The members of the Brownsville Public Utility Board voted to approve an agenda item during Monday's teleconference meeting that will suspend penalties for late payments and utility disconnects for the duration of the state's disaster declaration over the COVID-19 crisis.
According to a Facebook post by Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez - an ex-oficio member of the board - the board also approved $2 million to the project SHARE fund which will be used to provide up to $200 per month toward residential utility payments to qualifying elderly, disabled and unemployed customers.
Details will follow, Mendez wrote, in a press release to be issued by the PUB administration Tuesday.
Mendz also said the PUB will also provide assistance to PUB ratepayers who have lost their jobs because of the CODIV-19 crisis.
The PUB discarded the idea of forgiving both commercial and residential utility bills retroactive to the time that businesses and individuals were negatively impacted by closures and lay-offs. Some said the utility should forgive the bills accrued by all ratepayers for the disaster period since they have been paying artificially-high utility prices since 2013 to 2020 to fund a $500 million gas-generated Tenaska electric plant that has never been built.
PUB has received more than $100 million in cash from the increased rates from residential and commercial rate payers since then. Mendez said he was thankful for PUB's "hard work and creativity." It's the very least one could expect, given the fact that they were rewarded handsomely by PUB ratepayers for their "creativity.'"
In 2020 alone, the three will receive: CEO John Bruciak: $303,576, Asst. GM Fernando Saenz: $273,603, CFO Leandro Garcia $263,286 = $840,665
In the last three years, their salary totals $2,458,958, about $500,000 more than the $2 million they are doling out to the ratepayers who pay for their salaries.
We should be thankful of their "generosity?" It's but a piddling amount compared to the "assistance" rate payers have given the top three PUB executives in the last three years.
BY THE NUMBERS: $2 MILLION IN "ASSISTANCE"
Number of people who could be assisted by $2 MILLION at $200 each: 10,000 ratepayersAmount paid top three PUB executives in the last three (3) years; $2,458,958 ($2.46 MILLION)
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The PUB will announce details of how individuals can apply to qualify for the assistance and how the utility and the city will facilitate those target populations to apply since many do not have access to the Internet. Given the computer illiteracy among this target group, one can only imagine the hoops and hurdles that will be placed before them.
The board also approved th request by the PUB administration to suspend the applicability of the Public Information Act requirements to provide information requests from individuals and the public
Mendez indicated that the agenda item had been approved by the board. Numerous sources have confirmed that federal investigators are probing how a $1.3 million payment to Noble Construction was rerouted to a different bank and account by the PUB Finance Dept. without the company's knowledge.
The PUB has not responded to city administration inquiries on the issue. If PUB is granted the suspension of the PIA, the utility may put off responding to inquiries on the subject - and any other subject - if the Texas Attorney General approved the suspension.
Both the utility and Tenaska, the private energy company that signed a Memorandum Of Understanding on the plant's construction, have objected to the release of the document to the public despite numerous requests.
14 comments:
Yea 2mill out of the over $100 mill they have over charged us in the past 7yrs.PUB just threw out a bone people don't fall for it they think that Brownsville rate payers are stupid.Theircalling you suckers to your face and laughing.
The city commission that approved the Tenaska deal was either in a coma or complicit in the power plant scam. It will be interesting to see what the current commission does with this.
Funny how the PUB failed to mention they have a $100 million in their rainy day fund. People, realize this has been worse than a rainy day, these are the kind of catastrophic events that are the culprit of a rainy day fund, now is the time to use it! So the PUB passed a $2 million incentive to help the needy, let’s do a little math here, let’s average a $200 PUB bill (ya right, more like $300-$350), this will allow assistance for roughly 10,000 people, we are a city of 200K, this only helps 5% of the citizens of Brownsville, I’m pretty sure the unemployment rate is much greater than 5% of the population of Brownsville, I’m almost positive about that. It is apparent this is an act of the PUB pretending to do something when they really don’t want to but due to the critical nature of this situation they act only at the most minimal level, failing to bring up Tenaska debt they owe its citizens, failing to allow all citizens to get back on their feet, failing to be a proper public utility they claim to be. Let’s face it, we all hate you and would love to have other options. Trey Mendez, you are quick to post what the PUB has done but fail to post what they didn’t do. Once again you let your voters down as you act in compliance with the machine that has given you political success, you should have acted in favor of the people for the greater good of Brownsville, shame on you, shame on you, and shame on the people that elected you. Step up and fight the good fight sir, Oh, I just realized you are standing
Red Wagon Pantry steps in to help homeless
We need more people to step up and help not write essays to look good or give US ideas about the environment or bring black ducks and plants that will do more damage. Black ducks and bike trails are NOT toys for us
Bookem Danno
This is their way of manipulating the public, by making them think that they are giving them monies in return for NOT answering to the Public Information Act.
Juan Seriously i am very surprised that the PUC-Public Utility Commission of Texas has not investigate into this BrownPUBgate Electrical scandal at all??? Makes you wonder if they are on the take too???
Juan can you look into the two consulting contracts as recommended by the CEO Bruciak and awarded to Focused Advocacy, and The Garcia Group at the last PUB board meeting and what these are for and how much they cost $$$$$?
WHERE'S MY CHECK???
Pura pinche rata de dos patas en PUB
Juan fyi bruciak and wife gail both have been working at PUB and City of Brownsville since the mid 1980's, thats 30 some years plus.
THEY ALL NEED TO GO TO PRISON ASAP..
All these idiots need to retire you've sucked on the city for far too long and lately been getting into that cookie jar trying to get that golden parachute.GET OUT!!
The have a choice fla or houston...
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