Cities ask legislators to reverse law

SAN BENITO - A group of Cameron County cities will ask legislators to reverse a law that allowed a Brownsville "octopus" to stretch its tentacles to annex land that creeps near their city limits, officials said Wednesday.

A map of Brownsville shows that some strips of land measure only 1,000 feet wide, but those narrow strips allow the city to extend its extra-territorial jurisdiction as much as 5 miles on each side.

"The map looks like an octopus," Rio Hondo Mayor Santiago Saldaña said. "(Brownsville's) ETJ is right on top of us. Rio Hondo is a small city that really can't go too far that way."

Leaders of San Benito, Laguna Vista, South Padre Island, Rio Hondo, Bayview and Los Indios will ask state Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, to push for legislation to reverse the law that allows so-called strip annexation, Rolando Vela, Laguna Vista's city manager, said.

At the same time it has annexed toward these smaller cities, Brownsville has bypassed such areas as the Cameron Park colonia, Vela said.

Cameron Park is now encircled by Brownsville but remains outside its city limits.

San Benito joined the group Tuesday when city commissioners passed a resolution asking legislators to reverse the law that allowed Brownsville's strip annexation.

"They land grabbed," Mayor Joe Hernandez said. "All San Benito is asking is for them to pull back."

San Benito City Commissioner Victor Garza concurred, saying, "We're looking to change the law. (Brownsville is) basically surrounding the communities so they can't grow."

Cameron County commissioners last week endorsed a recommendation from the state Senate Committee on International Relations and Trade to reverse the law.

The strip annexation has "landlocked smaller communities along the Lower Rio Grande Valley and ... has selectively bypassed distressed communities and prevents smaller communities from growing," the committee said.

But Brownsville City Manager Charlie Cabler said the city followed the law when it annexed land and extended its extraterritorial jurisdiction about six years ago.

"Our feeling is they're trying to find a way to revert laws," Cabler said of the group of cities.

"We annexed and put all those acres in our ETJ following all the laws at that time," Cabler said. "They're concerned now that they'd like some of those areas for their use. They want some of those properties released so they can incorporate that in their ETJ."

Laguna Vista began a drive two months ago to rally nearby cities to ask legislators to reverse the law that allows strip annexation, Vela said.

"Collectively, there's strength. When you're all on the same front, you're going to be more effective," Vela said. "We've established very strong partnerships. Communities should be allowed to grow. That's how you develop your tax base. We think this is going to determine the futures of the communities in the county."