SEPULVEDA AND GARCIA: LIVING HIGH OFF THE HOG. AND YOU THOUGHT CAMERON COUNTY WAS BROKE?

By Juan Montoya

Remember the whole controversy that erupted when the Cameron County commissioners court felt it needed to raise property taxes to balance its 2011-2012 budget?
Well, in order to forestall a $3, 000, 123 million shortfall, that's is exactly what they did.
By a 4-1 vote ( the "yes" votes were County Judge Carlos Cascos, Precinct 3 commissioner David Garza, Precinct 4 commissioner Dan Sanchez, and Precinct 2 commissioner Ernie Hernandez. The lone "nay" vote was cast by Precinct 1 commissioner Sofia Benavides.) the commission bit the bullet and approved the increase.
Not only that, but they also opted to increase bridge and pedestrian tolls as well as decrease the amount transferred to the county self-insurance fund and indigent health payments to Valley Baptist.
They declined to forgo property-tax discounts for early payers or approve furloughs for county employees and elected officials as Benavides had proposed.
This, supposedly, after cutting and paring all they could from the diverse county departments.
But guess what? They missed something.
If they had merely inspected the salaries of two county employees, they would have discovered that these two alone (and they're not even elected officials) rake in more than $500,000 ($529,534, to be exact) in salaries and benefits alone. In fact, some could make the argument that both are guilty of double dipping at taxpayers' expense.
We speak of County Supervisor Pete Sepulveda and his able administrative assistant David Garcia.
Below is Sepulveda 's take from the county coffers and the Regional Mobility Authority where both are also employed. The county budget filed with the County Clerk reveals that this pair is doing very well, tank you. What budget deficit?

County Airport Manager: $5,602
Planning and Inspection: $53,980
Veterans Bridge: $48,516
Los Indios Bridge: $19,391
Gateway Bridge: $14,151
Total (county) $141,580
Reg. Mob. Auth.: $75,00


Total (Salary): $216,580
30 percent benefits (est.): $73,190
(Grand total): $288,770


Below are the same numbers for Garcia:

Planning and Inspection (asst.): $56,089
Veterans Bridge (Assistant): $16,222
Los Indios Bridge (Asst.): $16,222
Gateway Bridge (Asst.): $17,121
Total (County) $105,654
Reg. Mob. Auth.: $75,000


Total (Salary) $180,654
30 percent benefits (est.): $60,210
(Grand Total): $240,864

Some interesting questions arise from these obscene figures; When these two gents are working for the RMA, why are they still getting paid by the county? And when Sepulveda takes Garcia on travel (which he always does), do the county taxpayers still pay him for not being here?

They each make more than General Manager John S. Bruciak, PE, $184,059, and he runs a multi-million utility and development enterprise. The top salary at the Brownsville Independent School District is listed as the former superintendent Brett Springston at $198,000. In fact, these two make more than the director of the Port of Brownsville.

About the only one that makes more than them is UTB's Juliet Garcia, who's been working that racket for the last 20 years and now rakes in some $336,000.

How was this allowed to happen? And will this double- and triple-dipping continue while taxpayers have to dish out more money to balance these gentlemen's budgets?

Their idea of cutting budgets? When Garcia was asked about ideas he might suggest to trim the fat by Commissioner Ernie Hernandez, he though long and hard and said that if they eliminated a mail-room position ($25,000 a year) held by a new hire, they could make a dent in the deficit.

As long as you don't touch my cheese, commish!