of Directors. “We in the Valley have the talent, ingenuity, drive, and intelligence for any profession, job, trade, career, occupation, vocation, employment – you name it, we will excel at it,” said Mayor García. “In the case of the $50 million Interdisciplinary Engineering and Academic Studies Building, it is vital not only for our region, but for all of Texas, which is experiencing a statewide shortage of engineers.” The Texas Workforce Commission has projected that Texas will need 88,000 more engineers and computer scientists over the next decade to continue to attract new businesses and new jobs that will keep the state’s economy healthy, the UT System Board of Regents announced on Thursday, August 24. The $50 million Interdisciplinary Engineering and Academic Studies Building would be built on the campus quad – its open-air courtyard – west of the Edinburg campus’ main library. With engineering among the lucrative professions in the nation, the facility for Edinburg would also meet powerful demands both in the Valley and throughout Texas, said Canales. “The student enrollment in the College of Engineering and Computer Science on the Edinburg campus has increased by 41 percent since 2010 and is on the rise, according to university leaders,” said Canales, whose House District 40 includes the UT-Pan American/UT-Rio Grande Valley and a School of Medicine now under initial construction. “The current engineering building on the Edinburg campus was built to accommodate 1,370 students and enrollment in the college is more than 2,200 students.” Agustín “Gus” García, Executive Director for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, said the EEDC and the Edinburg City Council would continue to be champions for UT-RGV and its UT medical school, not only before the UT System Board of Regents, but also at the state legislative levels. “Edinburg’s top leadership, featuring the Edinburg City Council and the EEDC Board of Directors, has a long and distinguished history of proven support and effectiveness for higher education, not only in our community, but Valleywide,” said García. “We know the legislative system in Austin, we benefit from an outstanding state legislative delegation, and we have friends and allies in key places in the UT System. We will be partners in the continuing transformation of UT-RGV into a university of the first-class.” Gus García and Mayor Richard García are not related.
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by Legislative Media | Feb 24, 2015 | Politics
Featured, seated, from left: Linda Tovar of Edinburg, Senior Manager of Public Affairs, H-E-B; Jo Ann Gonzáles Gama of Edinburg, Co-Founder, President, and Superintendent, IDEA Public Schools; and Carmen Pagan of McAllen, Co-Owner, Milestone Therapeutic Associates. Standing, from left: Edinburg Mayor Richard H. García, Attorney-at-Law, García, Quintanilla and Palacios; and former Hidalgo Mayor John David Franz, Law Offices of John David Franz.
Photograph Courtesy THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN
Edinburg’s retail economy for the 2014 was 8.62 percent better than 2013, generating $18,935,258 in local sales taxes last year, compared with $17,433,116 the year before, Mayor Richard García has announced. The mayor also is President of the Board of Director for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, which is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg City Council. The amount of local sales taxes collected helps reflect the strength of an economy, along with construction activities, per capita income, education, historical performances, and related trends. The $18.9 million annual figure was reached after the city’s economy in December 2014 generated $2,087,133.29 in local sales taxes, keeping pace with the December 2013 output of $2,140,298.48. This latest data was released on Wednesday, February 11, by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. The local sales tax figures represent December 2014 sales reported by monthly tax filers as well as October, November and December sales by businesses that report tax quarterly. The December 2014 local sales taxes were sent to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts in January, and returned as sales tax rebates to the respective local government entities in February. The local sales tax is used in Edinburg to help pay for many city services, while the EEDC uses its one-half cent local sales tax to help generate economic development in the city. The sales tax, formally known as the State Sales and Use Tax, is imposed on all retail sales, leases and rentals of most goods, as well as taxable services. Texas cities, counties, transit authorities and special purpose districts have the option of imposing an additional local sales tax for a combined total of state and local taxes of 8 1/4% (.0825). Edinburg’s local retail economy has shown positive growth since 2008, increasing in its market share in the Valley from 8.05 percent in 2008 to 9.45 percent in 2014, according to Valley-wide data compiled by http://www.MyHarlingen.US, which is the official website for the City of Harlingen. In this image, Garcia is featured with four other area leaders who will be honored as “Presidential Pillars” on Thursday, February 27, as outstanding alumnus of The University of Texas-Pan American. The gala, which raises money for scholarships, is sold out. It is being held at the Boggus Ford Events Center, formerly the Pharr Events Center, beginning at 6:30 p.m. More details about the achievements of García, Franz, Tovar, Gama, and Pagan are available online at: http://www.utpa.edu/news/2015/01/gone-country-bling-it-up-for-final-alumni-ball-feb-27.htm
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by Legislative Media | Jan 30, 2015 | Politics
Featured in this image during the Thursday, February 6, 2014 grand opening of the EEDC’s office in downtown Edinburg are, from left: Agustín “Gus” García, Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Edinburg City Councilmember Richard Molina; Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, and Ramiro Garza, Jr., City Manager, City of Edinburg.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
Edinburg’s unemployment rate for December 2014 was 4.8 percent, the best showing for the city during 2014, and the first time in almost seven years – since January 2008, which also achieved a 4.8 percent unemployment rate – that the city’s economy had registered such a strong figure in the jobs market, Mayor Richard García has announced. The EEDC is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg City Council. The annual unemployment rate in Edinburg for 2014 was 6.15 percent, the best 12-month average from January through December in seven years. Edinburg’s annual unemployment rates since 2005, which is the year in which the state government began preparing those figures using a more accurate formula, have registered as follows: 2014 (6.15 percent); 2013 (7.3 percent); 2012 (7.8 percent); 2011 (8.9 percent); 2010 (8.4 percent); 2009 (6.8 percent); 2008 (5.0 percent); 2007 (4.8 percent); 2006 (5.3 percent); and 2005 (4.9 percent). In deep South Texas, only McAllen registered a better December 2014 monthly unemployment figure than Edinburg’s 4.8 percent, but not by much, as the City of Palms came in at 4.6 percent. The statewide unemployment average in Texas for December 2014 was 4.6 percent, while the U.S. unemployment rate for that month was 5.6 percent. Agustín “Gus” García, Executive Director for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, says the ongoing improvements of the local and regional unemployment rates are tied into the strengths and diversity of the economies throughout deep South Texas. “Edinburg has our medical, educational and governmental sectors which help power our economy, while McAllen has their large manufacturing and retail industries,” he illustrated. “With the scheduled opening in February of the $180 million Santana Textiles denim manufacturing complex in north Edinburg, and with the continuing growth of The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley and its planned School of Medicine in Edinburg, we should see more economic advances for our community and region.” García (no relation to Mayor Richard García) pointed out that the Valley is an economic success story which reaches beyond its four-county boundaries. “We are fortunate as a whole to be in a growing sector of the United States. Recently the Edinburg/McAllen/Mission/Pharr metropolitan statistical area was ranked as the second-fastest growth area in the Texas, and Texas has continually been ranked as the fastest-growing state in the nation,” the EEDC Executive Director continued. “The EEDC’s role as a center of economic development is to harness these opportunities. These and other positive economic achievements reflect the efforts of not only the EEDC Board of Directors and its staff, but also of the city management, and of course, our city leadership: Mayor García and the Edinburg City Council.”
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by Legislative Media | Jan 21, 2015 | Politics
Featured, from left: Congressman Joaquín Castro, D-San Antonio; and Mayor Richard García, President, Board of Directors, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation.
Photograph by ISMAEL GARCÍA
Edinburg’s retail economy for the month of November 2014 was 6.69 percent better than the same month in 2013, a figure that was best among all major Valley cities, and higher than the growth rates for all cities combined, respectively, in each of the four Valley counties, Mayor Richard García, President, Board of Directors, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, has announced. The EEDC is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg City Council. Based on the amount of local sales taxes collected, which reflects the strength of an economy, Edinburg’s retail sector generated more than $1.5 million in local sales taxes in November 2014, compared with more than $1.4 million in November 2013 – producing the improvement of almost seven percent. Among the Valley’s largest economies, Edinburg’s improvement rate of 6.69 percent was followed by Pharr (5.56 percent), McAllen (5.07 percent), Mission (4.76 percent), Brownsville (4.30 percent); Weslaco (2.79 percent), and Harlingen (-1.57 percent). In addition, from January through November 2014, Edinburg’s retail economy maintained a double-digit upswing over the same 11-month period in 2013, generating $16,848,135 in local sales taxes, compared with $15,292,818 for January through November 2013 – a rise of 10.17 percent. This latest data was released on Wednesday, January 7, by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. The local sales tax figures represent sales reported by monthly filers in November sent to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts in December, and returned as sales tax rebates to the respective local government entities in January. The local sales tax is used in Edinburg to help pay for many city services, while the EEDC uses its one-half cent local sales tax to help generate economic development in the city. Augustín “Gus” García, the EEDC’s Executive Director for the Edinburg Economic Development, said the performance of the city’s retail economy for 2014 has come from a combination of proven leadership by the Edinburg City Council and EEDC Board of Directors, the strategies they have developed and put into place through the city and EEDC staffs, and by the vision of business owners and their employees in the city to provide high-quality goods and services that draw consumers from Edinburg and beyond “EEDC’s projects constantly bring together leaders who craft state policy, influence economic advancement and have the capabilities to effect change at a regional and global level. EEDC works with them to promote leadership, information exchange, training and experience,” García said. “The future of Edinburg lies before us, fraught with issues, yet poised with promise. On the threshold of a new turning point, 2015, we are presented with limitless opportunities.”
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