Thursday, March 27, 2014

City Staffers Attending Fort Worth Seminar at Taxpayer's Expense

Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel & Spa,
Home for the Brownsville 6 during Seminar
Our city may be a bit understaffed this week as six of our city's department heads and staffers are in Fort Worth for a seminar on transportation with an emphasis on biking. The $350 registration fee for the meeting, titled The Texas Trails & Active Transportation Conference, as well as transportation, housing and food, will be kindly picked up by Brownsville's longsuffering taxpayers. (Two of the attendees, Norma Zamora of Brownsville Metro and a rep from TxDot, not technically employed by the City of Brownsville, will have the costs reimbursed by their employers.)


$56 per Diem for Food while at
TTAT Seminar
Although the individual amounts requested in the City of Brownsville Travel Request Form are similar, Interim City Planner Ramiro Gonzalez and Eva L. Garcia, also from planning, are the most expensive at $1,439.50 each.  Both receive 50.5 cents per mile, accommodations at the Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel & Spa, and $56 per diem to eat at the seminar.(That is reduced to $42 on travel days)

City staffers will each enjoy a 430 sq. ft. non-smoking room, free wi-fi, a Sweet Sleeper bed, 32" flat screen LCD TV and a "comfortable work area" while at the Sheraton Fort Worth.


Health Director Arturo Rodriguez
Gets 500 Expedia Points for Trip
Two staffers will fly to the event, Health Director Arturo Rodriguez and Brownsville Metro Director Norma Zamora.  Zamora is flying United for $400.93, while Rodriquez obtained his ticket through Expedia costing taxpayers $499.91. Arturo does receive 500 Expedia points, however.

Mr. Rodriguez will not be without transportation during the seminar. He has reserved at the DFW Airport a 2 door or 4 door Kia Rio or similar with air conditioning, automatic transmission and 2 wheel drive paid for by the taxpayers.

Park Director Chris Patterson is the only TTAT attendee to have filled in the section on the Travel Request Form stating the "anticipated benefit to the city for allowing this trip and how will information be disseminated?"  Chris states:  "The conference will focus on issues of economic development, health, safety and many other topics relevant to advancing active transportation and trails.  I will also attend the trade show, which will help introduce me to vendors." Anything in the seminar about parks, Chris?


Chris Patterson
According to the brochure in the city's binder, keynote speakers will include Michael Coleville-Anderson, described as "one of the leading global voices in urban planning relating to the bicycle as transport." Another expert speaker is Jean Francois Pygnovost, noted as "instrumental in building the world's longest bicycle greenery, 3,100 miles through the Province of Quebec, Canada.  Also on the program is Andy Clarke, President/CEO of the League of American Bicyclists and the first Executive Director of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals.  

Despite the $56 per diem food allowance, our six city staffers will not go hungry at the actual seminar as a "Wednesday reception, Thursday breakfast, lunch and dinner and Friday dinner" are included.  

Is it possible that Brownsville could have been represented at this critical bicycle conclave by one or two from the city's staff.  Do we actually need to send six?  Is that fair to the taxpayers of the "poorest city in the United States?"

In this era of live streaming, podcasts, not to mention video, would it not be possible to put staff inside a comfortable air-conditioned room at City Plaza, the multimodal or the City Commission building to glean the information from this seminar?  The $7,247 interactive video screen originally purchased for Tony's downtown office by the taxpayers could be put to good use.  Even if the viewing were catered, the taxpayers could still save thousands.

Addendum:  Just received this message:  "Jim, the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation is also sending four to the TTAT; Commissioner Rose Gowen, Commissioner Estela Chavez-Vasquez, Jude Benavides and an administrator(likely Rachel Flores)"

That's interesting and saddening.  The BCIC is also taxpayer funded with so-called 4B funds, 1/4 cent of every sales tax dollar, for "quality of life" issues.  So, now we have a total of ten from Brownsville monitoring the same conference at taxpayer expense.  In what world is that a prudent use of our tax dollars?



10 comments:

  1. As seminars go, this is not that expensive. Do some fact checking, Jim.

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  2. You're a bit dense. Approximately $1,400 X 10 for a conference on bicycles is a bit much for Brownsville taxpayers. Try to do some actual thinking.

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    1. You keep "downing" Brownsville. If you're not ragging on the Mexicans, it's the Mexican mayor. Move, you sad fuck!

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  3. Hey, life is good when you're part of the Power Elite! All others are viewed with contempt as the goyim.

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  4. We pay over 5,000 a year in property taxes. Our taxes didn't even cover the city employees going on this trip which is really more of a vacation for these young people.

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  5. Why do 10 locals have to attend this meeting on biking. This is ridiculous, yet consistent with the management style demonstrated by the mayor during his tenure. Can't believe we send 10 to deal with biking and we seldom send people for real policy issues.

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  6. You do good stuff. This is petty.

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  7. Why didn't they pedal their fucking bicycles to the conference? Most of them could use the exercise, especially the "Health Director".

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  8. Rose Gowen and Da Mayor made everyone go. You do what she says or else.

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  9. The photo of the pool gives me the creeps. It has all the charm of a Betty Ford rehab center.

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