Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 31, No. 9, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 8, 1973 Page: 1 of 28
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RIO GRANDE
Serving over 5000 readers for over 50 years TPA Award Winning Newspaper
Ten Cents
Vol. XXXI No. 9 Thursday, March 8, 1973
Rio Grande City, Texas
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an exclusive word from the judge...
Where is our county?
During the years that I have
served as Starr County Judge
I have made It a practice to
prepare a statement at the be-
ginning of the year setting forth
the condition of the county from
I
I
• <
'
J
1
tell it
like it
IS • •
For sometime now, the local school district has been
playing around with two companies in trying to decide who
was or Is or could be or should be or ought to be or better
be or be beneficial to be the lowest bidder on insurance
for the district.
On one hand you have Jesse Trevino Insurance Agency
who has had the policy for the school properties for some
time and who has for sometime delivered at the end of
each cortract period a check for $8,000.00 plus dollars.
On the other hand you have Garza Insurance Agenry of Rio
Grande City who under bid Trevino by some three thousand
dollars and was awarded the school insurance package.
In the meantime, Trevino and several other people found
a thirty-per cent error in Garza's bid making Trevino
the lowest bidder.
All this time the school board was going through the
agony of hearing Trevino discuss his proposals which
were indeed lowest of all the bids.
Trustee Roberto Margo finally asked to end the entire
confusion both companies be given an opportunity to rebid
on the insurance for the school district. InMargo's motion
it was stated that Jorge Guerra, School District Business
Manager give each company a copy of the required infor-
mation for submitting new bids and a ropy of the insurance
schedule, or exactly what properties the district wanted
insured. This was not and has not been done but the dis-
trict manager has already accepted a bid from Garza In-
surance Agency.
Trevino is due to submit a new bid before the next
school board meeting.
The last meeting of the board Trevino said that with an
anticipated dividend his company would save the local tax-
payers about $10,000.00. That's a lot of bread.
Our point in question is why the policy schedules were
never delivered to each company? Why did three or four
board members meet Tuesday morning to "discuss" Gar-
za's bid without notice to anyone especially three other
'board members not to mention the press? Why has the press
been told that Garza Insurance Agency has lowered their
bid to within $300.00" according to Jorge Guerra unless
the hoard has already opened thebid from Garza Insurance
and why all the confusion .... all over again.
The board had agreed to open the bids at the next meet-
ing after the information had been given to the two com-
panies .... why all the secret mumble jumble?
Do we smell a rat in the wood pile? Is someone getting
free car insurance for special consideration of onebid over
the other?
Secret "discussions" lead the public to nothing but as-
sumptions and with all the board members saying that they
have nothing under the table . . . why cast doubts . . . why
not leave things until your next official meeting .... it
should prove to be a beautiful 'rubber-stamp' affair . . .
and the public is invited, after all we all know whose going
to get the insurance work don't we Dr. Ramiro
Narro, Dr. G.A. Nene Garza, Raul Guerrero and Arnoldo
Gonzalez?
* * * *
The Texas Highway Department held their public meet-
ing at the Multi-Purpose Center on the re-routing of the hi
Sauz Road to pass by the hospital site.
Those speaking in favor of the re-routing were Dr. Ma-
rio Ramirez who Introduced a letter from the people that
are giving approval of the site and plans for the hospital.
The letter states that the site and plans are approval in
their final form pending the construction of an access
road by the hospital and that without the access road the
site will be disapproved.
Those having opposing views are to file their written
protest with the Texas Highway Department in Austin.
* * *
We were told that the district is now trying to do some-
thing about the bus-over-load matter but that there is a
state wide shortage of funds for transportation but that the
local district is working on the matter.
Perhaps the district can spend the money on buses that
they will be saving on the insurance policies.
RAUL TREJ0
HERALD MANAGING
EDITOR
a financial stand point as well
as from a judicial and other
standpoints. I have tried to list
accomplishments for the year
and to inform the public of what
is planned for the future. The
Rio Grande Herald has pul>-
lished these reports in the past
so as to provide wide distribu-
tion of the information, and I
am grateful to them again this
year for having requested this
report and for having published
it.
Our county has made great
progress in the past few years.
1972 has been an exceptionally
good year and will be remem-
bered for a long time. Possibly
more was accomplished in
these 12 months than in any
other year. This was due to the
efforts of many concerned indi-
viduals wtio worked together for
the betterment of the commun-
ity. This was the year when the
crops were good and our econo-
my did not suffer as a conse-
quence of the elements. This
was the year when the Presi-
dent of the United States chose
to visit our community. This
was the year when our appli-
cations for assistance to con-
struct a hospital, to build low
rent housing, to rebuild the
burned out auditorium and for
a neighborhood center were ap-
proved.
The economy and county fi-
nances remain as items of great
concern to all of us. A lot has
been done - yet, more needs
to be accomplished. Four years
ago we did not have a modern
system of accounting and we
owed somewhere between
$500,000 and $000,000 in ac-
counts payable and notes due.
The county was broke and did
not have money to meet opera-
tional expenses. It became
necessary to borrow $300,-
000.00 to avoid the use of script
or possible bankruptcy. As of
the first of this year we owed
$143,063 in accounts payable.
Of this, $2C,GC9 has now been
paid to the Mission Paving Co.
from money that was received
from the office of Emergency
Preparedness for work per-
formed on damages caused by
Hurricane Fern. $50,000 addi-
tional is owed the Rio Grande
City Bank and will be paid im-
mediately from tax money that
was late in being collected last
year. There is practically no-
thing else due on notes payable.
The $90,000 owed the city of
Roma on bridge litigation has
now been paid in full. However,
again we have little in the trea-
sury and it is projected that
supplemental cash will be need-
ed for operational expenses be-
tween the months of May and
October 1973. We may need
to borrow again from the bank
on a short time basis but it is
hoped that this will he the last
such loan.
$302,808.00 has been received
from revenue sharing and ap-
proximately $353,000 addi-
tional are anticipated by the
end of this year. Some of this
money can be used for opera-
tional expenses and possibly
with this and with money that
is expected from the Roma
bridge operation we can avoid
having to borrow, and we can
anticipate meeting our deficits
and be able to "operate in the
black" within the forseable fu-
ture.
The , 1971 budget of necessity
county's economy. We should
also have sufficient funds left
over to repair and to repave
some streets, buy the most
essential heavy equipment to
help with garbage collection,
fire fighting, garbage disposal,
etc. and to proceed with other
much needed projects. The
commissioner's court has
heard from citizens regarding
recommendations for expendi-
tures of the revenue sharing
fund. Most of the recommend-
ations were sound and meritor-
ious but it is my feeling, at
present, that many of these
suggestions will have to wait
for possibly a year or two lor
implementation because of the
limited money available. I per-
sonally feel that it is a shame
and disgrace to underpay our
employees. I am aware of
See WORD Page 18
has a deficit of $221,000. The
1972 budget was prepared with
an anticipated deficit of $51,-
266.00. The 1973 budget as
initially prepared did not re-
flect a deficit but the amount
that was to be received from
the oil property taxations will
be less than originally project-
ed and the budget as it now
stands projects a deficit of
$48,469.00. The 1971 budget
was exceeded by approximate-
ly 6r but annual receipts sur-
passed projections and this
helped to offset the over ex-
penditures. The 1972 budget
included drastic reductions in
all departments. It was ex-
ceeded by 7' . We had hoped
that receipts would have sur-
passed 1971 but an unavoidable
error in tax statements delayed
their dispatch and through Dec-
ember collections were down by
approximately $100,000.00.
This money should be received
during the early part of 1973.
We need to adhere rigidly
to the 1973 budget. At this time
we can hardly afford to raise
salaries. If we can utilize
$200,000 or soof revenue shar-
ing funds for operational ex-
penses during the summer we
should be able, by fall, to re-
tire the entire old indebtedness
and have enough money from
revenue received at the end of
the year to operate comfort-
ably in 1974 without deficits and
without having to borrow. At
that time we could provide the
necessary raises in salaries
without undue hardship to the
I .S. Treasurer
Featured Speaker
The fourth annual '-First Lady of South Texas" presen-
tation will he held on Saturday, March 17 in Rio Grande
City with Mrs. Romana Acosta Banuelos scheduler! i - truest
speaker.
Mrs. Banuelos has been Treasurer of the United States
since December 17, 1971, when she was sworn in by Secre-
tary of the Treasury John B. Connally.
The presentation will be held in the Rio Grande City
Knights of Columbus Hall at 7 p.m., followed by a press
conference at 9 p.m. Rio Gr inde City Rotary sponsors the
annual event for Rotary Club District 593, which includes
42 Rotary Clubs across South Texas, said District Gover-
nor H.A. (Chase) Hodges of Edinburg.
F ormer South Texas First Ladies have been Mrs. Byron
Campbell of Raymondville, Mrs. Florance J. Scott of Rio
Grande City, and Mrs. Gerald McKinna of Harlingen. The
42 Rotary Clubs submit nominations for First Lady to the
district governor who appoints a committee to select the
"First Lady of South Texas."
For reservations and tickets, contact F.L. Niederjohn,
P.O. Box 21, Rio Grande City, Texas 78582. The $1C per
couple fee includes a dinner and dance with a hospitality
hour scheduled at 7 p.m.
Mrs. Banuelos founded Rom ma's Mexican 1'ood Pro-
ducts in 1949 witli an initial investment of *400 and two
employees. The F'ast Los Angeles food venture is now a $r>
million-a-year firm processing over 2fi different food items
and employing over 300 people.
In 19G4, Mrs. Banuelos helped found and became a di-
rector of Pan American National Bank in F ast Los Ange-
les, organized to serve the Mexican-American community
there. She was elected chairman oi the bank's board of di-
rectors in 19C9 and was twice re-elected to that post.
The 47-vear-old native of Miami, Arizona, was reared
and educated in the small mining village of Maguaricaic
in the mountains of Chiluaha, Mexico, Her mother, nv.* 70,
still lives there.
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Trejo, Raul. Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 31, No. 9, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 8, 1973, newspaper, March 8, 1973; Rio Grande City, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth194397/m1/1/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rio Grande City Public Library.