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| Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel & Spa, Plush Accommodations for Brownsville's Ten Attendees at Bike Seminar |
As taxpayers, we may need to really start questioning, not only the actual requested funds for travel, but the ACTUAL need for such travel in the first place. How much does the city spend on travel annually and why? Are travel expense requests EVER questioned by our elected City Commissioners? Who's protecting taxpayer assets and monies in this town?
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| Interim City Planner Ramiro Gonzalez, $4,748 for Just Two Seminars, Including $71.00 per day for meals |
OK, that was the for the national American Planners Association Conference, but what about the Texas APA Conference. That was held October 1-4, 2013 in Galveston, Texas. Ramiro went to that conference, too, at a taxpayer cost of $1,187.90, but he also took four other Brownsville young men with him at a cost to the taxpayers of $1,087.90 each: Noe Puga, Troy Whittemore, Adolfo Pereira and Craig Grove. I'm sure the young men had a good time in Galveston and actually learned some things about planning, but why did the "poorest city in the United States" need to send FIVE young men to this conference at a cost of $5,539.50?
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| Planner II Roman McAllen |
Section 5 of the City of Brownsville Travel Request Form asks "Anticipated benefit to the City for allowing this trip and how will information be disseminated? (Interestingly, Ramiro Gonzalez never fills in this section.) "Disseminated" means dispersed, spread, circulated, passed on. So, we ask the question. How is the information from these conferences, seminars and educational sessions passed on? Will the Brownsville 10, who are still at the Texas Trails and Active Transportation Conference, hold a public forum when they get back? What did Roman and Ramiro learn in Chicago that will help Brownsville? What wisdom did Ramiro glean from Seattle, Boston, Dallas, Galveston?
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| Craig Grove, Ramiro Gonzalez |
What is Brownsville getting for the tens of thousands spent annually for city employees' and board member's travel, hotel accommodations and meals?
What if we send six young guys to Galveston, allotting each 50.5 cents per mile and they all hop into Ramiro's Mercedes Benz, riding together? Do they each owe the city a $319.00 refund? What if Ramiro and Roman don't actually spend $71 per day on meals, instead taking advantage of the buffet table at the seminar? Shouldn't the City of Brownsville get a refund?
No, doesn't bother me. Cities have budgets for seminars. A good story might be how much Brownsville has for such things. Otherwise, you appear to be a town crier and nothing more. Find out what travel budgets McAllen and Harlingen have. Start there.
ReplyDeleteRamiro and Craig are only 2 of the best well known ego maniacs incrusted in the city's body of government, they both tend to make big deals of whatever little achievement they get, at cost of tax payer's money, those 2 arrogant monkeys instead of be ashamed of themselves think they are the last drop of water in the desert
ReplyDeleteI concur! Especially when it comes to Ramiro Gonzalez and Craig Grove, they are narrow minded, always got to be right, nobody else knows anything but me, type of guys. You can throw Roman McAllen in that pot also.
DeleteI simply raised a viewpoint question.
ReplyDeleteBut, you could also place these things in context. 18 grand is peanuts in city budgeting. And these sort of seminars are needed.
Delete"But, you could also place these things in context. 18 grand is peanuts in city budgeting. And these sort of seminars are needed"
DeleteDo you feel the city "needs" 10 administrators and/or board member attending a single seminar?
It may be peanuts in other Cities budgets, but in our City where they can't even provide the basic services for the taxpayers and City officials always crying that there is not enough money, it is a lot. That money could be spent more wisely. Most of these seminars are bullshit or just a repeat of the seminar we sent them to the year prior, pure waste of money in most cases.
DeleteThe City's Planning Department is a joke, nothing but inexperienced people that could care less about the public, let alone the amount they spend getting fat off the taxpayer's money. Gonzalez and McAllen, the "turd" and the "nerd", are rarely able to even be reached. They are usually out of town, at a three hour lunch or in the case of McAllen, working on his own property while on the City's clock. They would be fired in any other well run City. Wake up Mr. Cabler, time to get rid of these two lumps of excrement that are causing a foul smell within the City.
ReplyDeleteKind of reminds me of the Ol' Texas Saying: "Y'all can't get the water to clear up, Until you get the turds out of the creek." Hello KK Busters...we need you to come remove some turds...and quickly!
DeleteThe thinking among many in the city is that these trips are perks associated with the job. They don't see this as money coming from hardworking people intended to pay for basic services.
ReplyDeleteI am sure Humpty Dumpty will report back with absolute candor!
ReplyDeleteYou mean report back with some absolute lies, lol.
DeleteThe only serious plan these guys have is how best to milk the system.
ReplyDeleteEverything these city mamones bother me but that's how dumbocRATS ROLL.
ReplyDeletethe travel does not bother me, nor the unit costs of things like their hotels or per diems. Ramiro probably needs to attend a conference to maintain a planning license, I would assume. what bothers me is your allegation that he attended both the national and the state planning conferences in the same year. that seems to be a double dip. There are also some other things that the City should be doing to cut down on costs. First, I would also think that multiple employees from the same department could pile into one city vehicle to cut down on the travel expense. Second, if the program includes meals, then the employees should reduce their per diems accordingly. The "benefit to the city" section should be filled out and if they need to travel separately, then that should be justified on the form as well.
ReplyDeleteFinally, I agree that ten attendees is too many. Travel and education for city employees is a good thing, but it needs to be vetted for abuse. I am not saying that this trip is abuse, but justifications should be more transparent.
The major question to be asked of all the travelers is "What was the positive impact for Brownsville of this travel????? How did that travel benefit the city??? It is probably "overkill" for us to send (and pay for) 10
ReplyDeletepeople to attend a bike program. So far there is no evidence that biking has benefitted the city....especially it is clear that the planning director does not bike. Obviously there is little oversight on travel expenditures and the non-paid commissioners likely see this travel as their "only benefit" in office. City officials continue to waste money and have little real knowledge of what is going on and what is needed in this city. Our tax dollars are their "play money" and they spend it with little respect for those who worked hard for it. And, since most in this city don't pay taxes.....the city officials are very much like the other welfare recipients....they want everything but are irresponsible.
To justify travel they officials have to state "anticipated benefit" to the city. After any trip do they have to describe that "benefit" and whether or not any "benefit" resulted from the trip. My guess is "NO". United Way had a group to help veterans get jobs....but we never heard how many veterans actually go jobs as a result of their efforts. It seems that local organizations are good at spending money (taxpayers money) on "anticipated benefits" but are never called to task to define the resultant "benefits from an expenditure. We can see the benefit of infrastructure spending....but for there is no way to define benefits from biking and we have seen no benefits of all 'Da Mayor's real estate expenditures. The city spends a bunch of money but we see little "benefit" to the citizens....except more taxes.
ReplyDeletePoor Ramiro. In the picture above he looks like one of the little people from "The Wizard of Oz"....with his cubby face and cute little bow tie.
ReplyDeleteThat fat asshole planning director has never had an idea on his own, always trying to imitate big cities, exclusive bicycles lines is just a way to promote disrespect for cyclists, cyclists have the same rights as any automobilist or motorcyclist, relegating them to use only exclusive bicycle lines is some kind of discrimination, before promoting exclusive bicycle lines they should educate the public to respect cyclist rights so they can circulate freely with the rest of the traffic.
ReplyDelete" before promoting exclusive bicycle lines they should educate the public to respect cyclist rights so they can circulate freely with the rest of the traffic. "
DeleteDisagree. People on bikes have already been killed. If Brownsville is serious about promoting itself as a bike friendly town, you need to make sure the bicyclists can get around safely. My question is why are so many streets without sidewalks in the first place, when they should have been in the initial design, were they cut so someone could pocket a few extra million dollars or what happened?
Why so many bus stops with no protection from the elements?
DeleteTen people to a bike seminar? Whatever was learned, if anything, could not that info have been obtained from a webinar? You could have had 100 people attend with a lunch served for way under that exorbitant amount of money! Man, Brownsville taxpayers are getting screwed up the ass sideways without lube. Wake up people, it is our money that is being wasted on frivolous useless crap like a bike seminar, what a joke! I could have told them for free Harlingen does not have parking meters in their downtown area and their downtown is thriving compared to ours. When election time comes, vote these people out!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, in answer to your question, yes, it bothers me.
ReplyDeleteBicycle lanes? The city should have planned for widening the streets for bicycle access some 40 years ago. When has Brownsville ever had a REAL city planner? LIKE NEVER! The infrastructure of this town is a joke and
ReplyDeletethe mayor is a clown and we are even stupider for BELIEVING his lies and electing him. Here's some pie in your face sir,"No one
respects you. No one, not even the ones you
order around. Your time in the big chair is
coming to an end and that time can not come
soon enough. Enough with this bullshit!" Go eat a crappy burger at Spanky's! Their food sucks!
The reason ten people attending the Bike Trail meeting was for Rose Gowen to get her "Trail Boss' award. Why couldn't she just pay her own way, accept her award, and bring it back for friends and family to see?
ReplyDeleteNena Barton