GBIC Board Meeting, 2/18/16: De Leon Wants GBIC and BCIC Board Meetings Shifted to City Commission Chambers

GBIC Attorney Mark Sossi, Board Members John Cowen, David Betancourt, Debbie Portillo, and Cesar de Leon.  City Finance Manager Lupe Granado(Photo by Nena Barton)

This blog publisher has talked till hoarse about making city board meetings more accessible to the taxpayers.  Typically, visitors sit on the fringe of a large table, nearly out of hearing of the discussion taking place.  Board members, without microphone enhancement or the will to speak loudly enough or distinctly enough for visitors to hear, discuss business involving millions of dollars of taxpayer money.  That description particularly applies to the GBIC and BCIC boards responsible for dispersing millions of Brownsville taxpayer dollars, 4A and 4B funds, on economic development and quality of life projects.

At Thursday's GBIC board meeting, City Commissioner Cesar de Leon introduced an agenda item to change the city bylaws to allow the GBIC and BCIC board meetings to be moved to the City Commission chambers on Elizabeth Street. 

De Leon stated this change would make the meetings "more transparent,"  as well as more accessible to the taxpayers.  He cited the "beautiful chambers we don't really make full use of." as a "user friendly forum."  

City and GBIC Attorney Mark Sossi offered to "draft a provision to bring this back for a vote next month," but admonished "we need to do this just once," asking other board members to submit proposed changes to the bylaws to be included in his draft.