You recall that in the rush to force the Texas Southmost College trustees to approve the Operating Agreement for the University of Texas at Brownsville-Texas Southmost College partnership, board counsel Daniel Rentfro stressed his faith that state funding would be available though the good offices of the UT System?
"...we have a very strong commitment from the UT System to pursue the funding, and I believe that this agreement provides the best chance of enhanced funding for the UTB-TSC in the near future," Rentfro gushed in a letter to the TSC trustees.
Apparently, Dan hasn't been privy to the efforts by TSC (his own employer) and local state representatives to collect on the deadbeat UT System for back rent on TSC property and buildings now climbing past $10.8 million.
In fact, the payment shortfalls from the UT System to TSC date back to 1994, 16 year ago. In fact, UT began becoming in arrears on its partnership obligations only three years after the 1991 agreement was inked.
In a letter date May 26, 2009, State Rep. Rene Oliveira recounts the long sordid tale reminiscent of a renter trying to collect on a deadbeat tenant.
Addressed to TSC trustees, Oliveira provides a briefing of his efforts in the Texas Legislature to recoup the funds from either the UT System or the legislature.
"The payment of the debt became a legislative priority of the UT System after (I)... had meetings with Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa, and the UT Vice Chancellor for Governmental Affairs Barry McBee early in the legislative session to bring the lease debt matter to their attention," Oliveira wrote.
"In return, we (TSC) agreed to forgo the very contentious and difficult legislative task of attempting to force UTB into the Permanent University Fund," Oliveira affirmed.
(The PUF is a state endowment contributing to the support of 18 institutions and 6 agencies associated with the University of Texas System and The Texas A&M University System. The local entity, UTB-TSC is part of that system. The PUF was established by the Texas Constitution in 1876 with land grants.
The PUF lease land holdings are composed of 2.1 million acres, primarily in West Texas. The PUF's strategy is to invest in a broadly diversified portfolio of fixed income and Article VII of the Texas Constitution assigns responsibility for managing the PUF Lands.
In August, the Permanent University’s board announced that it had completed a record-breaking oil and gas lease sale in West Texas that will bring $206 million to the fund.
Only UTB-TSC and UT-Pan American in Edinburg do not share in the PUF's distribution as a result of an agreement that would let them join the UT System. Both institutions have a student population well over 90 percent Hispanic.)
Oliveira notes that the Legislative Budget Board "acknowledges the debt to be $10,861,150." Although the item was included as one of many UT System priorities, it failed to receive general revenue funding in the current climate of tight state revenue, he said.
In denying then funding, Oliveira said that Sen. Steve Ogden, chairman of the Senate finance Committee, House Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts, and Vice Chairman Raymond, said that because the lease money was owed by UTB and the UT System to TSC, funding should be sought from the UT System budget.
When Oliveira sought to attach a rider to an appropriation bill "the System countered with two separate riders" calling for a study of the lease agreement..., omitting any obligation or time frame to pay back the lease funds.
Oliveira ends his letter saying that an an attorney and a a legislator, he believes TSC has a strong case in seeking the $10.8 million reimbursement from the UT System given its acknowledgement of its debt, but continues that "despite all of the above, the System will likely urge legal defenses and set offs for services rendered" to avoid paying its debt.
Now Dan, does this sound like someone you would believe when they tell you that they have given you a "strong commitment" to seek state funding from the legislature for TSC if the trustees approve the partnership turning over all the assets (real estate and bank deposits) to them?
If you do, we have this bridge we want to sell you.
7 comments:
Just got back from Austin for two weeks,and I was looking for the Tribune, and it is off the inter-net. Can anyone bring me up to date as to what happen to Mr. Patricio Alcatraz. I know he was bloggin in a Harlingen blog, but I can't find anything on him there either. Or any of his alieses, I know, I like to read the short stories they post when I am down here in the Valley. Man, talking about slowing down, the Valley hasn't change. I might have to go back, sooner than I thought. The water at the beack is getting way to cold.
The effort described by Dan Rentfro that UT System will "pursue" funding is a meaningless way of saying "we may get funding and we may not"...not very secure for us. UT System owes TSC and the Brownsville community about $38 million and their efforts to "persue" payment have not been realized...even with local state legislators on the key committees to get money from the state. By turning TSC...its finances, its buildings and its property...including the right to tax local citizens....is foolish and we put out community college and all the debts into the hands of politicians, and we know we can't trust them and they don't represent a majority to effect repayment or effective management. We should not turn over all our assets to UTB on the promise that they will "persue" payment. When we lose control or a voice in how TSC tax dollars are spent, we can expect to be screwed. Juliet likes this because she is protected by UT System and can then act independently of the local citizens. That's bad. Bad deal and we should oppose turning over things to UT System.
(What happen to Mr. Patricio Alcatraz)
The fact is that he never existed. He was a sock puppet of Duardo Paz Martinez. His blog dealt in make believe subjects. And DPM would get extremely upset when commenters would question his fantasies, to the point that he started banning them for that "offense". Obviously you were one of those who had much interest in make believe, huh? Anyway, his comment count was finally reduced to 1-2 comments every other day, so he decided to just up and quit.
Why should the community listen to Dan Rentfro...he works for Juliet Garcia and, like her other puppets, will say anything she wants him to say. Its time to listen to the TSC Trustees, not some hired hand. Hopefully the Trustees will have the "huevos" to take action on behalf of the community, not on behalf of Juliet Garcia's effort to control the university to suit her; not to serve the public.
Dan Rentfro's Failures:
1. Rentfro was supposed to get us into PUF. He failed.
2. Rentfro was supposed to collect the lease dollars owed by UTB to TSC. He failed.
3. Rentfro was supposed to represent the TSC District and its Board of Trustees. He has conspicuously, deliberately failed here, endeavoring to destroy TSC to UTB's benefit.
Anonymous, I read some of Mr. Martinez comments on a harlingen blog, but the rumor is he had a fall out with the web-master.
I swear, weird things happen in the Valley, a ghost writer, writing fantasies.
And now writer disappears. What a story.
The Tribune is right there. Are you dense?
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