The City of La Joya is a Home-Rule, municipal corporation and body politic established in 1926. Community Description The location, the city and the people of La Joya, Texas. Location Nestled on gentle rolling hills between two lakes along western Hidalgo County sits the City of La Joya, Texas. La Joya is a land of transitions, where urban meets rural, the plains meet hills and the past meets the future. La Joya is bounded on the east by the historic community of Penitas (established in 1520); on the south by Texas Wildlife Management Areas, U.S. Fish & Wildlife property and the Rio Grande River; on the west by Sullivan City and the historic Los Ebanos Ferry; and on the north by thousands of acres of verdant farmlands. The recently completed $206 million U.S. Expressway 83 Relief Route connects the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro with Rio Grande City and Laredo along the United States-Mexico border. Municipality In 1926 residents of western Hidalgo County established the City of La Joya as a general-law municipal corporation and body politic. It became inactive during the Great Depression, then re-elected a City Commission in 1965. In 2013 La Joya became a Home-Rule municipal corporation governed by a City Council composed of a Mayor and four Councilmembers, all elected at-large. The City has adopted a Council-Manager form of government and has earned a Council-Manager Recognition by the International City Management Association (ICMA) . People With approximately 5,000 residents according to the U.S. Census , La Joya enjoys small town comforts with the convenience of nearby metro areas. But La Joya really is embodied in the heart of its youth, the spirit of its ancestors and the pride of a community. Rugged individuals like Jose Matias Tijerina established a frontier community in Havana. Descendants of Nathaniel Jackson and Matilda Hicks were among founders of La Joya. Their family helped enslave people along the Valley’s underground railroad. Havana resident Patricio Perez joined the just cause of fighting for freedom and equality with the Union during the Civil War. We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community. – Cesar Chavez Education has been central to La Joya, having one of the first schools in the region. Coyote pride on the gridiron is manifested through community activism for social justice. Leo J. Leo became a prominent civil rights activist during the 1960s before becoming Mayor. His son, Billy Leo also was active in state and national elections. This is the legacy of a rural community in the life of its state and nation. Official Designations It's official. The City has designated official flora and fauna for La Joya. Naturally. Tree Retama (Guaiacum Angustifolium ) This beautiful native tree bears fine green leaflets, green bark and bright yellow flowers. Flower Lantana (Lantana Horrida ) Showy heads of yellow, orange and red flowers decorate natural sites and yards around the City. Butterfly Lyside (Kricogonia Lyside ) This attractive, bright yellow or white butterfly thrives in chaparrals. Bird Roadrunner (Geococcyx Californianus ) This large, brown, crested, long-tailed bird runs along the roads, feeds and nests in chaparral, often entertaining its human admirers. Mammal Coyote (Canis Latrans ) Indigenous peoples of North America honor Brother Coyote and the people of the Border Region honor Mano Coyote with tales of its intelligence and wily exploits, and La Joya ISD support their beloved mascot. More Info... La Joya City Limits and Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) Map La Joya Municipal Organizational Chart

As a public entity the City of La Joya shares public information that is available to our community. Information that may be or is expected to be private will be protected. Privacy Policy All human beings have three lives: public, private, and secret. Ga briel García Márquez This Privacy Policy complies with local policy and privacy regulations such as the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Information Collected The City of La Joya may receive, collect and store any information you enter on our website or provide us in any other way. In addition, we may collect the Internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer to the Internet; login; e-mail address; password; computer and connection information and purchase history. We may use software tools to measure and collect session information, including page response times, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information, and methods used to browse away from the page. We also may collect personally identifiable information (including name, email, password, communications); payment details (including credit card information), comments, feedback, product reviews, recommendations, and personal profile. Collection Methods When you conduct a tr ansaction on our website, as part of the process, we may collect personal information you give us such as your name, address and email address. If collected, your personal information will be used for the specific reasons stated above only. Collection Purpo ses We may collect suc h No n-personal and Personal Information to: Provide and operate the Services; Provide our Users with ongoing customer assistance and technical support; Be able to contact our Visitors and Users with general or personalized service-related notices and promotional messages; Create aggregated statistical data and other aggregated and/or inferred Non-personal Information, which we or our business partners may use to provide and improve our respective services; and/or Comply with any applicable laws and regulations. Information Storage, Usage & Disclosure Our website is hosted on the Wix.com plat form. Wix.com provides us with the online platform that allows us to sell our products and services to you. Your data may be stored through Wix.com’s data storage, databases and the general Wix.com applications. They store your data on secure servers behind a firewall. All direct payment gateways offered by Wix.com and used by us adhere to the standards set by PCI-DSS as managed by the PCI Security Standards Council, which is a joint effort of brands like Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. PCI-DSS requirements help ensure the secure handling of credit card information by our store and its service providers. Communication with Visitors We may contact you to notify you regarding your account, to troubleshoot problems with your account, to resolve a dispute, to collect fees or monies owed, to poll your opinions through surveys or questionnaires, to send updates about us, or as otherwise necessary to contact you to enforce our User Agreement, applicable national laws, and any agreement we may have with you. For these purposes we may contact you via email, telephone, text messages, and postal mail. Using Cookies Wix uses cookies for important reasons, such as to: Provide a great experience for our visitors and customers; Identify your registered members (users who registered to our website); Monitor and analyze the performance, operation and effectiveness of Wix's platform; and/or Ensure the Wix platform is secure and safe to use. Types of Cookies In general, the cookies wh ich are initially placed on our Wix website may be categorized as essential cookies. However, considering that the Wix platform gives us the ability to add multiple components, codes, third-party applications...and so on, our website may include other types of cookies which might require specific settings. Withdrawing Consent If you don’t want us to p rocess your data anymore, please contact us at cityoflajoya@aol.com or send us mail to: City of La Joya 701 E Business 83 La Joya TX 78560-4051 Policy Updates We reserve the rig ht to modify this privacy policy at any time, so please review it frequently. Changes and clarifications will take effect immediately upon their posting on the website. If we make material changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated, so that you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it. Contact Us If you would like to: access, correct, amend or delete any personal information we have about you, you are invited to contact us at info@lajoyatx.gov or send mail to address below.

Welcome to the official website for the City of La Joya, Texas. Come visit us at City Hall. We are here to serve. Welcome Find the latest ... Events on our Calendar , Agendas and Public Notices , Request for Proposals, Proposed FY 2026–2027 Municipal Budget — Filed August 22, 2026 Monitoring Report SWMOR (TCEQ) Monitoring Report Chemical (TCEQ) Consumer Confidence Report City Election Information Information on Elections Waste Connections Schedule Photos in our Gallery , Latest News ; and All our Social Media . Let us know how we are doing. We are here to serve. Upcoming Events Get Involved & Help build La Joya's Future Serve on Boards La Joya has seven citizen Boards Board Action Form Volunteer Volunteer Firefighter, CERT, Reserve Police Employment/Volunteer Application

​La Joya citizens approved a Council-Manager form of government in 2013.  The City Manager is the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the City.  He reports to the Mayor and Council. City Manager La Joya citizens approved a Council-Manager form of government in 2013. The City Manager is the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the City. He reports to the Mayor and Council. Jaime Sandoval City Manager Jaime Sandoval is a career public sector professional having served in several local government positions. He began his career with the County of Hidalgo's Human Services Division and the Urban County Program . Sandoval also served in leadership roles for the City of Donna and the City of Alamo , as well as Assistant City Manager for the City of Mercedes and City Manager for the City of La Feria . Sandoval is a graduate of Pan American University (now the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley). Department Description As authorized by the Home-Rule Charter, the City Manager shall: with the advice and consent of the City Council , appoint and remove all department heads of the City, except as otherwise provided in this Charter or by Ordinance; with the advice and consent of the City Council, determine proper and just compensation for all department heads; attend all meetings of the City Council, taking part in discussion but, having no vote, and shall be notified of all special meetings of the City Council; see that all laws, provisions of this Charter, and acts of the City Council, subject to enforcement by the City Manager or by officers subject to his or her direction and supervision, are faithfully executed; prepare and submit the annual budget and capital program to the City Council; submit to the City Council and make available to the public a complete report on the finances and administrative activities of the City as of the end of each fiscal year; kept the City council fully advised as to the financial condition and future needs of the City and make such recommendations to the City Council concerning the affairs of the City; make sure other reports as the City Council may require concerning the operations of the City departments, offices, and agencies subject to his or her direction and supervision; and perform such other duties as are specified in the Charter or may be required by the City Council or the laws of the State of Texas. External Links Learn more about professional associations and partners: International City Management Association (ICMA) National Association of Latino Elected/Appointed Officials (NALEO) Texas City Management Association (TCMA)

A brief history of the City of La Joya and surrounding communities on the United States border with Mexico. Brief History A brief history of the City of La Joya and surrounding communities on the United States border with Mexico. Chapter 4: High Waters in the Wild Wild West The West is Wild During the war in 1862 Mexican rebels clashed with Confederate forces in nearby Cuevitas, Texas . The international incident resulted in the death of three teamsters driving a wagon train. In retaliation, homes were burned, devastating the small community. After the war in 1874 Texas Rangers would illegally cross at Los Ebanos into Mexico in pursuit of alleged cattle rustlers. And, in 1875 U.S. Customs fought alleged cattle rustlers at Los Ebanos. Cross-border violence is not new. The Catarino E. Garza War against Mexico's President Porfidio Diaz regime ended near La Joya in 1891. The western part of Hidalgo County has been wild for long a time. Havana Grows as Outpost Havana was a growing outpost. In 1886 the Havana Post Office was opened, and St. Joseph’s Church was built in 1891. In 1904 a branch of the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway reached Tabasco and Havana to the “End of Line” where a new settlement called Sam Fordyce was established. The Havana Post Office was moved there in 1905, but the new settlement would not long last. John Conway attempt to promote the new community was unsuccessful due to defects in title to the property. The Post office would close in 1931 and Sam Fordyce became a ghost town. Flood Forces Relocation -- Again A century after Reynosa was flooded and relocated and Tabasco established, flood waters from the Rio Grande would wreak havoc again. In 1908 and again in 1909 Tabasco flooded. Residents moved to higher ground, along the hills to start anew. The historic Tabasco Cemetery is all that remains of the original settlement. The graves of Tabasco’s original settlers and of great-grandparents of La Joya families are all but forgotten as the property sit in an unmarked tract in what is now mostly surrounded by U.S. Fish & Wildlife property – inaccessible to descendants and the public. Previous Next

< Back Enrique Cantu Enrique Cantu has served in the health care industry for more than 30 years, bringing to the forefront the importance of patient centered care. He currently serves as System Director for Performance Improvement at South Texas Health System where his work has been recognized for excellence over the years. Before his election to the City Council in 2023, Cantu has served as a member of the La Joya Economic Development Corporation. Cantu has volunteered with middle and high school players as a basketball coach; with church activities; and with work activities such as Pink Walk and the Halloween Safety Fair. Cantu received his Bachelor of Science (BS) from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Keiser University . He has completed National Incident Management System (NIMS) training to ensure an effective response to our community during an emergency.

The Planning/Code Enforcement Department mission is to plan for orderly community growth and promote its safety. Stormwater The City of La Joya is working with the RGV Stormwater Task Force to better control rainwater runoff, reduce pollution, and protect our local waterways. Department Description The Department is charged with managing Stormwater regulations to prevent and mitigate flooding. The City is a member of the RGV Stormwater Task Force . However, La Joya is not part of, nor pays property taxes for, the Hidalgo County Drainage District #1 . Maintenance of storm drains is performed by the Public Works Department . City of La Joya Stormwater Annual Report 2024 City of La Joya Stormwater Permit City of La Joya SWP Final Report 2024 City of La Joya Stormwater Management program 2013-2018 For more information contact the Stormwater Hotline: 956.585.4855 . What is Stormwater runoff? Stormwater runoff occurs when rain flows over hard surfaces such as streets, driveways, parking lots, rooftops, and other paved areas where water cannot soak into the ground. This runoff enters the City’s stormwater system and eventually flows into nearby wetlands, streams, and rivers. Along the way, stormwater picks up pollutants from streets, lawns, farms, and construction or industrial sites, including fertilizers, dirt, sediment, pesticides, oil, and grease. Unlike pollution from a single factory or treatment plant, stormwater pollution comes from many everyday activities. These discharges are a major cause of local water quality problems and can reduce or prevent safe recreational use of our waterways. Stormwater Management What is it? Stormwater management is the practice of controlling rainwater runoff to protect local waterways. This includes managing land use and development in ways that maintain the amount, speed, and quality of stormwater. It also involves preventing runoff before it starts by reducing hard surfaces, slowing and storing water on the land, improving soils so they absorb more rain, and using plants and vegetation to filter runoff naturally. Good housekeeping practices at homes, businesses, and construction sites further help keep sediment and pollutants out of streams. Why is it important? In natural areas without paved surfaces, rainwater moves slowly toward streams. Only a small amount falls directly into the stream, while most of the water soaks into the ground and gradually flows through the soil before reaching nearby waterways. When paved and hard surfaces are added, rainwater reaches streams much faster and in much larger amounts. In developed areas, storm drains and pipes are designed to move water off the land quickly, sending it straight to streams. This rapid and excessive flow can cause flooding and erode streambanks. The resulting muddy water damages aquatic life, destroys habitat, and affects downstream water users. Preventing runoff at its source is therefore an important part of protecting local waterways. Stormwater Pollution Prevention Let’s Work Together to Protect Our Local Waters! Everyone plays a role in keeping our streams, rivers, and wetlands clean and healthy. Stormwater pollution is caused by everyday activities, but small changes can make a big difference. By taking simple steps at home and in your neighborhood, you can help protect water quality for people, wildlife, and future generations. 10 Simple Things You Can Do to Be Part of the Solution to Stormwater Pollution Never dump anything onto the street, into a storm drain, or into a drainage ditch. Storm drains flow directly to local waterways without treatment. Pick up after your pet. Bag pet waste and place it in the trash to prevent bacteria and nutrients from washing into streams. Properly manage yard waste. Compost leaves and grass clippings or place them in bags for curbside collection—never blow them into the street. Use fertilizers and pesticides sparingly. Always read and follow label directions and avoid applying products before rain is forecast. Dispose of litter properly. Trash left on the ground can easily wash into storm drains and waterways. Maintain your septic system. Regular inspections and maintenance help prevent leaks that can contaminate nearby waters. Check vehicles for leaks. Fix oil, coolant, or fuel leaks promptly to keep harmful fluids off driveways and roads. Recycle motor oil and vehicle fluids. Never pour them on the ground or into drains—use designated recycling locations instead. Wash vehicles responsibly. Wash your car over a grassy area or use a commercial car wash that recycles water, rather than washing on paved surfaces. Spread the word. Talk with friends, family, and neighbors about simple ways they can help prevent stormwater pollution. Kids Corner the Stormwater Fun Zone! At the Kids Corner, learning about stormwater is made fun and simple! Kids can explore how rainwater moves through their community, why clean water is important, and how they can help protect rivers and streams. This section includes coloring pages, activities, and helpful resources for kids, parents, and teachers. Videos to understand Stormwater Activites for the kids! Pre-K to 1st Graders Where Stormwater Flows coloring page 2nd to 4th Graders Stormwater Activity Worksheets 5th to 8th Graders Stormwater Crossword Activity Remember to Help Protect Our Water! Small actions can make a big difference. You can help keep our stormwater clean by remembering to: Pick up trash and place it in a trash can Clean up pet waste and dispose of it properly Sweep driveways and sidewalks instead of washing debris into the street Never pour liquids like oil, paint, or chemicals into storm drains Keep leaves and grass clippings out of streets and storm drains Every drop counts. By working together, we can help protect our rivers, streams, and local waterways. Want to learn more or report a stormwater concern? Call your city’s Stormwater Hotline 956.585.4855 or visit the LRGV Stormwater website to find tips and ways to help keep local waterways clean.

The La Joya City Attorney's offers legal advise to the Council, City Manager and municipal departments. City Attorney The La Joya City Attorney's offers legal advise to the Council, City Manager and municipal departments. Isaac V. Sulemana City Attorney Isaac Sulemana began his service as City Attorney in 2023. Before this time he worked for the Hidalgo County Criminal District Attorney's Office . He also currently works for Hidalgo County Judge's Office . Sulemana is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law . Department Description As permitted by the Home-Rule Charter: The City Council may appoint an attorney, licensed to practice law in the State of Texas, as City Attorney. The City Attorney shall serve at the will of the City Council and be entitled to compensation as established by the City Council. The duties of the City Attorney shall be to: serve as legal advisor to the City Council, to the offices, departments, and agencies of the City, and to all officers and employees of the City as authorized by the City Manager; perform all services incident to his or her position as may be required by statute, the Charter, ordinances, or as directed by the City Council. City Council may retain special counsel at any time it deems such action appropriate or necessary. External Links Learn more about government regulators, funders, professional associations and partners: Isaac V. Sulemana Law Office Texas City Attorneys Association Texas Constitution & Statutes

The Planning/Code Enforcement Department mission is to plan for orderly community growth and promote its safety. Animal Control Please refresh page for live updates. All updates will be located in the banner above. La Joya's Animal Shelter Division: Protects the public from stray and feral animals in La Joya; Provides shelter services to partner communities; Works with Animal Rescue Organizations to place animals in new homes; and Unites lost & found pets with their human. We urge pet custodians to spay and/or neuter your pets. Department Docs More information regarding our Department. None Department Forms These forms will improve service delivery. Download, complete and return. None External Links

Drop by, call, mail or chat us up.  We are here to help. Contact Us Drop by, call, mail or chat us up. We are here to help. First Name Last Name Street Address City State Zip Code Phone Email Messages Subscribe to La Joya's newsletter Send Thanks for contacting La Joya! City of La Joya 701 E Expressway 83 La Joya TX 78560-4051 956.581.7002 info@lajoyatx.gov Accessibility Statement Privacy Policy Department Directory