During an executive session Tuesday evening Raymondville city commissioners gave their approval to a performance agreement hammered out a day earlier by the Economic Development Corp. of Raymondville and Valley Telephone Co-op.

The agreement written by City attorney William "Bill" Wepfer calls for up to $200,000 in EDC funding to guarantee that Valley Telephone will create a minimum of 30 new good paying jobs and maintain that number for at least one year.

Speaking for the EDC, Jackie Roberson said,VTCI intends to hire 15 people right away and likely will create 36 to 48 new good paying jobs in the community.

The move by the EDC to provide funds to VTCI also requires that the company keep its headquarters in Raymon-dville and that it will build new facilities here.

VTCI was the first Texas recipient of USDA Recovery Act funing on March l7when it was announced that the company has been awarded a $40 million loan and a $38.5 million grant from the American Recovery and Investment Act.

Plans call for the company to build a new two, or three, story office building on the east side of town and continue to use their facility on South Sixth Street.

With the funding VTCI plans to provide high speed internet service, local and long distance telephone service to subscribers in all 12 South Texas communities they serve.

VTCI serves Falfurrias, Lyford, Santa Rosa, Sebastian, Premont, George West, Charlotte, Jourdanton, Orange Grove Three Rivers and Agua Dulce.

Earlier, VTCI general manager Dave Osborn predicted that the company will eventually hire as many as 130 new workers. Plans call for Job Fairs to be conducted to locate engineers, inspectors, draftsmen and construction workers to build a fiber optic network across South Texas.

New jobs coming soon will include accounting, customer service, business office and installers, said Roberson.