Transparency was a priority Edinburg Mayor Ramiro Garza campaigned on during his run for the mayoral seat. 

At the Thursday state of the city address, Garza promised his efforts would continue as the city continues to grow.

“If we're going to ask [residents] to come to us and be part of the Edinburg 2040 vision, it's important that they have that trust with their elected officials,” Garza said. “For the past year, Edinburg city council members have gone over conflicts of interests and used a code of ethics during all city council meetings.”

At the address, Garza mentioned Edinburg is one of the fasted growing cities in Texas — and the population could reach 128,000 by 2030.

The mayor acknowledged benefits for residents in lowering the property tax rate from 68 to 64 cents that’s contributing to that growth, and how they can afford it.

“It's about being efficient with our tax dollars,” Garza said. “It was important that we reduce our tax rate, our citizens deserve that to reduce the taxes but at the same time we need to get creative as a city and be efficient with the funds that are interested with us.”

Garza said work is still needed to improve areas around the city, adding that residents voiced concerns about roadway improvements.

In response to the concerns, the city set aside $20 million dollars to fund improvement projects.