By Louis Zylka
The 830 Times
City council members approved the use of hotel occupancy tax monies on Aug. 13 to help fund this year’s Fiesta de Amistad events.
As mentioned in the agenda packet, Fiesta de Amistad is a month-long series of events celebrating the friendship between Del Rio and its sister city across the Rio Grande, Ciudad Acuña, Coah., Mexico. The celebration was initiated and has been hosted by the International Good Neighbor Council (IGNC) of Del Rio.
City council members discussed approving an ordinance authorizing the use of HOT funds for this year’s Fiesta de Amistad celebration. The IGNC requested an amount of up to $10,000 for advertising and promoting the upcoming events taking place in October.
Councilman Jesus Lopez Jr. made the motion to approve the resolution, and Councilman J.P. Sanchez gave the second.
Interim City Manager Manuel Chavez talked more about the summary of information from the ordinance provided in the agenda packet.
“I want to clarify that the (information provided) was last year’s information, and this year’s information is found on the application on page 132 and 134, which lists the expenses totaling up to $10,000, and I just want to make everyone is aware that the information listed on the agenda summary was last year’s, and the ordinance itself is correct,” Chavez said.
Councilwoman Carmen Gutierrez said she is the treasurer for the IGNC and handles all the money given to the IGNC, and she gave her opinions on the topic.
“Should this HOT funding be approved, (then) I will also be processing it. However, I have no invested financial interest in this, so there is no legal conflict,” Gutierrez said.
Councilwoman Ernestina “Tina” Martinez also made a comment and said she is the secretary of the IGNC. Martinez said she, too, had no financial stake in the council’s decision.
Mayor Pro-tem Jim DeReus asked when the events for Fiesta de Amistad 2024 will take place.
Andrew Scarbo, IGNC Del Rio president, stepped to the podium to elaborate on this year’s Fiesta de Amistad events.
“The events are in October like they always are; in the whole month of October. This year, every weekend, we actually have something for Fiesta De Amistad. It starts off with our kick-off ceremony on Oct. 4. Then we teamed up with the Del Rio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to do a masquerade ball. That is part of the events on Oct. 5.
“On Oct. 18, there will be a 5K/10K Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD) awareness run, and we teamed up with the (Del Rio) PTSD Awareness organization. We have the Abrazo (ceremony) on the Oct. 25, and then we have the (Fiesta de Amistad Parade) on Oct. 26, and the (Fiesta Amistad Arts and Craft Fair) on the 26th and 27th,” Scarbo said.
Scarbo made one final comment, highlighting the importance of this year’s Fiesta de Amistad events and the Abrazo Ceremony.
“The 25th of October is the actual anniversary of the Abrazo, when the treaty (between Mexico and the U.S. for the construction of Amistad Dam) was signed. So it is kind of unique this year because we never get to have the Abrazo ceremony on the day itself. So that is why it was picked this year.
“Some questions out there have been (about) the timeframe (being) really close to the end of the month, and it usually doesn’t go all the way to the end of the month . . . Oct. 25 landed on a Friday. That is the actual date of the treaty signing. That is why we chose that date,” Scarbo said.
The council unanimously passed the motion to approve the ordinance without further comment.
