The keystone to the annual allocation of CDBG funds in the City of Pharr is the Community Development Council (CDC). The City Commission appoints (11) Pharr citizens to represent one of each of the (7) census tracts, as part of the CDC. The CDC holds a number of scheduled public meetings, hearings and workshops to encourage citizen participation and input. It is the CDC that makes the funding recommendations to the Mayor and City Commissioners on a proposed Action Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) on an annual basis. The CDC reviews detailed funding proposals submitted by public service agencies/non-profit agencies, as well as proposals submitted by City Departments to assist it in its decision-making process of the Action Plan. Pharr’s use of a Citizen Advisory Board to make recommendations on the best use of the city’s annual federal CDBG appropriation is a required measure of HUD. The Council makes difficult but community-based decisions that address a broad spectrum of poverty-related needs, economic development and the elimination of slum/blighted areas.
The Community Development Council is composed of eleven members, which meets the criteria guidelines of the Federal Community Development Act. Two such members shall be residents of Census Tract No. 213; two of Census Tract No 214; two of Census Tract No. 215; two of Census Tract No. 216 and two of Census Tract No. 217, and one member at large shall be a resident of the City. The current members are:
NAME | CENSUS TRACT | LENGTH OF TERM |
Marco Gonzalez | 216 | 1 Yr. |
Romeo Robles | At Large | 2 Yrs. |
Trinidad Suchil | 213 | 1 Yr. |
Lucio Gaitan | 214 | 1 Yr. |
Norma Treviño | 215 | 1 Yr. |
Joe Hinojosa | 217 | 1 Yr. |
Rene Cantu, Chairman | 215 | 2 Yrs. |
Jose G. Rodriguez | 213 | 3 Yrs. |
Ruben Solis, Vice-Chairperson | 214 | 3 Yrs. |
Belia Garcia | 217 | 2 Yrs. |
Danny Smith | 216 | 3 Yrs. |