LaredoBuzz.Com

Courtesy Isabel Sosa,

Laredo, Texas — The City of Laredo Mayor Dr. Victor D. Trevino hosted the 2024 State of the City Address on Thursday, January 25, 2024, before hundreds of attendees. Mayor Dr. Trevino’s vision of this event was to gather the community as he reflected on the achievements of the past year, celebrate the milestones the city has reached together, and look forward to the exciting developments that lie ahead.

The message showcased the City’s strengths and projects to move Laredo forward together with the Bi-National partnerships, the public and private sectors, and the community at large. The Mayor’s priority is to keep working to achieve a more transparent and open form of government. He began his address by acknowledging the thousands of employees who work hard every day and have committed to serving their community. Mayor Dr. Trevino continued with a report of the City’s financial state. The general fund unaudited balance stands at $46,929,409. The consolidated annual budget for the fiscal year 2024 is $912,375,258. The general fund balance budget is $249,416,763 for the fiscal year 2024.

Throughout the night, Mayor Dr. Trevino spoke about the most important projects that the border community is based on, primarily the binational relationships and their importance on international trade, health, and safety. The collaboration with neighbors from Mexico has only strengthened because of the foundation of mutual goals such as preserving the Rio Grande, increased tourism, social & economic development, and border security.

To address the topic that drives the economy of Laredo, Mayor Dr. Trevino expressed the growth in Port Laredo, the nation’s number one port, with a report of $299.55 billion in trade as of October of 2023, an increase of 7.88%. Recently, Laredo announced the upcoming approval of the Presidential permit which will allow the expansion of the World Trade Bridge, which will ensure this port to be the leader in global trade.

Furthermore, the collaboration with the Mexican State of Nuevo Leon and its government intends to invest in the infrastructure of Laredo’s Bridge 3, Colombia Solidarity. The new highways in Nuevo Leon connecting with the United States will be reflected in the near future.

In 2023, Laredo was recognized as the safest city in Texas and Mayor Dr. Trevino expressed that this fact could not be possible without the collaborative efforts between the Laredo Police Department and other state and federal law enforcement agencies. In fact, Laredo’s Mayor recognized LPD’s incredible performance as they have a 100% solvability rate in homicide cases and no homicide case has gone unresolved since 2020 in Laredo.

Mayor Dr. Trevino called upon the community to increase awareness of the public health crisis that the use or abuse of illegal drugs, including fentanyl, has caused as of late in the United States, where Laredo is not exempt. He encouraged Laredoan families to initiate communication with their young children to control and stop the fatal consequences of this public health threat.

As a physician, Mayor Dr. Trevino’s heart and passion will always gravitate toward improving public health services. During his speech, he reiterated his vision from the beginning of his term, to provide the necessary services for pediatric intensive care and services for the special-needs population. The Laredo Health Department will continue to have full support to advocate for the funding necessary to fulfill these goals.

Furthermore, Mayor Dr. Trevino informed the public about the Utilities Department’s 10-year master plan that began in 2023. The master plan includes improvements in the infrastructure of the city’s water ground storage tanks, enhancing the service, water storage, and water quality, among other projects. The conservation of our main water source, the Rio Grande, continues to be one of the priorities as the City of Laredo is diligently reviewing and working to secure additional water sources and implementing practices that promote responsible water usage.

As a unique addition to this year’s State of the City, Mayor Dr. Trevino wished to implement the recognition of several special individuals who have been key elements in the Laredo community, from members of the government who have worked firmly to secure funding or collaborating to achieve greater goals, to young Laredoans that continue to place the name of this town very high before other countries or showing the utmost leadership values. For this reason, during the 2024 State of the City Address, Mayor Dr. Trevino presented the “Laredo Icon Awards”.

Recipients of the 2024 Laredo Icon Awards:

Binational Efforts

Dr. Américo Villarreal; Governor of Tamaulipas, Mexico (Received by Luis Cantu)
Lic. Carmen Lilia Canturosas; Mayor of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Dr. Samuel A. García Sepúlveda; Governor of Nuevo Leon, Mexico (Received by Dr. Marco Gonzalez)
Lic. Juan Carlos Mendoza Sánchez; Ambassador Mexican Consulate General in Laredo, Texas
Lic. Eduardo Garza Robles; Presidente del Consejo de Grupo Uni-Trade
World Trade Expansion

Congressman Henry Cuellar; U.S. Representative from Texas, District 28
Police Award

LPD Homicide Unit
LPD Gang Unit / PD Chief Miguel Rodriguez
Overdose Task Force

Fire Department Opioid Response Team
Laredo Police TAG Team / Chief Miguel Rodriguez
Posthumous Award

Dr. Jim Earhart; Co-Founder of the Rio Grande International Study Center (Received by daughter Judy Cutting)
Quality of Life Award

Senator Judith Zaffirini; Texas Senator, District 21 (Received by Ms. Carolina Verastegui)
State Representative Richard Pena Raymond; Texas State Representative, House District 42
State Representative Tracy King (Received by Ms. Lupita Cepeda); Texas State Representative, House District 80
Community Award

Azul Garibi; Slimerella Slime Shop, Entrepreneur and Influencer
Jenny Lozano “La Traviesa”; Boxer, first Olympic athlete in Laredo’s history (Received by Coach Michelle Vela)
Mateo Hernandez; Senior at Alexander High School, Boston University, School of Medicine research internship
Sierra Sanchez; Volleyball United South High School, Laredo Morning Times All-City and District 30-6A MVP, best all-around athlete
United High School Football Team; undefeated 30-6A district champs, Coach David Sanchez

The City of Laredo and Mayor Victor D. Trevino extended their utmost gratitude to all those who attended this annual event and to all those who made it possible, and look forward to seeing you in 2025. The community is welcome to watch the event on the City’s Facebook account.