LAREDO, Texas (KGNS) – The Laredo City Council met to discuss next steps following the boil water advisory.

In addition to extending an emergency declaration, the mayor and council also decided how to respond to what they call “illegal water connections.”

Several Laredo residents took to the podium to voice their concerns about Laredo’s water supply and the city’s response.

Elected officials hope that with the proliferation of the latest initiatives, some of their concerns will be allayed.

As a result, City of Laredo Mayor Dr. Victor Trevino passed a motion to extend the state of emergency for the community.

Trevino said, “The emergency declaration is to access state or federal support and funding, and we still need TDEM staff. It’s a way to keep them here.

The city will also create an amnesty program through which community members can self-report their relationships and receive a free inspection by utility workers.

More than 200 illegal connections have been discovered in central Laredo.

Mayor Pro Tem Ruben Gutierrez has expressed support for the program because many Laredo residents are unaware they even have illegal connections.

“I’m for amnesty for people who hire contractors, but if the contractors did the work illegally and didn’t do it professionally, the correct way. Then I went to town and got permits, so contractors would have to pay those penalties,” Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez explained that professional contractors are well versed in the procedures needed to track and maintain the integrity of Laredo’s water supply.

People could call 311 or the utility department directly to get their free inspection which would then be scheduled within 30 days.

Gutierrez added, “We can find out who the contractor was and if they did anything illegal, because it’s not fair to the owners who hired these people on a professional basis.” »

The amnesty program would end on July 1, 2025. From then on, any illegal connections found could result in a fine of up to $500.

The amnesty program would last seven months and post-inspection workers would have approximately 90 days to resolve any problems found.

One of the issues the City of Laredo still needs to address is increasing the number of inspectors to ensure compliance is maintained.

Another topic of discussion among council members was the creation of a customer rebate program.

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