Pharr’s interim city manager returns home

In the past five years, the City of Pharr has gone through five city managers, but with Jonathan B. Flores, Ed.D, Pharr’s newest city manager (still interim), the odds that he’ll last seem to be on the side of the city, considering he grew up here, knows the people, knows the politics.

“It’s been a dream to be able to come back to my hometown and provide leadership in the city where I grew up,” he said during an interview this week. “And so for me, being the interim city manager is a blessing, but I am (also) very interested in being the full-time city manager, and I hope that that’s an opportunity that I am afforded.”

Flores graduated from PSJA North in 2000 and then worked as a dispatcher with the McAllen PD.

Motivated, though, he quickly moved up through the ranks. After two years working as a dispatcher, he became the communication supervisor, and then in 2005, he attended the lower Rio Grande Valley Regional Police Academy.

“After I graduated, I worked for the San Juan Police Department for a few years, and then went to the sheriff’s office," he said. "After that I spent a little time with McAllen ISD before going back to the sheriff’s office.”

Ultimately, Flores ended up as a major crimes investigator for the SO, working robbery/homicide.

“And then in 2018 while I was finishing up my master’s degree, I applied for the police chief position in the city of Alton, and the rest is history. I was a police chief for about three years, but at the three-year mark, they assigned me to be the assistant city manager position, as well as the police chief. So, I was serving in a dual role. I learned a lot under Jeff Underwood and his leadership as a city manager. He’s a great individual, and I consider him a mentor and close friend.”

At the time of his hire, San Juan’s former police chief and city manager, Jorge Arcaute, was Alton’s CM, who Flores also credits with his time spent learning what makes a city tick.

“Mr. Arcaute was the one that I’ll forever be indebted to. At the time, he took a chance on a 36-year-old with a dream. I worked very hard to transform the Alton Police Department into a value-centered organization and a great department. Within two years, we made it the only agency at the time in Hidalgo County that was recognized as a best-practice agency. I was fortunate enough to lead some great individuals who helped me turn that (PD) around into a great organization.”

Hello, Pharr

Last month, after the departure of former City Manager Anali Alanis in late June, the Pharr City Commission named Flores as her replacement. The native son returns home, so to speak, even though he was living in Pharr while working in Alton. Which worked out well if he gets the full-time gig, since the city’s charter stipulates that the full-time CM must also reside within the city.

“All my family’s from here,” Flores said. “So, it’s awesome to be able to come back and to lead this organization. There are a lot of exciting things that are happening in the city and then some big-picture things that the mayor and commission (have going on). They have a tremendous vision.”

Flores said that for him, it’s a blessing to be able to come here, to Pharr, and try to (help bring) some of those things to fruition.

“There are challenges with all of these things. But I love a good challenge and to be able to provide leadership to the staff and also to (lead) some of these major projects to the finish line. I’m very excited for that.”

Flores said he has some ideas of his own on how to improve quality of life and how to implement some things that will prove beneficial to staff, but also to the Pharr community.

Throughout his career, Flores has not only worked under good leaders, but without naming names, he’s also seen what bad leadership can look like as well. Both play a part in how he views a public entity today, he said.

If a leader has a good dose of morals that he or she follows, as well as seeing life through a clear ethical lens, there is hope that an organization will follow suit — call it a top-down approach.

“Absolutely, it starts at the top. When I took over Alton (PD) in 2018, they had gone through three or four police chiefs, and there was a lot of negative attention going to that police department,” he said.

Indeed, one former Alton police chief was accused of public lewdness in 2009 after being charged with having sex in an unmarked patrol unit behind a Mission auto parts store, just adjacent to the H-E-B, rocking-and-rolling away the afternoon.

The former chief was later acquitted of the charge, claiming it was politically motivated because he was running for Mission mayor at the time.

Several other former Alton police chiefs also gained notoriety. It was like the city couldn’t catch a break until Flores arrived on the scene.

“I went in there and we were able to transform that with a good ethical mindset and transformational servant leadership style to be able to transform that agency into something good and something positive,” he said.

Good for the city; bad for news media. No more negative news to report.

“I had the support of a great mayor and commission and great city managers,” Flores said.

“Without those components and without that support, no progress can be realized," he said. "But I think more than anything, the biggest thing for me in Alton was at the end, one of the last things that happened was I was inducted into the National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame, and that was huge to be able to end my law enforcement career by getting inducted into (that honored tradition), and to be able to transition into the city management role. That was a good time to step away and let others (whom) I had the blessing to lead take the helm in their careers.”

Jonathan Flores said he’s also learned along the way that leadership comes in many shapes and sizes, and not all of them look alike.

“That’s what leadership is about, building future leaders," he said. "And so that was a very proud moment for me, coming into Pharr. What (this city) is getting, is a good ethical man to lead their organization, who is from the city of Pharr, who understands the city, and who does not have a large ego. I know it’s about the organization, and I know that the mayor and commission are the ones who have to answer to the people and the community. So, they have a huge responsibility.”

How will he handle city staff?

“My job is to come in here and provide good leadership and to provide good ideas, and to provide solid management, and to help (the commission) carry out (its) vision and help to ensure that the employees are working towards carrying out that vision. But again, it’s not about me, it’s about the organization I serve. I think that understanding that, that it’s not about me, but rather it’s about the organization, and it’s about the mayor and commission, that’s what makes me different. And that’s what is going to make this a successful journey,” he said.

The Tax Increase

Last week, the Pharr City Commission voted 5-1 to increase property taxes by 5 cents per $100 property valuation. Commissioner (and former mayor) Ricardo Medina was the lone nay vote; Mayor Pro-Tem Daniel Chavez was absent from the meeting.

How that will sit with voters is yet to be determined. No matter, if some resident is going to call city hall to complain, it’s Flores’s job now to take the heat and explain why the tax increase is needed, not to mention justified.

So why was the tax increase needed and how much will it increase property taxes for the average Pharr household?

“The tax rate increase that you saw (passed last week) was a 5-cent increase on the INS tax rate, which is the interest-and-seeking fund. That differs from maintenance and operations, which is more your general fund,” Flores said.

The interest-and-seeking fund is for specific projects and quality-of-life projects.

“In the last 10 years, you’ve seen the huge improvements that the city of Pharr has undertaken," he said. "I mean, it is amazing the things that have been accomplished. You see all these major projects, the bridge projects, the ambulance services that are provided for the community, the TeamPharr.net (broadband/ fiber optic), the natatorium. That does not include all your day-today street improvements. That’s also something that’s in (the tax increase). These different things that are huge for our community.”

Flores said that historically, the mayor and commission have done an exceptional job in not putting this burden on the taxpayers, but at this point in time, inflation is the No. 1 factor that nobody really saw coming.

“I mean, that’s everywhere (you look). And huge inflations post-COVID, right? That’s something that I would emphasize to the community, is that (with) these projects, the inflation across the country has been a pervasive issue," he said. "Inflation, labor shortages, extended time for construction, all these things play a factor (in the cost of the projects). So we need to account for that. That’s why you see the (tax) increase, so that we’re able to utilize these funds for major projects and not utilize general funds for that. That’s why you see (the tax increase passed), and that’s why it was necessary.”

In the grand scheme of things, how much more in the way of property taxes will that mean for the average Pharr homeowner?

“So say your average (Pharr home) is $150,000, right? Say that’s the valuation. You’re looking at $6.25 cents a month (more) for a house that’s valued at ($150k).”

Flores said it all boils down to an increased quality of life for city residents.

“When you’re looking at everything as a taxpayer, and I’m a Pharr resident myself, so again, I’m going to get that same increase on my bill, but I can definitely see where all that is going.

“In the last 10 years, if you look at the growth in the City of Pharr and everything that the mayor and commission have worked so diligently to bring to our community, the quality- of-life improvements and all the things that you see, as I mentioned before, emergency services and all those different things, the street improvements, the (added) infrastructure, the bridge (improvements), the natatorium, the park(s), the aquatic parks, just all these different quality-of-life things, it just improves everyone’s quality of life,” Flores said.

Because of those additions, he said, Pharr residents can stay in Pharr, with no need to travel to neighboring cities.

“Just look at the revitalization of the downtown area where we see people come out and enjoy that area in the food truck park," Flores said. "People have a place to go to and spend time (inside city limits). They don’t have to go to (neighboring) cities. They can stay in their town of Pharr and enjoy the amenities that are provided for them.”

Last but not least, there is a claim posted on social media that the city is facing a $6 million budget deficit for the upcoming fiscal year. What’s the story on that?

“No, no, no,” said Interim City Manager Jonathan Flores. “We’re in the middle of the budget season. So, I mean, we’re working through our budget process right now, and eventually, everybody will get to see where those numbers are at. There will be a budget workshop that’s forthcoming and what not. I think the city is on the right track, and we are moving forward.”