NEW MUNICIPAL JUDGE - ARMIN "MINO" MARTINEZ traded in his police badge for a judge's gavel last night at city hall as he was sworn in by State Representative Tara Rios Ybarra at the Raymondville city meeting. Rather than writing traffic tickets and making arrests, Martinez will now be responsible for issuing fines and meting out justice. Pictured with the new judge is his wife, Ruby, there to show her support. Detective patrol sergeant Armin "Mino" Martinez resigned one job and accepted another at the city meeting last night. With his wife by his side Sgt. Martinez took the oath of office administered by State Senator Tara Rios Ybarra at the tail end of the city meeting.

Rep. Ybarra presented Martinez with a Texas flag that flew over the state capitol in Austin.

He won the job in a runoff election earlier this month and will begin work immediately. Martinez will replace Hector "Tiger" Huerta who served for many years and died earlier this year.

The new judge has a solid record of law enforcement with the Raymondville Police Dept. and is a 1992 graduate of Raymondville High School. He will enforce city ordinances and handle all misdemeanor cases for the city.

Commissioners authorized police chief Uvaldo "Valdo" Zamora to advertise for a police officer or to hire from a pool of applicants to fill the vacant spot on the force.

IN OTHER BUSINESS

City manager Elezar "Yogi" Garcia talked briefly about the $1.365 million zero percent interest loan the city got last week from the Texas Water Development Board. The loan will be used to make improvements at the wastewater treatment plant.

Garcia said the zero percent interest loan will save the city a million dollars over the life of the loan as opposed to a 4 or 5 percent interest loan.

Commissioners voted to accept the loan and agreed to contract with the engineering firm Guzman and Munoz of Harlingen to handle the project.

Richard Lafeever of Guzman and Munoz said the "city was at the right place at the right time" in obtaining the loan and that many other communities wouldn't object to the label “disadvantaged”, if it would help them get a similar loan.

The city is also applying for a $369,499 grant from the USDA Business Enterprise grant program. The money, if awarded, will be used at the new Business and Technology building on FM 3168. The building now under construction will house the Chamber of Commerce, the Raymon-dville Development Corp., Workforce Solutions and the University of Texas at Brown-sville long distance learning center, where local students can take college courses over the internet.

Garcia said the city will be required to pay matching funds and will use in-kind expen-ditures such as utilities and other operating expenses.The grant funds will be used for computers and furnishings for the new facility.

Animal control officer Jesse Coy was appointed rabies control officer at the meeting. Commissioners voted to pay $34,000 in monthly bills including $5,945 for the two city elections required to pick a new municipal judge.

Public Works director Joel Soto said his men are working on the pot holes in city streets caused by the recent rains but the city will shut down for the Christmas holidays on Thursday and Friday.

Soto also reported that both city back hoes are down. One has transmission problems and the other has brake problems, he said. Cost of repairing both is $10,000. A new back costs $60,000 and City Manager Garcia is hoping Santa has one for us.

Finally, there was a brief discussion of the Willacy Kenaf Plant near Lasara. Soto reported that kenaf can be ground into a power which has environmental uses.

City manager Garcia said, "Our wastewater plant has three major expenses -- chemicals, electric power, and sludge removal."

Experiments in North Carolina have been successful in reducing all three of these operating costs using kenaf powder, Soto said.

Visitors from China are expected in the county during January to view similar experiments at the Lasara Kenaf plant.

Garcia expressed optimism that a commercial use for kenaf may be near after many years of disappoinment.

TCEQ in Austin is very interested in the possiblity,he said