The Board of Commissioners of the City of Pharr met for a regular meeting on Monday, January 20, 2020, and considered an agenda that included the following highlights:

City Announces January Sales Tax Report

Interim City Manager Ed Wylie announced that the sales tax activity for the city of Pharr as of the month of January continues to show a positive upward trend, demonstrating a steady increase in sales activity. The report showed an overall positive trend in the amount of $1,694,381, an increase of 9.92% compared to last January 2019 for this time period.

Pharr After School Activity Program Doubles in Size
Sergio Alanis, Pharr Parks and Recreation Director informed the Commission that the city’s After School Activity Program has been so successful that the original 300 slots available when the program first launched has grown to nearly double. The program expects to have over 600 students enrolled for the spring, most of which are students attending PSJA ISD.

Municipal Court Announces New Self-Paying Kiosks
Municipal Court Judge Marissa Hernandez announced to the Commission that the Pharr Municipal Court now has two self-serving kiosks available to the public. Customers will be able to give payments through the kiosks without having to wait in line, expediting the process. In addition, the kiosk will allow for digital magistrations, providing simultaneous, interactive communication. This new feature will eliminate the travel of a judge and the staffing of a bailiff to an off-site location, saving the court and public money.

Commission Approves Purchase of Hazmat Equipment through Grant Award
Commissioners approved the purchase of a Hazmat Elite Command Package- Single-Diamond FTIR Identifier for the Fire Department as part of the 2019 State Homeland Security Grant Award in which the City of Pharr was awarded $96,400.00. The Hazmat Identifier was part of the awarded equipment of the application that will be used by the fire department when responding to hazardous materials calls. This equipment will enhance city capabilities when responding to hazardous material calls and will also be used to identify unknown chemicals to make safer responses for Pharr citizens and personnel.

City Approves Agreement with Region One Education Service Center to Participate in ORION Program
The Pharr City Commission approved an agreement with Region One Education Service Center to participate in the ORION (One Regional Interconnected Optical Network) E-Rate Consortium. Currently, the City of Pharr public library’s internet service provider is Smart Com. This new agreement will allow Region 1 Educational Services to be the library’s Internet Service Provider (ISP) at a lower cost of $400 a month. The service will be upgraded to a 10 gig fiber connection versus the current 1 gig fiber connection. Members of the ORION Program will have access to bigger and virtual reality in the classroom, enhanced distance learning opportunities and resource sharing between school districts.

Featured Event: Operation Clean Sweep – Saturday, January 25, 2020, from 8 am to 12 pm
Join us Saturday, January 25th at Pharr Public Works for Pharr Public Works Operation Clean Sweep. For more information on the event, call our Pharr Public Works Department at 956- 402-4350. Let’s Keep Pharr Beautiful!