City of Laredo faces $15 million dollar deficit

Local city government is facing a 15 million dollar deficit and continues to increase by the day.

City officials are blaming the economic crisis, which include; falls in incomes of sales in retail, low occupation of hotels, less income of international bridges, a drastic decrease in the permissions of construction, and less payments in tax of properties. All are part of the problem.

Officials struggle to keep a deficit underground since these shortfalls are combined with extraordinary expenses in the price of fuel, increase required benefits to city employees, and demanding expenses in city services.

City Manager Carlos Villarreal says “we cannot stop police patrols, ambulances, fire trucks, trash harvesters trucks, heavy machinery of Public Works, public Utilities, Traffic and other services, that are incapable of being put off."

Villarreal stated that Laredo is not going to trim jobs, they are simply no longer going to hire more and the city has to take care of all the current expenses.

The city even with a multi million dollar deficit has separated monies beforehand, such as constructing; water plants, six recreational parks, the enlargement of Bartlett Avenue, a vet clinic, repairs on industrial parks, a new library for south Laredo, a baseball stadium as well as convention center.