Mercedes’ city manager resigns

The City of Mercedes released an announcement Friday stating that its city manager — Alberto Perez — has resigned.

Perez was appointed the city manager position back in April 2021.

He initially is from Starr County and before arriving in Mercedes, he spent about 30 years working upstate. More specifically, he worked for the Texas State Comptroller up in the Austin area.

The city said via a social media post that Perez provided leadership and service to the community. In addition, the post said that he worked with other city members on important projects and contributed to the growth of Mercedes.

“The City extends its sincere appreciation to Mr. Perez for his leadership, commitment, and contributions to Mercedes and wishes him continued success in his future endeavors,” the City of Mercedes said on its social media post. “Mr. Perez has been instrumental in the implementation of progressive systems and has strengthened local, regional, and international partnerships.

As of press time, the city was slated to host an Aug. 18 city commission meeting. In that meeting, one of the agenda items states that there will be an executive session, in which consultation will be addressed regarding the contract of the city manager.

However, on Aug. 20, the city will have a special meeting on possible action of acceptance of the resignation letter submitted by Perez. On that same agenda, there will be an action item for the appointment of an interim city manager.

In that same social media post, Mayor Oscar Montoya said that operations will continue to run smoothly, while highlighting the work of Perez.

“Mr. Perez has been a valuable component to the growth of Mercedes and his participation with the community is sincerely appreciated during his time here,” Montoya said.

“The city remains committed to economic development and pursuing projects for the Queen City during this transition. I assure you that Mercedes is well-positioned with a continuity of government plan and there will be no disruption to services, investments, or economic growth.”