MCALLEN, Texas - The new city manager of McAllen, Isaac “Ike” Tawil, says his city can accomplish great things in the years ahead thanks to responsible stewardship of the city hall budget over many years.
In remarks given at a McAllen Citizens League luncheon, held at the Rio Bank headquarters, Tawil paid tribute to past mayors and city commissions, referencing former Mayor Othal Brand and all those that followed him.
“We have had such great leaders in McAllen, and that leadership transcends this organization. The energy, the enthusiasm, the vision that comes from that dais transcends every department in the city, and it really is the motivation, the inspiration for us to do what they've challenged us to do,” Tawil said.
Tawil then looked ahead.
“I am excited about what the next year is going to bring, and I am excited about the opportunities that McAllen is going to have in the next decade,” Tawil said.
Tawil referenced similar remarks he had given a couple of days earlier at a McAllen Chamber of Commerce event.
“When I moved to the Valley, everybody told me, oh my gosh, you're moving to McAllen. It's the end of the world, the end of Texas. I challenge those people to a debate, because I think McAllen is the center of everything. With our airport, with our international ports of entry, strategically located next to Mexico, United States’ largest trading partner, what better place to be than McAllen? We are the gateway to everything north and south.”
Tawil then spoke about the “incredible opportunity” presented by a city commission budget worth $652 million.
“So, the budget is packed with capital projects. We'll talk about a couple of those in a second. It is basically divided 50/50 between our operations and capital outlay.
“This is the number that shocks me, right. You've got a $652 million budget with only $27 million dedicated to debt service. That leaves $307 million for operation and $318 million for capital outlay. That's incredible.
"The things we are going to do, the things we're going to accomplish, the things we're going to build, like nothing else in the Rio Grande Valley, and I would say, in most of Texas.”
Because the leader of the McAllen International Airport and the leader of McAllen’s two international bridges were in the audience, Tawil focused on their departments first.
Discussing the work of Jeremy Santoscoy, director of aviation for McAllen, Tawil said: “Jeremy just presented to the City Commission a massive proposal to expand our airport. For the first time I could remember in my life that will include doubling our gate capacity, increasing the footprint, enhancing parking.”
Tawil said if the city commission does not take on board Santoscoy’s proposals it will limit the service it can offer customers in the future.
“So one of the meetings I had this week was to meet with our federal partners to make sure sure we secure the funding needed to accomplish the plan that Jeremy laid out for the commission. And I know that's coming.”
As for McAllen’s two land ports of entry, Hidalgo and Anzalduas, Tawil said the superintendent of bridges, Juan Olaguibel, had secured the largest ever grant the city has received from the federal government.
“It's the mayor’s story to tell, but I'm going to borrow it. Juan was on a business trip (in Mexico) with the mayor (Javier Villalobos) when they received the phone call personally from (U.S. Transportation Secretary) Pete Buttigieg to let them know they had been awarded a $25 million INFRA grant for one of just several projects. I think there were five nationwide that were awarded, and that was for the Anzalduas full cargo expansion.”
Tawil said the Anzalduas International Bridge full cargo expansion project is almost complete.
“We think it's going to come online in March, maybe April, next year, and when it does, it is going to be a game changer for industrial growth and development in McAllen and the region,” Tawil said.
“If our plans work out, the programs that we offer at that bridge are seen nowhere else in the United States; the way that they will be offered. And we're about a month from finalizing those agreements. We cannot wait to roll that out.”
Tawil predicted Anzalduas will be “a major game changer” for the way cargo works in the country.
Tawil said the expansion project is going to be “further amplified” by another expansion project. He said the need is great for a parallel bridge and enhancements at the intersection of I-2 and Bryan Road. “Big projects coming at the bridge in the very, very near future.”
Tawil then spoke about an expansion at Quinta Mazatlan, a city-owned nature reserve. The improvements are coming about thanks to a partnership with UT-Rio Grande Valley. Tawil recognized former Mayor Jim Darling, who was in the audience. Darling now works for UTRGV.
Tawil said the partnership with UTRGV to develop Quinta Mazatlan “speaks volumes to what my commission tells me every day. And that is, we have to find ways to work together to offer this community what it demands.”
Tawil continued: “We have reached that point where we're transitioning from rural community to metropolitan, right? We are going to become a metroplex very, very, very soon, if we're not already there. And it's through collaborations like this that we can do projects like Quinta Mazatlan, with assistance from the university, in the range of $20 to $30 million.”
Speaking directly to Darling, Tawil said: “We’re just thrilled to death to be able to work with you like we have. For you to have your professional programs, your medical school in McAllen, means the world to us. That is the future of McAllen.”
The next topic was travel and tourism. Tawil said: “Ten years ago the City of McAllen set itself on a path to become a destination city. Not a place people just live in, but a place people want to come to.”
Tawil said McAllen Convention Center hosts about 650 events a year. “You do the math and figure out how many that is on a daily basis, but that's a lot. They turn it over day in and day out, and what they're offering day in, and day out keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger and more exciting.”
By way of an example, Tawil said he just helped announce the 2024 South Texas Book Festival, an event the City of McAllen hosts.
“Twenty-five authors from around the world are going to be in McAllen, interacting with our community, sharing stories, some of them on the list of the best up and coming authors in the country, in the world. And they are going to be in McAllen. We truly are a destination city.”
The McAllen Convention Center hosts between 600,000 to a million people every single year, Tawil said, proudly. “That's a lot of tourism. That’s a lot of support for our hotel industry, that's a lot of support for local retail.”
McAllen’s sales tax numbers are “off the charts,” Tawil said. “Yes, they started to taper off, but they're not declining. They have remained constant. Why is that? Because we've worked hard to drive people to our community.”
Tawil said the biggest thing the average American invests in is their home.
“They want value in their home. And what we have seen in McAllen, year after year after year is those ad valorem values continuing to rise. Why is that? Well, because of good infrastructure. Drainage, streets, transportation systems, utilities,” Tawil said.
“We say it all the time, but I'm going to say it again. We are the third safest city in the United States of America, despite what they say on the evening news.” Tawil won applause for saying this.
“We have an incredible police chief. We have an incredible fire department. We have the best. And so, when you invest in your infrastructure, when you take care of the basics, and you provide your residents value in their investment, business develops. You’ve got a growing community. Businesses want to come here. So, we've got stable tax values, and we've got soaring retail.”
Tawil also spoke about his city’s commitment to parks and recreation.
“We're going to continue to invest in the third major component of our general fund budget, and that is culture and recreation. I mentioned a moment ago, 650 events at the Performing Arts Center, at the Convention Center facility. Our parks offerings continue to expand. We just announced, and the name is yet to be determined… we've got the McAllen parkland, the McAllen campsite that we just broke ground on. What a fantastic place in the middle of a residential area to have this massive campsite, walking trails, canoeing, archery. What a great space, walking distance from your home in the middle of city. So, things like that, parkland, recreation, development like that, are so important to driving the other side of our economy.”
Editor’s Note: The above news story is the first in a three-part series on the vision of the new McAllen City Manager, Isaac “Ike” Tawil.
