May 1, 2026
NEWS
Mayor Michael Carter officially signs the Regional Benefit Agreement (RBA) today, April 30, 2026, at the signing ceremony at the Cameron County Commissioners Court Meeting Room at the Dancy Building (old courthouse) in Brownsville, Texas.
Laguna Vista joins Bayview, Brownsville, Combes, Harlingen, Indian Lake, La Feria, Los Fresnos, Los Indios, Palm Valley, Port Isabel, Primera, Rancho Viejo, Rio Hondo, San Benito, Santa Rosa, South Padre Island, and Starbase to create a regional Economic Development Organization pursuant to Texas Local Government Code Chapter 50 and the Interlocal Cooperation Act.
The Act stipulates that the Cameron County Judge and the Mayors of the cities with a combined population that exceeds 100,000 would serve as Chief Elected Officials responsible for appointments of the authoritative board members.
The purpose of this Agreement is to establish a voluntary, non-binding framework for coordination among participating members regarding regional-scale economic development opportunities, while expressly preserving local control, discretion, and statutory authority.
The future Regional Economic Development Projects include Capital investment above a threshold set by the parties; multi-site or cross-jurisdictional operation; High-wage or high-employment multipliers; Strategic sectors (advanced manufacturing, logistics, energy, healthcare, etc.
“This is a strong, positive, cooperative, and coordinated regional economic development effort that will be benefit all of Cameron County and certainly our Town of Laguna Vista,” said Mayor Carter.
“The Reginal Benefit Agreement will be part of the agendas at future Council Meetings to ensure transparency for our community and to obtain input from our residents,” Mayor Carter went on to say.