How the Brownsville City Commission Handicaps Itself Illustrated by Successful Town Hall Meeting

Dr. Gustavo Stern: "Don't Insult Our Intelligence!"

The Town Hall meeting held 1/22/14 at Market Square, about the proposed tripling of parking meter fees downtown, gave a glimpse of  the kind of human capital the city should involve more frequently in its decision making process.  After City Planner Ramiro Gonzalez gave his rehearsed power point, detailing how the increased rates would, not only create a revenue stream for downtown revitalization, but free up parking spaces downtown, turning them over for customers, a steady stream of 20 citizens, most a generation older than Planner Gonzalez, several with decades of experience operating a downtown business, filled the room with ideas not mentioned in the city's plan.

Roberto Uresti put it more bluntly than most, but accurately:  "Ramiro, that was a beautiful presentation, but it's all wrong!"  The plan, cooked up in the planning office, was based on a municipal guidebook, "The High Cost of Free Parking," but as Dr. Gustavo Stern stated: "Brownsville is not New York, Austin, San Antonio or even Laredo."

Roberto Zamora:"Is Working 8 Hours a Crime?"

Roberto Zamora, who operates a plasma center downtown, employing 20, echoed that:  "Compare apples to apples, not apples to oranges.  What does Harlingen or San Benito charge for parking?  Working 8 hours a day is not a crime.  Why make downtown workers pay a $60 per month fine?"

Actually, the city's plan was not

Metered Jefferson Street, empty Monday at noon

only flawed, but based on a misunderstanding of the actual parking situation downtown.  Only two streets downtown, Elizabeth and Washington, are congested.  Two streets in either direction, metered streets St. Charles and Jefferson, are empty on the busiest of weekdays. 

Attorney Trey Mendez;"Provide Free
Parking for Downtown Workers"

Attorney Trey Mendez suggested using the city's several parking lots downtown to provide free parking for employees:  "I was told sometime back, if it's free you can't complain."  Mendez' former law partner and co-owner of downtown properties, Attorney Dennis Sanchez stated that the meeting had increased his "sensitivity" for downtown business owners and workers.   He concluded, based on the forum comments, that this was not "the time" to increase meter rates.

Attorney Dennis Sanchez:  Forum increased
"sensitivity" to downtown's problems

The forum was actually a model for what, potentially, City Commission meetings could be like if city government were more inclusive.  Several unwise decisions made, some pending, would not be considered, had the commission consulted with local citizens first.  Actually, the entire approach of local city government is ass-backwards.  While the words and ideas of the mayor and the city commissioners are are videotaped and broadcast on the local Brownville TV channel, the camera and audio are turned off before the first citizen begans to speak in public comment.  

Commissioner John Villarreal:  "This was not
your first opportunity to speak."

Commissioner John Villarreal mildly chastised the forum audience with his remarks, near the conclusion of the meeting:  "This is not the first time citizens could have spoken out on this issue.  We need to do a better job of educating people about the public meeting aspect of agenda items."

To refresh Commissioner Villarreal's recollection, it was not citizen apathy, but the ambiguous wording of the agenda item dealing with the proposed parking meter fee increase, that caught the citizens offguard.  The wording of the agenda item, sponsored by Planner Ramiro Gonzalez, may have intentionally been vague to exclude the taxpayers from voicing their objections.  It almost passed easily, but for the objection of Commissioner Ricardo Longoria.

Here is the original agenda item.  See if it says ANYTHING about increasing parking meter fees:  6. Public Hearing and ACTION on FIRST READING on Ordinance Number 2013-736-O to amend the City Code of Ordinances, Chapter 98 “Traffic and Vehicles”; ARTICLE V “Stopping, Standing, and Parking”, promulgating a new Division 6 “Parking Meters”, and adding Sections 98-382, 98-383, with Sections 98-384-98-410 to remain reserved, and dealing with related matters. (Ramiro Gonzalez – Planning)

George Ramirez: "When will it
be downtown's turn?"

Several other issues, currently under the purview of the City Commission, are of great concern to local taxpayers:  The inclusion of Lincoln Park in a trade or donation to the UT system, the non-collection of agreed upon $92,000 lease payment from UTB for use of El Cueto Building, a proposed bike trail downtown that would eliminate parking meters are all issues that could be handled more appropriately with taxpayer involvement.

George Ramirez, owner of the Half Moon Cantina, likely spoke for many in the room, when he said:  "The city has put a great deal into the sports park and other projects.  When will it be downtown's turn?"