By Juan Montoya
Sometime back, when State Senator Morgan LaMantia was courting political support, she was told of a possible solution to the chronic economic condition of cash-poor Brownsville Independent School District in contrast to its tax-wealthy neighbor the Point Isabel Independent School District.
Look at the map above closely.
It depicts the southwesternmost boundaries of the Point Isabel ISD. The BISD's eastern boundaries lie across the red boundary line along Highway 48 to the west.
The PI ISD district stretches from the northern reaches of South Padre Island, covers Laguna Vista, and then runs west along State Highway 48, takes in all of the Port of Brownsville, then south along the Rio Grande to Boca Chica beach. SpaceX now lies within its boundaries. SpaceX property taxes will go to PIISD. The district gave SpaceX an incentive to build. The district will not tax the company for anything more than $20 million during the next 10 years.
“It’s good incentive for the company to locate in South Texas. At the same time, it provides the school district the opportunity to increase tax revue on property that was completely undeveloped,” then- PI ISD Superintendent Dr. Lisa Garcia said at the time. The school district estimates they will net about $5 million during the next 10 years. Half of that will go back to the state as part of the re-capture or Robin Hood plan.
The PI ISD district stretches from the northern reaches of South Padre Island, covers Laguna Vista, and then runs west along State Highway 48, takes in all of the Port of Brownsville, then south along the Rio Grande to Boca Chica beach. SpaceX now lies within its boundaries. SpaceX property taxes will go to PIISD. The district gave SpaceX an incentive to build. The district will not tax the company for anything more than $20 million during the next 10 years.
“It’s good incentive for the company to locate in South Texas. At the same time, it provides the school district the opportunity to increase tax revue on property that was completely undeveloped,” then- PI ISD Superintendent Dr. Lisa Garcia said at the time. The school district estimates they will net about $5 million during the next 10 years. Half of that will go back to the state as part of the re-capture or Robin Hood plan.
It is a huge district. For as long as anyone can remember, a bus from PI ISD was sent daily to pick up a lone student on the Boca Chica beach side of the ship channel.
What if the PI ISD and the BISD agreed to letting the BISD extend its boundaries as far as the Jaime Zapata Boat ramp? The PI ISD would lose the tax income from the industry at the Port of Brownsville, SpaceX, and the agricultural taxes south of the ship channel, but it would still have to pitch in to the state's Robin Hood fund (Recapture) because of the tax income it gets from the properties on South Padre Island, even with its lower tax rate. Why not keep those monies here and help out your cash-strapped neighbor?
What if the PI ISD and the BISD agreed to letting the BISD extend its boundaries as far as the Jaime Zapata Boat ramp? The PI ISD would lose the tax income from the industry at the Port of Brownsville, SpaceX, and the agricultural taxes south of the ship channel, but it would still have to pitch in to the state's Robin Hood fund (Recapture) because of the tax income it gets from the properties on South Padre Island, even with its lower tax rate. Why not keep those monies here and help out your cash-strapped neighbor?
LaMantia and her staff that was supposedly "studying" the problem never got back to us.
In fact, the PI ISD has to pitch in some $20 million yearly to the Texas so-called Robin-Hood ("recapture") plan for distribution to property-tax-poor school districts. And it's the only school district in the Rio Grande Valley to have to send money to the state. Brownsville is one of those recipient school districts.
Even if PI ISD gave up the Port and Brownsville ISD got that tax income, PI would still have to send some money to the state and Brownsville would still be receiving some of those state funds.
And fears by PI ISD residents that BISD taxes would be foisted upon them with the envisioned boundary change seem to be unfounded since the BISD proposed boundaries would only extend to as far as the Zapata Boat Ramp and wouldn't go near any residential properties of Port Isabel.
While it's Brownsville residents who put up with the traffic congestion created by port workers and freight, who must deal with the threat of hazardous cargoes rumbling past our schools and neighborhoods, and in the majority of cases educate the children of the majority of port workers, the bulk of the taxes go to the Port Isabel ISD.
Except for a strip of land along the westernmost edge of the Port of Brownsville, nearly all the industry (including Amfels, Transmontaigne, the shipwreckers, the Shrimp Basin, etc.) pay taxes to the PI ISD, not Brownsville schools. The three proposed LNG plants would be the same. Same goes for SpaceX. It, too, lies in the boundaries of the PI ISD.
Brownsville school would probably educate the students who came along with their parents to work there, too.
As far as we know, there are no petrochemical course being taught at the local community colleges. If the plants were to be built tomorrow, the bulk of those "high-paying jobs" – as in the case of SpaceX, – would probably be taken by outside professionals coming from somewhere else, mainly California.
There is still a debate on the desirability of having the LNG plants come here, but regardless of whether they come or not, the same disparity in Port of Brownsville and SpaceX taxes going to PI ISD and not to BISD will remain. LNGs thrown into that scheme will just exacerbate the issue.
And fears by PI ISD residents that BISD taxes would be foisted upon them with the envisioned boundary change seem to be unfounded since the BISD proposed boundaries would only extend to as far as the Zapata Boat Ramp and wouldn't go near any residential properties of Port Isabel.
While it's Brownsville residents who put up with the traffic congestion created by port workers and freight, who must deal with the threat of hazardous cargoes rumbling past our schools and neighborhoods, and in the majority of cases educate the children of the majority of port workers, the bulk of the taxes go to the Port Isabel ISD.Except for a strip of land along the westernmost edge of the Port of Brownsville, nearly all the industry (including Amfels, Transmontaigne, the shipwreckers, the Shrimp Basin, etc.) pay taxes to the PI ISD, not Brownsville schools. The three proposed LNG plants would be the same. Same goes for SpaceX. It, too, lies in the boundaries of the PI ISD.
Brownsville school would probably educate the students who came along with their parents to work there, too.
As far as we know, there are no petrochemical course being taught at the local community colleges. If the plants were to be built tomorrow, the bulk of those "high-paying jobs" – as in the case of SpaceX, – would probably be taken by outside professionals coming from somewhere else, mainly California.
There is still a debate on the desirability of having the LNG plants come here, but regardless of whether they come or not, the same disparity in Port of Brownsville and SpaceX taxes going to PI ISD and not to BISD will remain. LNGs thrown into that scheme will just exacerbate the issue.
How about it PI ISD and the new board over at the BISD?
4 comments:
Actually, San Isidro ISD also forks over Robin Hood payments many years, depending on the value of its mineral rights.
There are people who buy homes in Rio Del Sol because it us for the mist part in the LFISD area.
When lng sets shop where will the port board meet in McAllen?
They'll be dress in an astronauta clown suit.
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