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PUBLIC NOTICE
CITY OF EL CENIZO, TEXAS
NOTICE OF MODIFIED CITY COUNCIL MEETING SCHEDULE

OFFICIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS ARE HELD EVERY 2ND THURSDAY OF THE MONTH.

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Beginning September 1, 2025, Texas cities must comply with new requirements under House Bill 1522, which amended the Texas Open Meetings Act (Texas Government Code §551.043).
 

1. Agenda Notices Must Be Posted Three Business Days Before the Meeting

The old requirement of 72 hours before the meeting time no longer applies.


New requirement:

  • Agendas must be posted at least three business days before the scheduled meeting date.

  • Weekends and holidays generally do not count as business days.

  • The meeting day itself does not count.


2. Notices Must Remain Accessible to the Public

The notice must remain in a place that is readily accessible to the general public at all times during the posting period.


3. New Budget Meeting Requirements

For meetings where the governing body will discuss or adopt the budget:

  • A copy of the proposed budget must be available to the public, either:

    • physically with the notice, or

    • clearly accessible from the homepage of the city's website.

  • Additional taxpayer impact information may be required depending on the type of governmental entity.


4. Emergency Meetings Remain Unchanged

Emergency meetings still may be posted on shorter notice under existing exceptions in the Open Meetings Act.


For more information, please contact the City Secretary at (956) 724-5919.

2026 COEC Elections.png

Filing as a Candidate in a Local General Election

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Candidates seeking to have their name placed on the ballot in a local election must file a candidate application. Some political subdivisions may also require a filing fee and/or a petition in lieu of a filing fee to be filed along with the candidate application. Please note, the application along with the filing fee or petition in lieu of a filling fee (if applicable) must be filed at the same time with the proper filing authority.
 

All references made below are to the appropriate sections of the Texas Election Code, unless otherwise noted.
 

  • Filing Period

    • May 2, 2026 Uniform Election: The application must be filed between Wednesday, January 14, 2026 and 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 13, 2026. (Secs. 143.007(c), 144.005(d); Sec. 11.055, Education Code; Chapter 286, Health & Safety Code).

      • City offices with four-year terms: If no candidate has filed for a city office with a four-year term, the filing deadline is extended to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 6, 2026. (Sec. 143.008).

    • November 3, 2026 Uniform Election: The application must be filed between Saturday, July 18, 2026 and 5:00 p.m. on Monday, August 17, 2026. (Secs. 143.007(c), 144.005(d); Sec. 11.055, Education Code; Chapter 286, Health & Safety Code)
       

  • Candidate Application

    • In order to become a candidate for a particular office, you must file an application for a place on the ballot (PDF) with the filing authority for the political subdivision, as appropriate (see chart).

      • NEW LAW: Pursuant to HB 3629 (89th Leg., R.S.), effective immediately, individuals who are required to register as sex offenders are not eligible to serve on the board of trustees of an independent school district. Candidates seeking to serve on the board of trustees of an independent school district must include a statement on their candidate application acknowledging that they are ineligible to serve if they are required to register as a sex offender under Chapter 62, Code of Criminal Procedure.

    • The delivery, submission, or filing of an application with an employee of the filing authority at the authority’s usual place for conducting official business constitutes filing with the authority. (Sec. 1.007).
       

  • Filing Fee, Petition, or Petition in Lieu of a Filing Fee
     

    • Most local political subdivisions DO NOT require a filing fee or petitions for an application for a place on the ballot.

    • If required by the political subdivision, the application must be accompanied by either a filing fee or a petition for a place on the ballot (PDF) signed by a certain number of qualified voters. 

    • For details on the filing fee amount or number of petition signatures needed, contact the filing authority of the political subdivision.
       

  • Withdrawal

    • A candidate may withdraw their application and have their name omitted from the ballot by submitting a notarized Certificate of Withdrawal (PDF) or a notarized letter to the same filing authority.

    • The deadline for a candidate to submit their withdrawal is:

      • May 2, 2026 Uniform Election: 5:00 p.m. Friday, February 20, 2026

      • November 3, 2026 Uniform Election: 5:00 p.m. Monday, August 24, 2026

City of El Cenizo's Election Authority
Office of the City Secretary
Juany Perez, City Secretary/Clerk

507 Cadena St., El Cenizo, Texas 78046

956-724-5916

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https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/laws/filing-in-a-local-election.shtml

Resources

Founded in 1980 the City of El Cenizo is located in the South Texas Region located 16 miles south of Laredo, Texas, adjacent to the Rio Grande River and 25 miles from the Mexican border town of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. El Cenizo is the third largest city of Webb County. El Cenizo has 0.52 square miles of land area and 0.01 square miles of water area. As of 2010, the total El Cenizo population is 3,273. 

 

The small community is composed of approximately 800 households, the majority of which have extremely low incomes.  Prior to incorporation in 1989, El Cenizo was one of approximately 2,000+ colonias in South Texas.  During its unincorporated period as a subdivision of Webb County, Texas, the community severely lacked basic services, such as paved streets, sewer systems, ambulance services and other basic public services. 

 

El Cenizo currently operates as a Type C General Law City composed of a Mayor and two City Commissioners elected at large under the Texas Local Government Code.  The lack of adequate infrastructure, poor water supplies and inadequate housing remains prevalent despite recent progress.

Notice About 2025 Tax Rates Property tax rates in City of EL CENIZO.

 

This notice concerns the 2025 property tax rates for City of EL CENIZO. This notice provides information about two tax rates used in adopting the current tax year's tax rate. The no-new-revenue tax rate would Impose the same amount of taxes as last year if you compare properties taxed in both years. In most cases, the voter-approval tax rate is the highest tax rate a taxing unit can adopt without holding an election. In each case, these rates are calculated by dividing the total amount of taxes by the current taxable value with adjustments as required by state law. The rates are given per $100 of property value.

 

This year's no-new-revenue tax rate $0.578128/$100

This year's voter-approval tax rate $0.578920/$100

 

To see the full calculations, please click on the 2025 Tax Rate Calculation Worksheet above.

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©2023 by City of El Cenizo

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