City Commission Meeting, 5/6/14~More Spending From the AEP Texas Settlement Fund

Pastor Brad Burke

After the U.S. and Texas flags had received their pledges of allegiance, Pastor Brad asked "the Lord God" to bless the City Commission, after which he basked in the glow of a successful "prayer night for our country, city and state" at Sam's Stadium.  Not one to hog the credit, Brad made it clear that "others" had worked long hours to get God's attention at that event held May 1.

After Brad's prayer, the City Commission stuck a knife deeply in the backs of Brownsville taxpayers, more than doubling their parking meter fees downtown and giving away the development of the Port of Brownsville railway line to OmniTRAX, owned by a Denver high roller.  The railway giveaway was in the form of Resolution 2014-039, while the parking meter raise was cleverly concealed in the "Consent Agenda '"a" through "m."  It was Item "d," passed, without a whimper, despite 18 out of 20 speaking at a town hall forum being against it.(This City Commission does not listen to the citizens nor and blocks the broadcast of Public Comment.)  

Two higher ticket items dipped back into the AEP Texas Settlement Fund: The $115,000 earmarked for the remodeling of 609. 611 and 615 E. 11th Street, to be turned into a museum, a Downtown Revitalization Headquarters and a Brownsville Police Department substation.  I suspect the lease on the old Downtown Brownsville Revitalization Information Office at 1101-A E. Washington Street, leased from October 8, 2013 will not be renewed.  Also, $175,000 for the city's part in the shortfall on Brownsville Metro's downtown parking garage.

Commissioner Debbie Portillo

Commissioner Debbie Portillo asked Assistant Finance Director Lupe Granado how much was left in the AEP Texas Refund balance after the two large expenditures. Inexplicably, Lupe didn't know. Commissioner Ricardo Longoria, lately grandstanding, said:  "Well, we need to know," but didn't actually press the matter. It's just subtraction, Lupe, but subtraction the commissioners themselves should have been able to do.  Remember, it was Portillo, along with Commissioner Villarreal, who had questioned the mayor's spending from the $3,060,000 AEP Texas Fund January 27 with this agenda item:
2. Consideration and ACTION to acknowledge the expenditures paid from the AEP lawsuit settlement proceeds and to approve an expenditure budget from the remaining proceeds.(Commissioners J. Villarreal/D. Portillo)

At that time, the Mayor had spent nearly $400,000 our of the fund, so last night's two expenditures removed another $290,000, leaving about $2.37 million.  

Mayor Tony Martinez

Martinez seemed unclear as to which downtown parking garage was being funded, unless he was simply asking a rhetorical question:   "So, this is for the parking garage to be built across from the multi-modal facility?" he asked.  Actually, Martinez was probably jet-lagged as he was pictured on Facebook May 5th with outgoing UTB President Juliet Garcia in Washington D.C.  

Assistant Brownsville Metro Director Andrew Munoz, explained that the additional funds for the parking garage were "owner items," for "testing the concrete, the welds," etc. procedures not covered by the buildings initial funding.  He described the future garage as "4 stories, with the lower story committed to retail shops and restaurants."