Eagle Pass City Council Amends Budget to Change, Upgrade and Create City Jobs, Including Public Relations Officer and Transfer Code Enforcement to Police Department
By: Miguel Munoz, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2018
The City of Eagle Pass, Texas City Council unanimously approved the first reading of an Ordinance to amend the 2017-2018 Fiscal Year Budget to adjust City-wide revenues and appropriations to fund current fiscal year commitments by changing certain jobs, upgrade certain jobs, and to create one job for Public Relations Coordinator at their regular meeting held on Tuesday, March 6, 2018. In addition, the City Council approved to transfer the Code Enforcement Officers from the Public Works Department to the City Police Department.
According to Ordinance No. 2018-0 approved at the March 6, 2018 meeting, “circumstances have arisen during the fiscal year which, have, or will require changes to the Budget, and for which there is NOT Adequate funding in line items of the Budget;” and that there are “circumstances” that have “arisen during the fiscal year which, have, or will require changes of positions from Departments to the Budget, and for which there is more than adequate funding in line items of the Budget.”
The Eagle Pass City Council seeks to change the funding for one Plans Examiner job position for a Building Inspector position; to upgrade one CAD Technician job position to a Project Coordinator position; to transfer the Code Enforcement Department from the City’s Public Works Department to the Police Department; to upgrade two (2) Public Service Worker I jobs to two (2) Public Service Worker II positions; and to create one (1) Public Relations Coordinator job position within the City.
Mayor Ramsey English Cantu stated that this Budget Amendment Ordinance was necessary in order to amend the City’s 2017-2018 Fiscal Year Budget to add, upgrade, and create these job changes within the City Administration.
Mayor Cantu stated that the City of Eagle Pass has so many City activities going on that a new Public Relations Coordinator, similar to the Eagle Pass Independent School District, is needed for the City in order to communicate with the news media, post in the City’s social media mediums such as website and Facebook to inform the citizens of these City activities and programs, and other third parties both in and outside the City. During discussion, the City Council mentioned that the new Public Relations Coordinator position would have a salary between $36,000 to $38,000 per year plus benefits. Mayor Cantu noted that the City of Eagle Pass is growing and the City has many activities and programs that require to be communicated to the community citizens through a Public Relations Coordinator.
The City Council requested Acting City Manager Ivan Morua to provide them with a job description for the new Public Relations Coordinator for their next meeting.
The Budget Amendment Ordinance also makes a significant change to the City’s Code Enforcement Officers by transferring them from their current Public Works Department to the City Police Department. Since its founding, the City’s Code Enforcement Officers have been under the Public Works Department and the City Council did not clarify the reasons for transferring them to the City Police Department at the meeting. The City of Eagle Pass currently has five (5) City Code Enforcement Officers, including Diana Rodriguez as a Parking Meter Officer and Raul Garza, Chris Rodriguez, Gerardo Tijerina, and Roberto Garza as Code Enforcement Officers. These five City employees will be moved from Public Works Department to the City Police Department upon the final approval of the Budget Amendment Ordinance by the City Council in the near future.
The City Council still have to approve this Budget Amendment Ordinance two more times at the second and third readings before implementing these job changes, upgrades, and creation of the Public Relations Coordinator position as well as transferring the Code Enforcement Officers to the City’s Police Department.
