Edinburg Council Supports Training For Local Residents

Edinburg TX, October 4, 2022

On a unanimous vote, the Edinburg City Council approved $50,000 in funding for the Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement (VIDA) for training for local residents.

The Edinburg EDC Board approved this item by a vote of 6-0 on September 28, 2022.

The funding will provide higher education training and workforce development for 15 underserved Edinburg residents. VIDA will provide a match contribution of $25,000.

The funding proposal includes training costs at South Texas College (STC), University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), Texas State Technical College (TSTC) and Texas Southmost College (TSC). The funding will also cover intensive career counseling and case management. The proposal is for 12 months for the fiscal year October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023.

However, prior to the vote, Mayor Ramiro Garza Jr. questioned why the funding would only support enrollment at STC, UTRGV, TSTC and TSC. 

“Is it limited to just those (institutions) because there are other licensed, certified schools that provide this training?” Mayor Garza asked.

“For this training, we did ask,” Nelda Ramirez, Assistant City Manager, responded, “and it’s limited to these because that’s where they have agreements.”

“What if one of the students is going to another entity?” Garza asked. “Cause some of these require enterance exams, and those others may not. Would they be open to opening it up to others?”

Ramirez said they would ask VIDA.

Councilmember Daniel ‘Dan’ Diaz agreed with the Major. “Yes, because there’s a welding school here, and it would be nice to have them.”

“I don’t have anything against our university,” Garza added.

“Yes,” Diaz said, “but they’re not a fit for everybody.”

“They (students) go where they want to go. I’d hate for them not to have access to this help, to these resources,” Garza explained. “I would ask the EDC, this is workforce training, if there’s other types of training we can look at.”

Council member Diaz, who also sits on the EDC Board added, “I believe we asked them exactly that question to look at other arrangements, and they said they would pursue other avenues.” 

According to Diaz, VIDA uses very strict criteria for participation in the program. Applicants must be Edinburg residents, be at least 18 years old, eligible to work in the US, and be under 200% of the federal poverty rate. 

VIDA began in 1995 with its mission to formulate new institutional relationships in the Lower Rio Grande Valley that simultaneously address employers’ needs for skilled workers, while linking the area’s unemployed and underemployed with high-skill, high-wage jobs identified in the region.

In other business, Mayor Ramiro Garza presented four proclamations:

• Proclamation Recognizing Nelson ‘Hot Hands’ Hampton, Texas Title Boxing Champion
• Proclamation Recognizing October 20, 2022 as National Lights
  On Afterschool Day
• Proclamation Recognizing October 2022 as Fire Prevention
  Month
• Proclamation Recognizing October 2022 as Hindu Heritage
  Month in Edinburg. 

The Council held a public hearing on the voluntary annexation of 27.595 acres located at 3101 S. Cesar Chavez Road requested by Rodolfo Mora.

In other public hearings, the Council approved a rezoning request from Commercial, General (CG) District, to Residential Multifamily and Urban District for a 22 acre tract of land at 4201 La Sienna Parkway requested by Burns Brothers LTD.

In another hearing, the Council approved the change of zoning from Residential Primary to Commercial Neighborhood designation for the property located at 1211 E. Canton Road requested by Charlie Giang.

A similar request for the property at 2119 N. McColl Road requested by Adolfo Reyes was approved for a change from Residential Primary to Commercial Neighborhood.

A request for a change of zoning from Agricultural Open Space to Residential Suburban was granted at 2500 N. Jasman Board, as requested by Alma Morales.

A request for a change of zoning from Residential Suburban to Residential Primary wa approved for the property at 2510 W. Canton Road, as requested by Mario Anaya on behalf of Eva Alicia Rivera.