CITY COMMISSION, P.U.B., P.U.B. BOARD DROP BALL ON TENASKA REFUND

 

P.U.B. CEO John Bruciak

January 3, 2023  City Commission Report:

After appointing David Ramirez to the City Planning & Zoning Board, then hearing a presentation on eventual, "affordable" broadband throughout the city, Brownsville's City Commission sort of tackled the primary concern of the city's utility rate payers;  getting a refund on the millions of dollars spent for the Tenaska Power Plant that was never built.

Another unresolved issue is dealing with the arrogant CEO of the Public Utilities, John Bruciak, who citizens demanded in a public meeting be suspended without pay.

The PUB Board chose to slap the ratepayers in the face by suspending Bruciak WITH the continued pay of his $303,576 annual salary.  

Nine years ago Bruciak persuaded the City Commission to approve a 7% utility raise 4/1/2013, followed by another 7% raise 10/1/2013, yet another 7% raise 10/1/2014 and an 8% raise 10/1/2015.  The percentages compounded easily exceed 40%.

The purpose of the rate increase was said to be the purchase of 200 megawatts or 25% of an 800 megawatt power plant from the Tenaska Corporation to be named the Tenaska Brownsville Generating Plant.

The deal negotiated by Bruciak was lopsidedly in favor of the Tenaska Corporation with Brownsville's Public Utility paying $345 million or 65% of the total cost of a $500 million power plant, but receiving only 25% of the power.  Almost comically, Brownsville would also be responsible for selling the other 600 watts of produced power.

The rate increases would be used to pay off 20 year bonds to fund the plant.

Construction on the plant was said to start in 2014 with construction completed by 2016.  600-700 temporary jobs for locals were also promised with "23 permanent well-paying jobs."

None of that transpired as the Tenaska Brownsville Generating Plant was never built. 

Almost every city commissioner as well as the mayor ran for office promising to get to the bottom of the Tenaska scandal and make sure the ratepayers got a refund for the utility fees collected but never used on a power plant.

At this evening's City Commission meeting, Commissioner Roy De los Santos burst out of the shoot with a hardline approach:  Remove P.U.B. Board Chair Sandra Saenz for inaction on Bruciak, who'd been suspended for 60 days with pay, but with zero action by the board.

"That's unacceptable!" stated De los Santos, "a failure on the part of the P.U.B. administration that cannot continue."

He cited Sandra Saenz for inaction.

Commissioner Nurith Galonsky, a former P.U.B. Board member herself, was more sympathetic, asking rhetorically "Has Sandra Saenz done anything illegal or unethical?"

Mayor Juan "Trey" Mendez pointed out that removing Saenz from the P.U.B. board would call for a unanimous vote as required by the City Charter, and since Commissioner Pedro Cardenas was absent, not even connected to the meeting via video/audio, no action could be taken.

Commissioner Gowen voiced support of Saenz, voting against her removal.

Commissioner Tetreau, stating that she knew her vote was futile, voted for Saenz removal.

Oddly, P.U.B., having 60 days to consider how to proceed with CEO Bruciak, but taking no action, scheduled a meeting for tomorrow.  LOL!

Tetreau lamented that the City Charter had "tied our hands," forgetting to mention that the absence of Commissioner Pedro Cardenas had done the same.

After Galonsky mentioned that a 3 member panel appointed by the City Commission to investigate and make recommendations to resolve Tenaska had done nothing, Mayor Mendez concurred.

So, the citizen ratepayers, the constituents shafted by the Tenaska deal, get no resolution from the City Commission or P.U.B.

Many exasperated Brownsville ratepayers would probably support the removal of all members of the P.U.B. Board, the entire City Commission and certainly P.U.B. CEO John Bruciak.

The entire group have proved impotent in recovering the millions of dollars billed to the ratepayers unethically, if not illegally.