SMORGASBORD OF CITY COMMISSION ACTIONS AT MEET

 Special to El Rrun-Rrun

City of Brownsville retirees and soon-to-be retirees dodged a bullet for the next 30 days, a slaver's rotting house will stay put for a few months and may not be ready-for-prime-time at the Linear-Park, and the Brownsville Public Utility Board got a surprise member in the person of former Texas Southmost College trustee Art Rendon.

Post-Employment Benefits

City staff had cited escalating Post-Employment Benefits driven by runaway medical costs paid at 100 percent for retirees by the city from they calculated would climb from $1,092,612 for 83 retirees in 2019 to an estimated $205,817,614 in 2050. Each of the retirees averaged about  $10,222 a year at the 100 percent rate subsidy for medical benefits 

Their recommendation – to eliminate the 100 percent subsidy by 25 percent a year for those city workers over the next  five years starting with those retiring after October 1, 2022 and grandfather in those who retired before then – would  remove the estimated $205 million in costs to nothing at the end. 

The reductions would  apply to all new hires and excluded collective bargaining city employees like police and some firefighters.

The city has already taken cost-reducing moves like increasing the medical deductible, drug co-pay, increased out-of-pocket limits and and created a $1 million trust fund that drew about 18 percent interest, all to no avail.

They placed six options before the city commission, options that meant reduced participation and a cap on subsidies of medical benefits for workers set to retire after October 2022, that irked some city commissioners, especially new commissioner Roy De los Santos.

"This may affect people's personal plans, including their financial plans after retirement," said De los Santos. "And it may force some of them to extend their employment until they reach 65 and qualify for Medicare. Some of these workers may have opted to work for the city and forgo better paying employment based on the retirement benefits."

Instead, De los Santos suggested the item be tabled and that the city staff be given an additional 30 days to tweak their proposal and bring it before he commission, a proposal that drew unanimous consent from the rest of the commission.

Other Issues

*Other issues before the commission got short shrift. Citing decreasing revenues that outstripped costs, the city commission approved an increase of rental rates for the Brownsville Events Center averaging 25 to 30 percent for individuals and corporations and kept a 25 percent discount to non-profit organizations.

*The commission approved a $500,000 cash contribution to the Community Development Corporation of Brownsville (AKA Come Dream, Come Build) for their $14 million project to transform the Samano Building downtown at 1158 E. Elizabeth into a Permanent Supportive Housing project building that would provide a small healthy-foods grocery store in the first floor, a small cafe, some 40 units of affordable housing for the homeless, and a hydroponic garden on its roof.

The architect described the project thusly: 

"As a Permanent Supportive Housing project initiated by the Community Development Corporation of Brownville, Samano is a proposed housing project that re-imagines an abandoned five-story office building (approx. 6500 sq.ft.) in downtown Brownsville with over 30 micro-affordable units for local habitants. With the only grocery store in town having recently closed, the project tackles the prevalent “food desert” by locating a grocery store on its ground floor."

The project would employ at least $18 new jobs starting at $10 per-hour and increasing for administrators and supervisors. The $14 million by the CDCB includes the purchase of the property and its restoration and construction of the new amenities.

*The William Neale House relocation to Linear Park to join the Charles Stillman Laurel Ranch building was postponed after both De los Santos and Mayor Trey Mendez said the move was premature given the state of the structure. 

Mendez said that the public had protested when the remnants of the Stillman ranch house – a dilapidated hulk of the original building – was moved to the park.

In October, the majority of the former city commission approved the use of $195,000 to restore and relocate the circa 1850 building and its addition in the rear, which has been falling apart

"The general condition of the building is not good," Mendez said, citing the need for an end-use plan for tis eventual appearance and location int he city. 

"What are we going to do with it before we move it?," Mendez asked. "It's already covered with a tarp."

Unlike the Stillman Ranch House, Mendez said, which is owned by the Brownsville Historical Association, the building belongs to the city.

"This one will be ours," he said. "Can it really be moved?"

"Can any repairs be made previous to it being moved?," asked city commissioner John Cowen, a member of the Cowen family that traces its family roots to Neale. 

In the end, the commission voted to delay its relocation, perform whatever repairs it needed, and to delay moving it until there is an end-use plan, and even to "rethink" approval for the Linear Park location to some other spot in the city. 

Stillman is listed as one of seven slave owner in Cameron County the 1850 census. Neale gained notoriety back then as a former city mayor and as a well-known slave catcher who got paid to go into Mexico to capture the runaways. Cowen's family has been pushing for its restoration and glorification for years, and finally got the city commission to plunk down the cash form its restoration.

Despite the Cowen's family connection to the issue, John Cowen discussed and voted on the matter.

The commission also appointed new members to city boards including:

*New commissioners De los Santos and Pedro Cardenas to the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation. De los Santos said he would accept his appointment to the GBIC if – within 60 days – the city will "bring citizens on board" to replace the commission members. Cardenas was on the GBIC

board when a Ben Neece-Nurith Galonsky-led city commission removed all the board and replaced it with the city commission. Now Neece is gone and Cardenas is a GBIC board member by virtue of the result his victory over Neece in a city runoff election.

A presentation by city commission-appointed CEO Helen Ramirez before the appointments highlighted a "new" tenant – Excel Bobbin, a plastic injection manufacturer – as a tenant in the GBIC's North Industrial Park.

However, Bobbin agreed to a $1 million investment and 20 new jobs for local residents on March 19, 2019, when ousted GBIC CEO Mario Lozoya, signed them on. Talk about stealing other people's thunder. 

* Five members to compose the Tax Increment Reinvestment Board to oversee the Madeira project, a   multi-house project that covers 1,300 acres and to which the developer will invest $137 million with a combined $112 million contributed by he city and Cameron County. 

TRZs, as they are called, allows the developer to collect all tax generated above the benchmark taxes collected before development to pay for their costs in developing the properties within the zone.

* Five new members to the Planning and Zoning Commission to replace outgoing members, including local real-estate magnate and former Casa del Nylon owner Abraham Galonsky. Derek Benavides was reappointed and will be joined by members Eliseo Davila, Troy Whittemore, Ron Mills, and Isla Rodriguez.

* Alberto Velez to the Main Street Advisory Board to replace city commissioner Ben Neece.

* The commissioners approved the reappointment of Sandra Saenz to the PUB board, and did not reappoint Tim Lopez and appointed Brownsville Independent School District administrator Art Rendon to replace him.