1. Currently SPI is out of compliance with State Law on golf carts. Should these motor vehicles be subject to stricter enforcement? |
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Langston: SPI is not out of compliance on state laws regarding golf carts. Further, what laws are we not enforcing? [Editor’s note: Texas law limits golf carts to streets where the speed limit is 35mph or slower. It also limits them to daylight hours (sunrise to sunset). Yes, the golf carts should adhere to state laws for motor vehicles. This includes speed, underage drivers, number of people in the cart, safety restraints and safety seats for small children. I believe our Police Department, with 4-6 officers on duty on any given night, always strive to do their best to keep all residents and tourists safe.
Previous councils have addressed the most egregious concerns of loud radios and honking of horns. That said, we may need to “tweak” current ordinances for things like number of passengers per vehicle. Many communities in Texas and across the nation have successfully instituted golf carts into their daily life. I am confident we can do so as well.
I am aware that Council has had numerous conversations with other Texas cities to determine what has worked, and what has not. I am confident that care will be given to ensure that ordinance changes will not adversely affect the business owners who have invested so much in providing this transportation option to our visitors.
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| Ramos:
No one entity should be enforced more strictly than another. Laws are written with equal application for all. Business people who invested in their inventory did so based on current ordinances and enforcement. This is why it is important that we seek solutions which make sense to all who are affected. In my opinion, the most sensical solution is to find a way to better enforce the established laws and ordinances.
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2. Safety vs. money is a hot topic when it comes to golf carts. What are you going to do when the 900+ golf cart owners feel the city will be hurting their bottom line? |
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Langston:
I aim to work with business owners, residents and other council members to create an enforcement division that will allow us to enforce the current laws. However, this enforcement division, if established, will need to be funded. A reasonable increase in the annual permit fees may provide funding for this new enforcement division without being fiscally onerous on the businesses and residents. That is my goal.
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| Ramos:
Safety vs Money is never a topic. Safety is always first. This is why Golf Carts must be licensed at city hall, given a plate number, they require certain safety features (seatbelts, etc.) which must be inspected before licensing, there are established speed limits and other ordinances which address safety. It’s the enforcement of these existing ordinances that needs to be beefed up.
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3. Would you support a survey of the trash and plastic that lays beneath the causeway from litter blowing from cars and trucks daily. If so, would you support a dredging project to clean up the pollution if massive amounts were discovered? |
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Langston:
I am open to a discussion of investigating how much trash is under the causeway and would support an investigation into how much trash is there.
Unfortunately, we live in a windy area and blowing trash is inevitable. If there is a problem, then I might support dredging if it were cost effective.
We have the premier beach destination on the Texas coast. I will vigorously support any and all efforts to keep our home and surrounding areas the cleanest, most pollution free and debris free on the Texas coast. |
| Ramos:
Yes to all. Our neighboring city of Port Isabel should also bear part of that burden, as well as Cameron County. |
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4. Knowing that SPI is a vacation destination, how will you balance the business tourism vs. place to live in policy making? |
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Langston:
I believe that discussions and impositions of ordinances should not be an “us or them” philosophy. As residents and businesses, we are all entitled to a nice place to live and to make a living. In addressing these quality-of-life issues, we all must strive for compromise in every discussion. |
| Ramos:
Obviously as ONE council person, the main BALANCE is to work in cohesion with the decisive TEAM (the entire council) in order to forge common sense municipal legislation. The key to this is to bring an open mind into all discussions, have no pre-existing biases and engage in production discussion and debate accordingly. |
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5. Water continues to be a growing concern. There isn't enough of it and what we have tastes bad. Should the City take a stronger role in the island’s water supply? Where do you prioritize water on your policies and what do you think is practical in getting accomplished? |
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Langston:
The quality of our water is governed by the LMWD and their improvement projects and is therefore outside the purview of the City Council. Currently, LMWD is improving Lift Station #1 in Laguna Heights, the Water Treatment Plant # 1 in Port Isabel, adding an elevated storage tank in Port Isabel and improving water distribution on Laguna Blvd. and the causeway area bypass.
The City works with the LMWD to improve on our infrastructure in a way that minimizes the impact on our citizens, e.g. the Laguna Blvd. project. The City coordinated with LMWD so that their infrastructure work is completed in each Phase before the improvements to Laguna Blvd are implemented. Laguna Madre Water District, LMWD, in Port Isabel, Texas
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| Ramos:
The safety of our drinking water should of course be a top priority to any city leader. I propose we do a study on the safety of our water (potability, etc.) so that we can propose an appropriate data driven solution. |
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6. Why are we not grooming our beach? Is this not our #1 asset? |
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Langston:
I walked the beach daily as a tourist and have continued to do so since moving here in 1999. It is a beautiful beach. When we have particularly heavy deposits of seaweed I do worry about tourists’ opinions of our beaches. However, there are issues with too much grooming as noted below. The City has instituted a communication program regarding dune restoration which I found very informative when I first saw it. We should add something about the necessity of seaweed to the beach ecosystem.
Per the Texas General Land Office (GLO) website, The Texas General Land Office, George P. Bush, Commissioner, the average erosion rate for the Texas coast line is 4.1 feet per year. The Texas General Land Office is responsible for governing our beach renourishment and emergency dune restoration activities. It is my understanding that the City is limited by the GLO in the number of times we can groom per year in order to retain existing grants as well as qualify for new grants for future shoreline renourishment activities.
Studies indicate that too much beach grooming can be ecologically damaging to the beach, particularly the dunes. Grooming can remove a food source from the crabs, crustaceans and birds that rely on sea grasses. Moreover, it can potentially impede the reproductive activities of animals which use the beach for breeding purposes such as sea turtles, who lay their eggs on sandy beaches. Beach Grooming - Beachapedia
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| Ramos:
I think we have one of the most beautiful shorelines in the country. Our shoreline continues to be an attractive destination to many. Like any high traffic and high tourist areas, there is a tendency for pollution to rear its ugly head. Just like other existing ordinances, there are already state and local penalties established to deter this, but it’s hard to make deterrence viable when enforcement isn’t consistent. I believe that a combination of code enforcement, volunteer clean up, use of already available city and county resources should be assessed as to their efficacy and engaged appropriately.
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7. Should the City have a role in developing a medical facility on the island? |
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Langston:
I agree that we need improvements to the availability of health care services available on the Island. However, the City should not have a financial role in any development of health care facilities. In my opinion, a better solution is to have the current facilities agree on a rotating schedule to provide weekend, 24-hour access to health care during peak seasons. |
| Ramos:
If we look at any top 10 list of things a city should have, not only for tourism, but for permanent residents, access to healthcare is always on that list. I bring in over 35 years of healthcare experience and although I don’t believe that a city should take ownership of a facility, I do believe that there are certain things that can be done to play a more active role in making it come to fruition. Grant writing, creation of Hospital Zones, creation of a Critical Access Hospital based on SPI rural status. Catalina Island in California is an Island community similar to ours. They are separated from the mainland by 26 miles. It takes a ferry to get to the island. They have had a hospital on that island since 1968! This is one of my top priorities.
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8. As a council member, will you continue to speak directly to the people and the press, as opposed to going through city staff intermediaries? |
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Langston:
If elected, I represent the citizens of the community and will maintain an open line of communication. However, I will listen to the advice of the City Attorney and City Staff regarding press communications and similar matters so as not to violate any existing policies or protocols. |
| Ramos:
I have made one of my top campaign promises to have “Coffee with your Councilman” every Tuesday morning. I welcome any and all citizens to talk one on one with me. I also welcome any requests from the press. |
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9. How do you advise the SPI Board of Realtors, or Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) to educate agents and create inspection forms and sellers’ disclosures that reflect potential impacts and damage to properties on the Island from rocket test launch explosions? |
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Langston:
I am not a real estate broker so I would ask the local real estate board to discuss and consider including a disclosure that they are buying property in a Starbase rocket launch area. Any prior damage to a property should be disclosed in a Seller’s Disclosure. |
| Ramos:
Once again, any decisions that are made on a general level need to be data driven. I believe that data should be collected, or studies done, in order to determine the true impact that these launches or explosions have had or will continue to have on nearby property. |
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10. What do you think we need to do to save our beaches North of SPI? They are eroding and the current setbacks allow very little room, if any before the road, to attract investors to build. Should these areas be annexed into the City in order to gain control of them? |
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Langston:
The beaches north of SPI are governed by Cameron County. I do not support annexation of these areas at this time. |
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Ramos: I am sure that annexation of appropriately adjacent beaches can be in the best interest of SPI, in order to attract developers and builders, so yes, this is something I would support. |
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11. What is your opinion of the Deep-Water Marina Park/Marina project? |
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Langston:
In June 2021, the City Council approved a budget amendment to fund a market feasibility study for a deep-water marina. (Valley Morning Star, June 17, 2021). During my years as a resident, I have been involved as a volunteer with both the Ladies Kingfish Tournament (LKT) and the Texas International Fishing Tournament (TIFT) and I continue to remain involved with TIFT today. These events, like TIFT, have been showcasing our communities for the past 80 years and I volunteer for both.
Responsible growth of a deep-water marina, similar to the family friendly development in Kemah, would be a fantastic addition to help showcase our island to boating enthusiasts from all over the gulf coast and beyond.
After reading the study funded by the EDC and completed by Edgewater Resources out of Michigan, the deep-water marina project also adds a safety component in the event of a storm. The marina barrier islands would provide a natural barrier from storm surge on the bay side of the island. I know several members of the City Council have had multiple meetings with the County Judge and Commissioners and other local officials to discuss this project and potential funding mechanisms. Three federal grants that have been applied for. If we can find the funding, this will be an amazing addition to our island. |
| Ramos:
Definitely a win – win proposal to attract more business and larger boats to South Padre Island. The residual money in real income, hotel occupancy, and local economic growth, while creating an environmentally safe habitat for our wildlife is great…especially with the city and county working together based on the EDC funded feasibility study |
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