1) Consideration and ACTION to award grant administrative services, RFP #GAS-14-0122, for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding allocation to GrantWorks Inc in the amount of $1,885,750.00. (Financial Services Department)
Special to El Rrun-Rrun
We have written before, as the City of Brownsville administration doles out close to $1 million in consultant fes to outside firms, to do things, we said, that city managers and their assistants did in other cities.
Now we have another such case with the item on tonight's agenda dealing with the overseeing of city funds made available through the federal government in the form of funds received through the ARPA,
City Manager Noel Bernal is recommending GrantWorks Inc., which is identified as "a leading grant management firm (that) specializes in state and federal grant programs covering infrastructure, economic development, housing, and planning services" to manage the federal funds.
"GrantWorks experience includes 40+ years administering and managing state and federally funded projects. Currently, GrantWorks is working with multiple cities and counties across Texas, and other states to manage the funds received through the ARPA, CARES Act, and COVID-19 relief programs, as well as other major state and federal grant programs."
The price tag? How about another $1,885,750? Is that the usual 10 percent of the total grant?
With a top-heavy city administration raking in almost a million in salaries (see graphic below), and consulting contracts totaling $976,420 to help Bernal and his overpaid underachievers, you would think they could manage the federal funds just fine. After all, past city administration would without going outside the city to farm out the millions to consultants.
And Cameron County's Management and Planning eight-person staff is overseeing their federal funds on their own. Their salaries range from director Mark Yates at $85,000 to receptionist/clerks in the $30,000. And in cases where specialized skills are necessary such as housing, the local Community Development organization is used to keep the money here.
Oversight is also provided by the county auditor's office to make sure the grant guidelines are adhered to. The Emergency Management Department also pitches in in case of natural disaster administration and reporting.
The county commissioners decide on policy on how to spend the money, the departments implement them and finance and accounting provide oversight.
Why not the city with all these well-paid bureaucrats and administrators?
"We are losing our institutional continuity," said a former city administrator. "Now nobody knows how to get things done on their own. We've lost a lot of people who did."
27 comments:
El Rata Bernal Lining his friends pockets!!
The business of running a city is a daily exercise, Montoya.
No seas cangrejo, guey!
COB will be spending more money in 2022.
fact.
Y los potholes oooooooh they need a consultant for that toooooooo and another for traffic signal light sync and another for flooding and another for how to control red lights and another on how to hire competent city administrators and and and .......
VOTE ALL OF THEM OUT SPECIALLY THAT ENANO
Strong cold front on the way to RGV
Get out those gloves, scarves and heavy coats because the Rio Grande Valley is about to experience one of the strongest cold fronts it has seen in the past few months.
WRONG COWBOY YOU MEAN THE CHECK BOOKS GAS STOVES, LANTERNS AND KEROSENE HEATERS AND MAYBE EVEN A CONSULTANT!!!!!!
past few months - WHAT? YOU MEAN SINCE LAST YEAR
REALLY?? I mean REALLY??
This doesn’t even smell right! More skullduggery in the works!
They need more consultants to fix the shitty streets and flooding! It never ends.
Aqui huele algo. Sera que es celoso el Montoya, ya que le tumbaron a la Helen?
Pos si, tio. Que mas puede ser?
This is the result of voting Democrat...don’t expect anything but Skullduggery when you get a bunch of Mexicans together.
If they have a consultant, it's time for everyone in county city commissioners, mayor and BERNAL and sex for hire friends to go elsewhere. Mayor to blame. I see Helen Ramirez at work. Está toda aguada.
We want transparency.
Fun fact…….
“A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it begins to add up to real money.”
This quip is universally ascribed to Senator Everett Dirksen (1896–1969), but in 1938 the New York Times printed: “Well, now, about this new budget. It’s a billion here and a billion there, and by and by it begins to mount up into money.”
Why do the idiot commissioners keep Bernal? He is applying for city manager positions everywhere! The CULERO is looking for another job… he wants to get the hell out of here… but he will take our money. Fuck that puto!
Eddie Lucio El cagado, is stepping down early. Yeah baby.
VOTE ERIN ELIZABETH GAMEZ.
Pinche enano culero!
January 18, 2022 at 7:34 PM
La trias caliente con los mejicanos gueyon maricon. No llores cuando te toque (el cieso guey!)...
racista republicano coco mamon, amante de los gringos/cocos
BERNAL wherever you go I will make sure they have my current events of you and friends.
Scum!!!!!!
Yup hope El Rata Bernal takes his Ball a** Licker and wife Chef Felix Sauceda-Bernal with him...
CITY Manager Bernal is a terrible City Manager has cut cost everywhere but tripled his salary and salaries of his all th assistance he has hired!!
This is ridiculous! Where are the commissioners? Are they really paying attention to Bernal's madness? Meanwhile the city employees are all hoping for better working conditions, but of course they're the last on the list. Don't be surprised when they leave looking for better opportunities elsewhere. That's including first responders and skilled employees that are undervalued and unappreciated. Bernal really, how is your role benefiting our City's growth? How can you explain huge disparities between the cuts in employees benefits and the expenditures in your agenda? Commissioners don't you see this are unnecessary expenses?
Last night our temperature was about 49 Degrees and our neighborhood lost electrical power for about 1 1/2 hours. PUB what happened to pre-preparedness for this cold weather? It happens too often in our neighborhood. Maybe get someone in the new palace needs to research which areas are common to failure, restore new parts and don't just rig them. Use some of the unused Tenaska money you took from us and stop putting band-aids on our city and county problems.
So what's his expertise? How to hire consultants and family and friends? No wonder! now we know. Who's running for er-election? THEY NEED TO GO.
Yup hope El Rata Bernal takes his Ball a** Licker and wife Chef Felix El Culero Sauceda-Bernal with him...
January 18, 2022 at 7:34 PM
and if you get a bunch of gringos together - you get red-ass racist republicans love to kiss trump's ass
Juan heard that Noel Bernal might be the next city manager in Weslaco Texas. check it out, did he apply over there since he is under fire here in Brownsville.
Juan so Bernal hired another consultant for $1.8 million, ? So does that mean that our city staff, asst to the city manager, grant writers and asst city managers dont know how to do this type of work or have any idea? NO POS WOW> So what happen to all those college degrees these city employees have? and not degrees like on a thermometer Really they dont know how to do the work, then fire them including bernalito. time to take out the trash, So does that mean la asst city manager Helen also dont know what to do except well you know what. AGUAS.
Brownsville Police Chief Felix Sauceda Bernal costing the City of Brownsville Millions of Dollars from civil lawsuits..
One from the shooting death of a unarmed subject.
The in custody death of a man who was tased to death.
The in custody death of a female who was placed inside the jail handcuffed and placed faced down leading to her death.
Internal lawsuits also beginning to mount with the latest being prepared in reference to a 8 hour shift used as punishment shift for Officers.
All gonna cost the City of Brownsville Millions of Dollars 💵 $$$!
#worstchiefever...
Remember El Rata Bernal hired a unqualified Police Chief just because Felix El Culero Sauceda-Bernal begged for the job and agreed to do it a a senior patrolman pay level..and now is gonna cost millions to the City and citizens of Brownsville as his lack of knowledge, leadership and incompetence from wrongful death lawsuits to internal lawsuits.
Felix El Culero Sauceda es Puro pinche mugrero!
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