Brownsville Public Utilities Board today? If you did, you were probably in line for hours as many Brownsville residents trying to pay their bills in person were. The parking lots were full to overflowing with cars parked on the adjoining roads and businesses. At the drive-through, the line of cars stretched past the entrance to the parking lot to PUB across from a child day-care center and was snaking its way toward the Oliveira Middle School campus. With the characteristic impatience of Brownsville and Matamoros drivers, cars were honking, circling the parking lot looking for an opportunity to snatch an empty parking slot and walking more than half a block to the PUB building. Once inside (if you could get inside), you were met with a line to pay at the tellers that snaked its way out the payment office, through the lobby and out the outer doors toward the parking lot on the north side. Likewise, the line to make arrangements to pay or to get an extension was just as long. We rant into a disgusted Joe Paredes, who works for a bail bonds company and was helping a lady pay her utility bill. He said he had been waiting for two hours to get in the door. "They closed for Cesar Chavez Day on Thursday and Friday, too," he said. "With people living from paycheck to paycheck, they could have realized that many people have to make arrangements to avoid getting their electricity cut off." Many Brownsville people do not have access to the internet or have computers at home to make payments electronically so physically going to the PUB is their only recourse to having their utility service disrupted. A hefty $75 reconnect fee will result if this happens. With people struggling to make their payments, the added onus of the surcharge forces them to wait in line. And you might as well forget about trying to reach anyone by phone. By now the PUB administration should know that. Perhaps providing a skeleton crew to take payments during holidays may prevent lines and inconveniences such as those endured this Monday. In any case, something has to be done.
Monday, April 4, 2011
PUB DOING LAND RUSH BUSINESS ON MONDAY
By Juan Montoya Great Cesar's Ghost! Did you try to make a payment or arrangements to pay at the 
Brownsville Public Utilities Board today? If you did, you were probably in line for hours as many Brownsville residents trying to pay their bills in person were. The parking lots were full to overflowing with cars parked on the adjoining roads and businesses. At the drive-through, the line of cars stretched past the entrance to the parking lot to PUB across from a child day-care center and was snaking its way toward the Oliveira Middle School campus. With the characteristic impatience of Brownsville and Matamoros drivers, cars were honking, circling the parking lot looking for an opportunity to snatch an empty parking slot and walking more than half a block to the PUB building. Once inside (if you could get inside), you were met with a line to pay at the tellers that snaked its way out the payment office, through the lobby and out the outer doors toward the parking lot on the north side. Likewise, the line to make arrangements to pay or to get an extension was just as long. We rant into a disgusted Joe Paredes, who works for a bail bonds company and was helping a lady pay her utility bill. He said he had been waiting for two hours to get in the door. "They closed for Cesar Chavez Day on Thursday and Friday, too," he said. "With people living from paycheck to paycheck, they could have realized that many people have to make arrangements to avoid getting their electricity cut off." Many Brownsville people do not have access to the internet or have computers at home to make payments electronically so physically going to the PUB is their only recourse to having their utility service disrupted. A hefty $75 reconnect fee will result if this happens. With people struggling to make their payments, the added onus of the surcharge forces them to wait in line. And you might as well forget about trying to reach anyone by phone. By now the PUB administration should know that. Perhaps providing a skeleton crew to take payments during holidays may prevent lines and inconveniences such as those endured this Monday. In any case, something has to be done.
Brownsville Public Utilities Board today? If you did, you were probably in line for hours as many Brownsville residents trying to pay their bills in person were. The parking lots were full to overflowing with cars parked on the adjoining roads and businesses. At the drive-through, the line of cars stretched past the entrance to the parking lot to PUB across from a child day-care center and was snaking its way toward the Oliveira Middle School campus. With the characteristic impatience of Brownsville and Matamoros drivers, cars were honking, circling the parking lot looking for an opportunity to snatch an empty parking slot and walking more than half a block to the PUB building. Once inside (if you could get inside), you were met with a line to pay at the tellers that snaked its way out the payment office, through the lobby and out the outer doors toward the parking lot on the north side. Likewise, the line to make arrangements to pay or to get an extension was just as long. We rant into a disgusted Joe Paredes, who works for a bail bonds company and was helping a lady pay her utility bill. He said he had been waiting for two hours to get in the door. "They closed for Cesar Chavez Day on Thursday and Friday, too," he said. "With people living from paycheck to paycheck, they could have realized that many people have to make arrangements to avoid getting their electricity cut off." Many Brownsville people do not have access to the internet or have computers at home to make payments electronically so physically going to the PUB is their only recourse to having their utility service disrupted. A hefty $75 reconnect fee will result if this happens. With people struggling to make their payments, the added onus of the surcharge forces them to wait in line. And you might as well forget about trying to reach anyone by phone. By now the PUB administration should know that. Perhaps providing a skeleton crew to take payments during holidays may prevent lines and inconveniences such as those endured this Monday. In any case, something has to be done.
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rita
4 comments:
Just another demonstration of lack of the public by a public entity. PUB wanted the day off more than they wanted to serve the public at the end of the month. Typical Brownsville Public Service attitude. Few PUB officials who made this poor decision live month to month. Shows who they serve...themselves.
What commissioners approved the higher reconnection fees, Juan?
http://www.texastribune.org/library/data/government-employee-salaries/brownsville-isd/?page=1
Who, who, who is getting the calabazas, tomates y cebollas?
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