Solution: Armored Bulldozer
I love a happy ending.
Posted on 07/29/2006 12:49:00 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
HARLINGEN — The Texas attorney general alleges the developer of a small colonia, an illegally created subdivision without basic amenities near the Texas-Mexico border, ignored a recent court order to bring the area into compliance with platting laws and the assurance of water and wastewater facilities.
Eric Solis, of Cameron County, had until mid-June to bring the residential subdivision into compliance, as per a Travis County court order, according to Attorney General Greg Abbott, who said he has filed a motion of contempt seeking sanctions, including possible jail time for Solis.
A hearing on the contempt motion is set for Aug. 22.
"Compliance with a court order is not voluntary, it is mandatory," Abbott said in news release. "Texas' colonias prevention laws must be taken seriously. Our border residents will not be exploited by unscrupulous developers who seek to defy the law and spread housing developments that lack basic services crucial to the health and safety of residents."
Solis is accused of subdividing Toribio Estates into four residential 1-acre lots without approval from Cameron County planning authorities. The properties lack proper sewage facilities, according to the news release.
It is one of at least 17 developments recently out of compliance in Cameron County.
Complaints against developers or sellers who fail to provide water and wastewater services, or who subdivide land without first obtaining necessary county approval, can be made by contacting the attorney general's Web site or by calling (800) 252-8011.
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jbogan@express-news.net
Colonias Ping!
These guys are guilty of fraud. Some of this other crap is idiotic blabber.
Ah, yes Harlingen, home of the Original raising the flag on Iwo Jima statue.
Most people don't know the one at Arlington is a copy.
These homes are probably better than most of them had in Mexico, but still way below what is considered acceptable in the US.
It used to be fairly common in Texas for people to cut gravel roads through a tract, and sell property to people for something like $5 a month. No sewer, water or electrical available, just a third of an acre of land, usually poorly surveyed. Most people would pay for a few months or years, then forget about it, and the owner would sell it to someone else (he wouldn't let them build until they'd paid it off). The difference with the Colonias is that these people move in, build scrap and chicken wire houses that you'd get arrested for putting a dog in, bring in a bunch of kids and set up shop. They haul in water and go to the bathroom in the yard. A thirty year old mobile home or empty school bus are high stepping accommodations in these areas.
If they are illegals they should be sent home not given court-mandated benefits.
My answer is that nobody forced them to live like that, it was their choice.
Now wait just a minute. If they're illegals, then where is ICE? Yoohoo, ICE... hello... anyone there?
I think we agree on a lot of this. I don't object to giving someone a hand, but I also don't think it's the government's job to housebreak people and give them property of equivalent value to what others have worked their whole lives to attain. Where we may part company is that as I've lived in rural Texas, I've seen numerous examples of people taking advantage of the loose county property laws to totally fubar surrounding landowners, creating nuisances and health problems that extend far beyond their property line.
Solution: Armored Bulldozer
I love a happy ending.
ROTF!
. The La Paz Agreement defined the border region as the area lying 100 kilometers to the north and south of the U.S.-Mexico boundary.
This strip of land runs from the Pacfic to the Gulf of Mexico - a 'no mans land' that Americans pump tax dollars into for "Enviorenmntal Purposes. "Our border residents will not be exploited by unscrupulous developers who seek to defy the law and spread housing developments that lack basic services crucial to the health and safety of residents."
In February of 1992, the environmental authorities of both governments released the Integrated Environmental Plan for the Mexican-U.S. Border Area (IBEP). As the next phase of binational planning, the Border XXI Program builds on the efforts of the IBEP and increases the scope to include environmental health and natural resource issues.
In 1993, U.S.-Mexico cooperative activities were further enhanced by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and related environmental agreements. In one such agreement, the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) and the North American Development Bank (NADBank) were created to develop, certify, and finance environmental infrastructure projects in the border area between the U.S. and Mexico. Additionally, the Border XXI Program will coordinate with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) also created under NAFTA to promote environmental cooperation throughout North America.
No one should be able to sell that land as it belongs to the government AND the water, sewer and electricity was supposed to be installed years ago for the colonias which as you say are hardly more than a lean-too. Borders XX1 is a convoluted political mess with various agencies from HUD to the EPA getting money……….for what? Apparently it vanishes into thin air. Here is more politically correct gobbley gook:
Border XXI is a comprehensive program designed to achieve a clean environment, protect public health and natural resources, and encourage sustainable development. The principal goal of the Border XXI Program is to promote sustainable development in the border region which "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
Greg Abbott. Obviously a xenophobic virulent raciest. Obviously!
< /sarc >
Facts:
1. 85% of colonias residents are U.S. citizens. www.hud.gov.
2. Colonia lots are sold to individuals who cannot afford a traditional mortgage or the average fair market value of the rent for the region (the purchasing mechanism is called a contract for deed, which until recently provided no protections for the buyer).
3. Often, the developer of the colonia promises electrical services, sewage treatment services, and potable water services at a time in the future after the purchase, but fails on that promise. This leaves families who thought they were getting a good deal living in deplorable conditions. So much for family values, no?
4. To GeronL, and others: try educating yourselves JUST A LITTLE before wallowing in hatred of others who are different from you. You guys are just sad.
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