An unusual item was placed on the agenda of the March 4, 2014 City Commission meeting:
13. Consideration and ACTION to adopt budget amendment Resolution Number 2014-033, to amend the General Fund Budget by providing funding for the Brownsville Museum of Fine Arts, the Historic Brownsville Museum and the Brownsville Historical Association. (Lupe Granado – Finance)
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| Marcela Ronquillo Hinojosa, Museum Director |
The presenter of this item was not Interim Finance Director Lupe Granado, as posted, but his overseer, Pete Gonzalez, and Commissioner Ricardo Longoria directed his concerns to him:
"The general fund, Pete? You and I go back a long ways and you've always been fiscally conservative. I know I'm going to be outvoted on this, but I just want to be on record as saying that this is going to open a pandora's box. Other entities are going to come after us for money."
Next, a spokesperson for the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art Board articulated their request for $139,000 to pay the salaries of four proposed new hires. One of the new employees would work in the gift/snack shop. Commissioner Tetreau-Kalifa asked if filling the new positions would generate revenue. "Oh, definitely," stated the speaker.
Even with this article in the draft stage, with just a headline and a picture, we received two comments from opposite ends of the discussion. The first comment received felt there were other more pressing priorities than the museum: "Are you kidding me , now they want to pay the salary at the museum. Hey lets take care of some of our infrastructure first! Like streets, underground utilities, sidewalks, and flood control."
After the above comment was published, another comment went in the other direction: "Yes, asshole: Obviously an ignorant slug such as yourself wouldn't know the vital importance of advancing culture, creativity and education by having a full-staffed museum in the city of Brownsville. Of course we need better streets, synchronized traffic lights and better drainage.We have been screaming for the commissioners to get their priorities in the right order. The BMFA already had millions of dollars stolen from them that was meant for them but all that money got diverted to that goddamn sport's park: That stinking albatross around our neck! This time the museum is going to get the funding it should have received years ago."Actually, the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art has repeatedly tapped into the BCIC 4B "quality of life" monies for various needs, recently receiving $35,425 for the King Tut exhibition. With the museum now asking for and getting money out of the city's general fund for maintaining one building, perhaps the Brownsville Historical Association, maintaining five buildings on a shoestring, will be next.
Are you kidding me , now they want to pay the salary at the museum. Hey lets take care of some of our infrastructure first! Like streets, underground utilities, sidewalks, and flood control.
ReplyDeleteYes, asshole: Obviously an ignorant slug such as yourself wouldn't know the vital importance of advancing culture, creativity and education by having a full-staffed museum in the city of Brownsville. Of course we need better streets, synchronized traffic lights and better drainage.We have been screaming for the commissioners to get their priorities in the right order. The BMFA already had millions of dollars stolen from them that was meant for them but all that money got diverted to that goddamn sport's park: That stinking albatross around our neck! This time the museum is going to get the funding it should have received years ago.
ReplyDeleteIf the City Rocket Scientists really wanted to improve the quality of life, they could stop spending money like drunken sailors, fix the potholes and get rid of the bums downtown!
ReplyDeleteI hear the bums really like the new Belden Trail. I wonder if there is any crimes to report there yet???
The problem isn't our leadership. It's the fatasses who have had cushy jobs for too long who are truly running our city and boards. When was the last time anyone ever audited BEDC, United Brownsville, PUB, BCIC, city hall, or GBIC? Our commissioners come and go. Tetreau, Zamora, Martinez, brainless whores who get a few fun years in the spotlight making pointless speeches until replaced. While the real decision makers always held onto their full benefit jobs in shadow. PUB has always given money to worthless back pocket deals and the City is being leeched off of by a new Mayor but was the old Mayor any better? Both him and his opponent were arrested. Ernie Hernandez ran for mayor in 2007, now indicted for public corruption, Pat Ahumada ran for mayor the same year, arrested for his maquinita gaming hall. You have a golf course costing 1 million per year and a bunch of spineless losers who enjoy ordering other people around, going on trips on the taxpayers expense, who looked the other way while Ernie cut his deals and the sports park was a free for all that set our future debt.
ReplyDeleteThese are the people who think raising parking meter fees on the poorest shopkeepers in Texas will improve sales. Seriously. Incompetent lazies too accustomed to a monthly paycheck they've never earned, because the elected officials who oversee them are equally stupid, and at best, a temporary nuisance. Easily replaced, in the next election.
AND THEY'RE ALL DUMBOCRATS PENDEJOS
DeleteWhen I look at brownsville, chubby fat laden faces of carbohydrate overloaded fatulence. Not flatulence... fatulence: living walking farts. A Golden Corral heffer crowd with no self respect, none, faces stuffed with lard, fat, sugar, cokes, and chocolate fountain tortillas, screaming more more! Raise taxes even more, its not enough!
ReplyDeleteOk Ok Rosa Gowen stop insulting the PEOPLE that voted for you.
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ReplyDeleteCalm down, Tetreu. Muesums don't put food in our mouths. A lot of us have to work two or three jobs to survive. We cannot afford to pay to go see a stupid display or much less a $10,000 purse. Wake up and do your job as a commissioner. If you want to serve the museum then resign from your post and go serve on their board. You are taking our tax dollars to serve a very small part of the population who couldn't give a shit about King Tut. I bet you don't have any potholes on your street and I bet the light in the street across from your house works unlike mine. Next year when you have to raise taxes to cover all your dumbass donations you will have to answer to us because it will be election time. Start packing your fake bags because you're as crooked as your big nose and overbite from hell. Oh, and why the fuck to do go to the podium to do your 40,000 proclamations? Nobody wants to see your blubber and are you addressing the commission or us, the audience? Get over yourself you AK's hoodrat.
Peter Goodman and his cronies downtown have a beautiful "historic overlay" and regularly harass property owners to conform to city "historic" rules about renovations, etc. But, the city has no plan for managing the historic facilities that are within that overlay. We have the Historic Association and its facilities downtown, we have the Fine Arts Museum and a significant debt caused by mismanagement, we have the Mitte Cultural District which includes the Children's Museum, Costumes of the Americas Museum, Brownsville Historic Museum, Camille Playhouse and the Zoo. All these activities seek city money, and each has its own board and fund raising activities....for which there is no coordinated calendar. Each has a paid staff staff......with the exception of the Costumes Museum which is managed and operated by volunteers. All respresent efforts to provide positive cultural experiences for the citizens and visitors in Brownsville and Cameron County. Unfortunately, each has its own power base and there is no city cultural umbrella committee or commission to provide assistance and oversight. This failure reflects a major failure by city leaders......especially each is funded in some way by the city and the taxpayers. Entrance or membership fees are low because we are a poor city....this making money to pay a staff is difficult. Each facility is engaged in activities with BISD to encourage students to learn about our history and culture. Unfortunately our citizens really don't care about their history or culture and attendance at cultural events is low. It is time that the city made an effort to "organize" these activities. Above we argue about funding the BFAM....but this article doesn't point out the funds provided to the ZOO.....and if you have ever visited other zoo's in the nation.....Gladys Porter is likely the most expensive.....yet the city provides lots of money to the zoo. If the zoo can't make it without public support......then surely the other activities need help.
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