Ochoa chairs first meeting as mayor; council OKs rezoning, water-plant repair and regional appointments
Arnoldo Mata
Edinburg, TX – Newly elected Mayor Omar Ochoa presided over his first Edinburg City Council meeting Tuesday, guiding a brisk agenda that included proclamations, a neighborhood rezoning, water-plant repairs, and regional board appointments.
After the formalities of opening the meeting Ochoa addressed the residents, staff and Council members, setting a collaborative tone and promising a steady hand
“It’s my first one. Very exciting to be up here,” Mayor Omar Ochoa said as he opened his first meeting, noting his deep familiarity with City Hall from his prior role. “As city attorney, I actually kept count of all of the city council meetings I attended. It was 191. So I’m not new to this, but I am new to the role.”
Ochoa asked for patience while he settles in and pledged to keep meetings careful, efficient and clear for the public. “If there’s any flubs along the way, I apologize; it’ll get smoothed,” he said. “For now, we’re going to keep up with a lot of the procedures we have historically had, but everything’s always subject to change,” adding he welcomes “recommendations and suggestions from the city council members and from city staff on how we can make these meetings more efficient, but also informative for the public.” He closed simply: “I’m very excited to be here for my first meeting as mayor, and thank you to everybody that’s here.”
Council certified the posting of public notice and reported no conflicts of interest before moving to recognitions. The city honored H-E-B and the Edinburg Consolidated ISD for their long-running support of “Edinburg Cares,” which has grown since 2008 to provide 1,000 turkeys and 1,000 food baskets annually to local families.
A proclamation designated November 2025 as Children’s Grief Awareness Month at the request of the Children’s Bereavement Center RGV, whose representatives invited the public to a Nov. 20 candlelight vigil.
The city also proclaimed Nov. 15 as “Javen Hinojosa Day,” recognizing the South Texas Health System Edinburg emergency room nurse as ImageFIRST’s national HeroesFIRST contest winner—the first honoree from the Rio Grande Valley.
Public comments included a neighborhood complaint about code enforcement and a statement from a resident supporting water-system investments, including clarifier rehabilitation and new storage capacity, amid regionwide drought concerns.
After a public hearing, the council approved rezoning 3817 Duberney Blvd. (Lot 13, Tierra Buena Subdivision No. 1) from Agriculture & Open Space to Residential, Primary to allow a single-family home for applicant Gerardo and Estephanie Ordonez.
In utility and infrastructure actions, the council awarded Bid No. 2025-21 to JMJ Constructors for rehabilitation of Clarifier No. 1 at the Downtown Water Treatment Plant—Texas Water Development Board Project No. 62597—in an amount not to exceed $457,781. Council also renewed a $395,000 agreement with Hanson Professional Services for FY 2026 semiannual compliance monitoring and reporting at the Edinburg Regional Sanitary Landfill.
On resolutions, the council cast all of the city’s votes for Richard A. Garza in the Hidalgo County Appraisal District Board of Directors election (2026–2029). Members also appointed Mayor Ochoa as Edinburg’s designated member to the Rio Grande Valley MPO Transportation Policy Committee, named Councilmember Dan Diaz as alternate, and Assistant City Manager Tom Reyna as proxy.
The consent agenda passed in a single vote, authorizing:
A merchant processing master agreement with AdComp Systems (including Municipal Court);
An amended MOU with the Rio Grande Valley Texas Anti-Gang Center;
A $57,500 task order with ERO Architects for a Phase II Police Department facility needs assessment;
purchase of the Mobile Outpost app with Polaris digital evidence management from Utility, Inc., for $37,680;
submission of a FY 2026 grant application to the Governor’s Office for bullet-resistant components for law-enforcement vehicles;
and disposition of approximately 102 cubic feet of non-vital city records under state retention schedules.
During the city manager’s report, staff previewed the Nov. 20–22 UFO Festival & Conference at the ACE Center, including a free open-mic night on the 1966 Edinburg UFO case, an “Ancient Aliens Live” program, a Saturday science panel and laser shows, and a downtown finale.
The council later entered executive session for attorney consultations, ordinance matters and economic development discussions. No action was voted upon after the Council returned to open session.
Source — City of Edinburg.