Alice Mayor Cynthia Carrasco is taking community engagement to a new level by hosting informal coffee sessions where residents can share their concerns directly with city leadership.
The mayor's open-door approach has already made an impression on longtime residents like Juan Gilberto Soliz, who was surprised to find Carrasco at the Alice City Hall on Monday, Oct. 6, during his recent visit.
"When I saw her I said, 'what are you doing here?' Well, she's holding coffee and wanted to see how the citizens are. And I admire her for that. I've never seen that done," Soliz said.
Soliz had come to city hall to discuss his over $500 water bill from January, not expecting to meet with the mayor personally. The lifelong Alice resident explained his frustration with the unusually high bill.
"They changed out the electronic head on my water meter. And I got a very high water consumption (bill). So, I came and talked about it because it was over $550," Soliz said.
The mayor told Soliz she would investigate the issue and determine why it remains unresolved despite no apparent leaks at his property.
For Soliz, the personal attention from the mayor was refreshing.
"I didn't want to approach the city council on this matter because nobody's being held accountable. Nobody's going to answer my questions," Soliz said.
For three hours, Carrasco sat with residents. She said maintaining open communication with residents is essential for effective city governance.
"I think it's very important to keep those lines of communication open. If we may not know something that's going on that is a major concern," Carrasco said.
The mayor reports that many resident concerns focus on streets and infrastructure issues. She uses these conversations as opportunities to discuss the city's bond proposal that will appear on the November ballot.
The city council voted in August to place the bond proposal before voters.
"We want them to have input and have a say on that. And let us know what do you - if you're okay with this or how do you want us to approach it?" Carrasco said.
The mayor plans to continue her morning coffee sessions until she has heard from residents throughout the community about their concerns.
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