Isabel Martinez, a teacher at Edinburg North High School, and Alejandra Garcia, a parent of an attending student, urged the Edinburg City Council Tuesday night to address flooding at the high school.
Martinez and Garcia expressed their concerns after witnessing students walking and slipping in “knee-deep water” at the school, located at 3101 N. Closner Blvd.
The women said the water is flowing into the school and not outward.
“It is 2024, water is still knee-deep, and the water is just flowing into North and not flowing out,” Martinez said. “It is a population of 2,500 students. … So it does affect the county people but also the constituents within the city, as well.”
Garcia said she has seen the campus flooded and students walking and waiting in the water.
“I have pictures here where there’s kids literally sitting in the water, waiting … for their parents to pick them up,” she said. “I felt like I was going through, I have to say, a third-world country school. This is the United States. This cannot be happening to our kids.”
Councilmembers did not respond because the women spoke during the public comment section.
In other business, the council passed the wrecker and towing services ordinance, which allows regulation of services and establishes a new rotation process.
This ordinance will allow the police to regulate and check that the wrecker and towing companies on the rotation list are in compliance with the ordinance. However, the owners of companies were not pleased.
Before the vote, Rebbeca Meza told the council how the ordinance would affect her wrecker company, Bronco Wrecker.
“The police department is proposing a fee of about $450 per application and in addition to a fee for each truck that is inspected,” Meza said. “The fee structure is not only unfair, but also burdensome for the businesses that are already complying [with] the state regulations. Our tax dollars already fund the police department, including the time they spend inspecting the vehicles. These inspections are part of their regulatory duties that they have chosen to undertake.”
Michael Meza, also from Bronco Wrecker, said the chief of police, Jaime Ayala, does not enforce the ordinance.
“It has come to my attention that the chief of police, who bears the responsibility for enforcing this ordinance, may not be fully adherent to the duties as prescribed by the ordinance itself,” Meza said. “This situation raises concerns about a possible dereliction of duty, as the chief’s lack of enforcement could potentially be a violation of the ordinance.
“I want to emphasize that my intent is not to disparage the chief of police, however it is vital that all city officials, regardless of position, adhere to the same standards of accountability and responsibility.”
Chief Ayala said the ordinance outlines regular check-ins to verify compliance and availability. He said wrecker companies cannot be regulated unless they are on the rotation list.
“This ordinance only pertains to people who wish to be on the city’s rotation,”Ayala said. “People that are not happy with the decision don’t have to be on the rotation.”
The council proclaimed September as Suicide Prevention Month. Ginny Feagan, the widow of U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Eric Feagan, spoke during the meeting.
“He struggled with mental illness, not just from the military but also prior, and last October, it won,” Feagan said. “Bringing awareness is what we need right now, so thank you for doing the proclamation.”
