There's still time to get your responses in!

Watch the video or download the questionnaire, and send your responses to by March 12, 2010.

You can also fax to (956) 318-2699 or mail/drop off at the Hidalgo County Judge's Office, located at 100 E. Cano Edinburg, TX 78539.

Thank you for your participation! 

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Survey

IGNITE COMMUNITY SUMMIT TAKES THE PULSE OF HIDALGO COUNTY RESIDENTS ON ISSUES IMPORTANT TO THEM

In person and online, Hidalgo County residents made their opinions known about issues affecting economic growth in the region at the IGNITE Community Summit, which was hosted by the Hidalgo County Judge’s Office in conjunction with the University of Texas-Pan American on February 22, 2010.

After a welcome by UTPA President Robert Nelsen and an introduction to the project by Hidalgo County Judge Rene A. Ramirez, audience members sitting in the UTPA Ballroom or joining the event live at www.utpa.edu began clicking away on their electronic polling devices or personal computers — agreeing or disagreeing with numerous statements and denoting their priorities about the No. 1 transportation priority, the No. 1 barrier to growth and the issue that most needs regional collaboration, among other things.

The purpose of the event was to garner public 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.

The polling questions, which were developed by researchers from the Center for Community Engagement at UTPA, economic development consultants and a team from the Hidalgo County Judge’s Office, were based on the findings from the asset mapping process and various public meetings conducted in the county. Asset mapping takes inventory of human, intellectual, financial, physical, institutional capital assets, provides a comparison to other regions, identifies gaps, provides an understanding of networks and cultural attitudes, gives a baseline to judge future progress, and provides a base for strategic economic planning.

“This living document will be an essential tool for our economic planners to attract jobs to our communities,” Judge Ramirez said.

About 80 responses were collected and analyzed live using interactive polling software and handheld devices or from people watching a live webcast on the University’s web site.  Additional polling was also conducted earlier in the day during the health care and business forums. Comment forms were distributed so people could elaborate on what moved them. 

“The results from our precinct meetings will also be included in this master plan,” said Hidalgo County Commissioner Pct. 2 Hector “Tito” Palacios. “Each community that makes up our region has a voice in shaping the future of this county.”

Judge Ramirez expects this living document to be ready by summertime. The plan would then immediately be put to use.

“End users could be economic development planners, educational institutions, non-profits, local communities, and our federal and state legislators. We’ve done the research and we are armed with facts, in addition to opinions from our community. We extended and will continue to extend an opportunity to everybody to have a voice in our vision. And when the plan is finalized by our steering committee, which is comprised of members —some public, some private, as mandated by the grantor agency, the U.S. Economic Development Administration — the public will again have the opportunity to comment on it.”

This initiative’s milestones are recorded on a public web site: http://hidalgocountyceds.wikispaces.com/

The plan will include not only goals, but also indicate objectives and strategies, as well as feasibility.

“We believe the end-product will reflect the diversity of our community’s thought and provide a guide for us to improve the quality of life for us and our children,” said Pct. 4 Commissioner Oscar L. Garza, Jr.

For more information on this plan, please email us at

PRELIMINARY RESULTS -- THE PEOPLE SPOKE:

 Public transportation, interstate quality improvements to U.S. 281, and the need to find new revenue sources for transportation ranked as important priorities for Hidalgo County.

Nearly everyone participation agreed that more collaboration was needed among cities and the county in order to prosper.

Educators were pleased to see that a hefty majority of participants indicated that they thought improving high school and college graduation retes would be the largest factor in growing the county's economy.

Respondents ranked the need for visual and performing arts facilities, a major soccer venue and hike and bike trails as important recreational priorities.


A medical school, an automotive plant and a veterans hospital were seen as high priorities for the future economic growth in the region.

Seventy percent of participants thought the Rio Grande River should be developed for tourism.