Combes Aldermen hire new law firm

COMBES - The Board of Aldermen voted late Monday to accept the resignation of Town Attorney Richard Valdez and hired the Brownsville law firm of Magallanes & Hinojosa to replace Valdez.

Mayor Silver Garcia explained the extensive qualifications of former County Judge Gilberto Hinojosa, who has been a county court-at-law judge, district court judge, appeals court justice and county judge.

Valdez's law practice has grown to the point where he doesn't have time to devote to Combes' affairs and Hinojosa's law firm has several lawyers so that there will always be an attorney available to attend town meetings, Garcia said.

The 2008-2009 budget  for attorney expense is now $20,000, which is a $2,000 more than the current year's budget, the mayor said.

Garcia was a Cameron County employee on Hinojosa's staff for nearly eight years while Hinojosa was county judge, Garcia said.

Aldermen also approved a trash collection rate increase to $14 a month for single-family residences served by Red River Service Corp. The old rate was $12.75 a month. Other rate increases for businesses were also approved.

In other business, aldermen voted to follow Garcia's suggestion that they allow two Combes families to make monthly payments on water bills of nearly $500 due to broken water lines that occurred undetected during Hurricane Dolly.

The mayor explained the town cannot "forgive" the bills, because Harlingen Waterworks System, the water supplier, does not write off bills caused by broken pipes.