KRISTV.com
CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS | CONTINUOUS NEWS COVERAGE
Powered by
Local News
Gregory Looks to Improve City Image
Posted: Nov 29, 2012 4:37 PM by Andrew Ellison - aellison@kristv.com
Updated: Nov 29, 2012 6:49 PM
GREGORY - The city of Gregory is trying to change it's look. City officials have been trying to take care of abandoned, run-down buildings for years, and now they say serious results could be coming at the turn of the new year.
Mayor Pro-Tem, Celestino Zambrano, estimates there are about 20 abandoned homes throughout the city.
"Just look at them. It's an eyesore, and it's also a health hazard," Zambrano says.
Some houses have been abandoned so long, that animals like snakes and possums have started living in the overgrown grasses in the yards. Zambrano says this is what it boils down to.
"This is an embarrassment," he says.
Now, thanks to a tax increase for 2013, the city plans to hire a code enforcement officer to make sure city ordinances are followed and problems like these go away.
And in addition to the tax increase, new water meters have replaced old ones that didn't work properly. The Mayor Pro-Tem says they've had problems collecting utility payments in the past, but with the new meters, they're finally bringing in money they should have had all along.
Zambrano says the result is they can hire more people and take care of problems like these run-down buildings.
He added that the biggest positive is attracting business.
"We have industry coming in. We have a lot of potential for this city to make progress. But we also need planning. We need people to be on board, be on the same page, and this is a start," Zambrano says.
In addition to a code enforcement officer, the city also hopes to be able to hire another city secretary.
Video On Demand
Submit News
Do you have a tip, information about a breaking news story, or a story idea for 6 Investigates? Contact the KRIS 6 News Desk at 361-884-6666 or send us an email.
Most Popular
KRISTV.COM is Social!
Click the icons above to receive News, Weather, and Sports alerts from KRISTV.COM!
Inside KRISTV.COM
 |
Photo Central Look at photos and videos and share them! |
 |
Desktop Weather Current forecast, hurricane info, and much more! |
 |
KRISTV.COM Mobile Website Get KRISTV.com on your mobile or PDA! |
 |
KRISTV.COM Mobile Apps Get our mobile apps on your mobile or PDA! |
 |
Texas Lottery See the latest winning numbers! |
 |
6 News Team Read about your favorite KRIS-TV personalities! |
 |
FCC Online Public File FCC Public File of Records, Reports, and more |
Comments