The Government Collectors Association of Texas presented on May 20, 2009, the Collector of the Year Award to Ana De Luna for having had the greatest impact on collections and the collections effort for their city or county in the past year. The county & district clerk’s office congratulates Mrs. De Luna for her achievement and applauds the entire Collections Department staff for their time and commitment to excellence. The Hidalgo County Collections Department also received the Excellence in Service Award, which is presented to programs selected for unselfishly providing assistance to others embodying the elements of dedication, commitment and service to the association and its membership. [Additional info...]

For more information, contact:
Dr. Mona Ramirez Parras, Chief Administrator or Denise Sandoval, Community Liaison at 956-585-4509 More >>

The public is welcome to submit pictures of friends or family members on active duty, which will be displayed on the Wall of Pride of Hidalgo County located inside our office. [Additional info...]

One out of every two children go hungry at night in the Rio Grande Valley.

To combat hunger here, Hidalgo County is participating in a food drive and a “virtual” food drive. Employees are asked to donate non-perishable food items to the box or barrel at your office, or save the hassle and donate online!
Additional Info >>

Read the latest isssue of the Hidalgo County Information Technology Department's Quarterly Newsletter. More >>

Hidalgo County is committed to open government and financial transparency. More >>

Share Hidalgo County images with your friends, relatives and business associates with our new postcard feature. More >>

We want your feedback to be included in the county’s 5-year Economic Development Strategic Plan. The county is developing the plan with a 2007 grant awarded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration to unify and strengthen economic development efforts of this region.

Please take the time to answer a few polling questions. Responses will continue to be collected until March 12. Video of the event, as well as a questionnaire is available on the Hidalgo County web site, www.co.hidalgo.tx.us/ignite. Responses should be e-mailed to ignite@hidalgocountyjudge.com. Take the Survey >>

We hit the $1 million mark in savings!

The Hidalgo County Prescription Discount Card has saved residents over $1 million off the retail prices of medications since the card’s launch in Nov. 2009.
Nearly 35,000 claims have been paid and people are saving about $30 off each prescription when they use the card.
Get your free Hidalgo County Prescription Discount Card at participating local pharmacies and start using it today!
Additional Information >>

Hidalgo County Pct. 2 Commissioner Hector “Tito” Palacios unveiled plans and broke ground on December 22, 2009 for what will become the county’s first green-minded building. Wind turbines, solar panels, LED solar lighting, insulated concrete form exterior wall construction and several other exterior and interior green building components will respect not only the environment, but also taxpayer funds, because green buildings are shown to save on energy costs in the long term.

Commissioner Palacios envisions that the new $5.075 million multi-purpose complex — which will house Pct. 2 administrative offices as well as the Health and Human Services Pharr clinic, a W.I.C. office, a substation for the tax assessor-collector and offices for Justices of the Peace Places 1 and 2 — will bring critical services closer to the people and fuel residents’ and students’ curiosity about environmental sciences and spike their interests in new innovative ways of thinking in government.

The complex is located on South Highway 281 and Hall Acres Road adjacent to a Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD middle school that is also currently under construction. The school district and the precinct are in talks about collaborating on the future development of a 4-acre park to be located next to the county offices. The park, along with a detention pond and a rain water collection system, could provide an outdoor classroom setting for students like none other and compliment the other environmentally-friendly aspects of the project.

“Precinct 2 is committed to providing high-quality services to our residents, and having this building along with our other two community resource centers near where people live and work helps us to bring county government to the people. We are also working with the youth in our communities to educate them, get them ready for post-secondary education and the workforce. Having the energy of PSJA ISD next door will be good for everybody. I feel strongly that this is not just another building, but a commitment to learning and growing smartly,” said Commissioner Palacios.

V.A. Architecture designed the Pct. 2 Multi-purpose complex and all four buildings will be erected in a timeline of approximately 10 months by Wilson Construction. Grants from the State Energy Conservation Office and U.S. Department of Energy, combined with county Capital Improvement Project bonds, are financing the project. Additional green grant funding and partnerships are being sought to round out the complex’s future planned projects.

Read the Press Release >>

McAllen, TX – The Food Bank RGV and Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, released a landmark study today and reported that nearly 22,000 different people receive emergency food assistance in any given week through agencies served by the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley. Fifty percent of those served are children under 18 years old and 52% of households include at least one employed adult. The Hunger Study is the first research study to capture the significant connection between the recent economic downturn and an increased need for emergency food assistance. The number of children and adults in need of food as a result of experiencing food insecurity has significantly increased. Nationally, more than one in three client households are experiencing very low food security—or hunger—a 54 percent increase in the number of households compared to four years ago.

Oscar L. Garza Jr., Hidalgo County Commissioner of Precinct 4, was present for the study’s unveiling and signaled his personal as well as the county’s unwavering support of the Food Bank, which serves the three-county area of Hidalgo, Cameron and Willacy.

"The Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley performs an invaluable service to our community helping to keep our families healthy and fed. For this reason, I am challenging our county employees to make either a donation of non-perishable food to the Food Bank or a monetary contribution. We will be organizing the first county-sponsored food drive slated for March 1 and getting our employees motivated and engaged to end hunger in our community. If our county family can put up at least $2,500 worth of donations, I’ll also see to it that local Hidalgo County businesses match that amount. No child, no elderly individual and no veteran should be going hungry in Hidalgo County."

All donations go to help the Food Bank RGV serve the individuals and families fighting hunger right here in the Rio Grande Valley. The Food Bank RGV is funded by contributions from various generous individuals and organizations, without whom it would be impossible to provide assistance to.

For more information about the Food Bank RGV’s Hunger Study please contact Crissy A. Cruz at (956) 631-5009 or by email crissyc@foodbankrgv.com. For more information on the Food Bank RGV please visit www.foodbankrgv.com.
Read the Press Release >>