SAN ANTONIO – The city’s compliance agreement with Monterrey Iron & Metal is well underway, as weekly inspections roll out to ensure the company stays up to code. But as the company and city look to the future, KSAT 12 wants to break down this complicated history between the two city departments and the company.
Documents obtained by KSAT 12 through a public records request show in 2023 and into 2024, Monterrey worked with both the city’s Development Services Department and the Solid Waste Management Department. However, change came after the city identified multiple code violations and neighbors vocalized their safety and health concerns about the Frio City Road recycling center.
In response to one request, Development Services sent KSAT nearly 30 affidavits detailing the timeline and types of code violations Monterrey had across each year. These documents showed repeated offenses for material storage, damaged or missing fencing, obstructed fire safety paths, and overgrown grass.
Michael Shannon, the Director of Development Services, told KSAT 12 a few weeks ago in an interview that he was aware of these violations for months before threatening to revoke the company’s recycling license.
“We’ve been working with them for almost a year now, since last April,” Shannon said.
The affidavits showed that code compliance reported violations of Chapter 16 at Monterrey in April, June, August, October, and December of 2023. Even in Early 2024, the affidavits stated Monterrey had yet to be deemed fully compliant.
That’s when Shannon said the revocation process began.
“We don’t really like to shut down businesses, but when they’re not following the codes and the rules, we needed to do something,” Shannon said.
Development services sent a letter to Monterrey threatening to revoke its recycling license in January of 2024 if the company did not appeal. As previously reported by KSAT 12, that process was suspended after Monterrey and the city reached a code compliance agreement. That agreement revealed that Monterrey spent around $600,000 to come into compliance. Monterrey also agreed to pay a $5,000 civil penalty.
But that document initiating the revocation process wasn’t the only letter from the city that Monterrey received at the beginning of this year. That’s also when Solid Waste terminated its expected 3-year metal recycling agreement with the facility only after a couple of months.
KSAT 12 also obtained that contract showing conversations for this partnership started in 2022, but the deal was ultimately signed in May of 2023. Remember, that’s nearly a month after affidavits provided by Development Services show the city flagged Monterrey for more than five code violations.
A spokesperson for Solid Waste declined an interview with KSAT 12 this week, but they did send a statement. The department said Monterrey was one of two respondents who bid on the contract. The other company was Longhorn Metals. KSAT 12 asked the department why it signed a contract with a company that was not code-compliant. The department said Monterrey was selected after an evaluation panel scored both bids and found Monterrey as the best choice.
“A contract was awarded and then the contract was terminated,” the statement from Solid Waste said.
On Sunday, Monterrey confirmed with KSAT 12 that it was in compliance and planned to stay that way.
