Get ready for the latest incarnation of City of Brownsville manager Helen Ramirez's "Total Alignment Vision" ordinance for downtown parking.
After her and her minions' original ordinance was shot down after they envisioned a huge area for "downtown" that roughly included going down Levee Street to Palm Boulevard, all the way down to I-69, took in the Mitte Cultural District, Linear Park, veered of to International Boulevard and to the international bridges, they scaled it down a bit for the ordinance's second reading. If approved by the city commission Tuesday on second reading, the new "vision" will include:
1. A $1 an hour parking cost to everyone who parks in the newly-declared parking "zones," including residents and business owners, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. whether parking meters or automated machines are present. For example, on the stretch of Madison Street from E. 9th Street to E. 16th Street, the stretch from E. 10th to International Blvd., and on St. Charles from E. 7th to E. 12th, where no meters or machines exist, the charge will apply. The same applies to all the areas identified in the ordinance as parking zones.
2. City parking officers expect that motorists will pay for the parking either through the automated machines which will cover them in all parking zones (whether metered or not) or through an application (App) or be subject to a parking citation. Theoretically, one could pay for a vehicle parking in downtown Brownsville from New York using the App.
3. Will make available parking permits or placards to downtown residents and businesses at $60 a month in city-owned parking lots, on a first-come, first-served basis, which obviously do not have enough parking spaces for even half or a quarter of the spaces needed, and opens up the possibility of favoritism in awarding them.
4. Residential parking within the zones will also be charged at $1 an hour between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., unless they have a permit at a city parking lot. And while the property owner or renter can park on the street in front of the home they occupy between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m., the $1 per hour charge will apply during the day to whoever parks there.
6. After three violations are issued and one letter of notice is sent for the violator to appear in municipal court, the city can "boot" the vehicle, impound it, and charge storage and retrieval fees
Once the second reading is approved by the city commission Tuesday, parking enforcement officers will use the license plates entered into the automated system in all the parking zones listed above to issue citations if the vehicle does not appear to have paid ($10 a pop, which increase to $20 if not paid within 10 days, and a $25 administrative fee for three or more unpaid violations). The ordinance calls for the fines to be placed in a vehicle parking fund controlled by the city manager:
(1) Established. The City of Brownsville hereby establishes the motor vehicle parking system fund. Said fund shall be maintained in a separate bank account from all other city funds. Revenue derived from parking pay stations shall first be allocated for operations and maintenance costs of the downtown area. Any surplus revenue from this fund is reserved for one-time capital costs for downtown, with city manager’s or designee’s approval, and city commission’s approval when required by law, to include improvement projects such as events( cyclobias?), new equipment.
Some problems with this new Total Alignment parking "vision" become immediately obvious:
1. Some people do not have smart phones and cannot understand what an "App" is or how to use one. This is especially true of the elderly and those who are not computer literate.
2. Out-of-town visitors – especially from Matamoros or the rest of Mexico or the rest of the United States here for Charro Days or other festivities – will have problems because they won't know where to pay their parking fee
3. While those with handicapped permits could park anywhere during the COVID 19 pandemic, they are now restricted to handicapped parking spaces. Do they know?
Business owners and residents who are downtown most of the day – if they do not get a valued parking permit or placard for $60 a month at a city-owned parking lot – will end up paying $48 a week (8 hours at $1 a day x 6 days), $192 per month, and $2,304 a year.
Prediction from the Rrun-Rrun crystal ball: People will get so frustrated that they will no longer come downtown and risk getting parking citations or dealing with the byzantine parking zones and all their exceptions and/or inclusions.
To read all of the ordinance, click on link: https://civicclerk.blob.core.windows.net/stream/BROWNSVILLETX/59f4b193-28ca-49ad-82f8-56ac21d4edc8.pdf?sv=2022-11-02&st=2023-08-12T12%3A37%3A49Z&se=2024-08-12T12%3A42%3A49Z&sr=b&sp=r&sig=ELPARzdI4QpybNil3HYPWf%2F%2FOaHqq4imDTKdWIzxHv8%3D
45 comments:
Stupidity at its finest. The city administrators should eliminate all parking meters. Free parking! We need business especially from Mexico. And it's true, people will get frustrated and refuse to no longer visit the downtown area. Helen Ramirez reminds me of Sarah Palin a pretty face but no brains.
HELEN RAMIREZ NEEDS TO GO
Tough shit! Learn to use the meters or face the wrath! Thank you Ramiro Gonzalez, you will always be remembered through the "ebbs and flow" for your shitty parking meters and screwed up downtown street lights.
Its to make more money to spend on bike trails and other goodies (for them) of course. LIke mocis.
y los pot holes flooding airport traffic signals lights etc etc etc.
Y LINDA LOU QUE? YA SE CAMBIO? VENDIO? MOCHIS TAMBIEN?
DIDN'T TAKE LONG FOR HER TO CHANGE. ITS LA FERIA of course it is!!!
Who is their right mind is going to go shopping downtown?
Puro Chino-Japonez!
5:17am.
YOU HAVE NO BRAINS IF YOU THINK HELEN RAMIREZ HAS A PRETTY FACE.
SHE LOOKS OLD.
THESE CITY PEOPLE CANNOT UNDERSTAND THERE ARE MORE SERIOUS PROBLEMS TO FIX. BEFORE YOU START ANOTHER 10 MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT.
I RECOMMEND/SUGGEST PUT SUPER GLUE IN THE METERS. SO THEY CAN PUT KNEW ONES IN LATER.
PEOPLE IN BROWNSVILLE CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY THAT HIGH INCREASE.
WHEN THIS TAKES EFFECT AND FAILS, SHE, HELEN RAMIREZ WILL BE GONE.
LOOK AT THE POTHOLES, PAINT THE LINES ON THE STREET, CLEAN THE DRAINAGE SYSTEM,TRIM TREES, TAKE AWAY CREDIT CARD FROM STAFF, PHONE ALLOWANCE, EXPENSIVE TRIPS,CAR ALLOWANCE, CLOSING OFFICE DURING LUNCH TIME,FIRE ALL THE EXTRA ASSISTANT (ORGY PARTNERS THAT'S ALL THEY ARE GOOD FOR), GET ALL FIRE AND POLICE ON DIETS(THIS WILL GET HELEN FIRED),FIX BUS SHELTERS, BUILD SIDEWALKS, SYNCHRONIZE TRAFFIC 🚦, BUILD UP THE PARKS THEY HAVE ALL BEEN THE SAME SINCE THE 1970S, (EXCEPT FOR ERNESTO GAMEZ PARK HE DID THAT ON HIS OWN AND YOU DIDN'T LEARN FROM HIM AND NO MORE RACKET BALL GAMES FOR GAMEZ WE NEED YOU GOD BLESS YOU MR GAMEZ),USE SOAP WHEN CLEANING DOWNTOWN EVERYTHING STINKS, AND HELEN RAMIREZ YOU SMELL LIKE WET BUTT ONE WEEK OLD SHIT!!!
This is very confusing. Government should be easy. Can you all go by colors: pink no fees purple: pay a fee blue: do not park here
or something like that
or use an ICON with MONEY SIGNS NO $ YES $$
We need information about FREE PARKING downtown. Where can you park and there will be no fees? Immaculate Conception has parking, Pay taxes office: has free parking
They want more money to fix more canneries for the gringos and loads (grants no payback) to the rich and famous.
check out the owners of those canneries are.
Juanito who owns them? How much is it gonna cost or already cost the poorest tax payer in the country.
FIX THE HOMES WITH THEIR MONEY. Drive down ringgold st from 7th st to 18st. and see all those homes falling down. RATAS MAMONAS!
Maybe the old El Jardin Hotel could be converted into a high rise parking garage.
Muskies dealership was full of cars yesterday must have had a very important meeting, like who goes to the moon and mars? the answer here is simple, if they ask US, but they won't. The x-mayor el enano, comes to mind and other RATAS aren't far behind.
Simple Solution use social media to let people know tostop going to downtown until they drop these stupid ordinance. Enough with the complaining let’s make it a ghostown and then give Helen Ramirez a plague for her great ideas!
How ironic that the city manager and her entire team park their personal cars on metered parking spots issued by BPD. The "Total Alignment " concept is nothing but Total bullshit as management requires all city employees who work at city hall to park their personal cars at city plaza. So where is the true leadership? Leaders lead by example something nonexistent on the entire city management staff. Bernal done a good job teaching his team to park close to city hall on metered parking. Bunch of lazy ass people.
Maybe turning all the downtown area to a tax free zone could help.
"A+" for effort. Keep throwing darts at the target. Eventually a "Bulls Eye".
A real dilemma. How to keep downtown relevant without sufficient parking. Next idea I suppose might be to enclose the downtown area into a domed plaza.
I will taking my money to Harlingen restaurants because veterans get a discount in almost all the restaurants and some stores. Parking is much better in Harlingen and they better police department that help the public not giving out traffic tickets left and right like the ones in Brownsville. Not going to any football games neither or get a ticket from the idiot BISD police who are worthless assholes. Yes, Brownsville, dig yourself in a better grave for everyone in this city of idiots.
Look at all you wishing Brownsville stayed in the dark ages. So they don’t have a smart phone? Guess what Montoya they can use the fucking pay station with cash or card! We need to get people to stop using downtown as their personal parking lot. Some cars have been parked on the street for months at a time gathering dust and looking like shit because nothing is enforced. Brownsville will never move forward with the mentality of people like Montoya and everyone else with the same level of idiocy. The only problem with this new system is that it took Helen Ramirez staff over a year to implement when it should’ve been a month.
The hate you have for this city will kill you before the bottle does. And stop commenting on your own posts playing a violin about respecting the blogger and getting mental health. The accusations you make on this blog have the potential to ruin lives for nothing more than a quick assumption or hearsay. You can’t take the fire then don’t play with fire.
Or downtown patrons and employees could ride the BUS to work or shop
How much more of this bullshit is the city going to tolerate. Whats in downtown Brownsville?? Jackshit!!! Its not the RIVERWALK , like downtown San Antonio. Most of the businesses are closed now , the few that are open are your basic dollar stores and trinket establishments. What i see happening here is the older/ historical buildings being bought by the privileged/ elite “citizens “ and then being refurbished/remolded ( with BCIC/GBIC grants). Now this parking permit/ new system is part of scheme that will only benefit the rich. If it was for the benefit of the city , parking should be free to attract new businesses and customers. We all know the real money is in the north part of town but the “usual players” want to make a quick buck wherever they can . Lets not forget, they are also trying to capitalize as much as they can from SPACE X being in town. They sold their soul to the devil and they will try and milk the devil for as much as they can $$$$ . No shame!!
The hate you have for this city will kill you before the bottle does. And stop commenting on your own posts playing a violin about respecting the blogger and getting mental health. The accusations you make on this blog have the potential to ruin lives for nothing more than a quick assumption or hearsay. You can’t take the fire then don’t play with fire.
August 14, 2023 at 2:13 PM
You are wrong. It is because they love Brownsville, the reason for posting comments.
This is not a good idea: Free Parking downtown is a good idea. That is a real change and will improve the economy.
What will they do with the money? events.
Which events? the ones favored by the few
Downtown doesn't look pretty. No plants, no sculptures, no art, no water fountains, no walking areas, no pretty colors.....no elegance, etc
no outside coffee places where you can take a break from shopping
No respect for the Mexican visitors, shoppers,
The chinitos are just there touching the young girls and pretending is a mistake....
August 14, 2023 at 2:13 PM
"You can’t take the fire then don’t play with fire."
for you idiota you don't like it simply leave open your own blog you y tu mami par de jotos.
Nobody is keeping your brown stupid ass y tu mama tambien asses here vete jotito leave open your own blog mamon
August 14, 2023 at 10:51 AM
el jardin and the pool at the roof are as we esspeak being renovated for the poor people that live here they are hoping once they move in, the downtown area will be thriving money ever where. They only forgot to mention most of the new tenants are on a limited income and bearly able to purchase groceries.
Again brilliant minds make for brilliant results. like the bike trails, shelters, white paint only on bike lanes, unsynchronized traffic control lights, still sitting in a warehouse sooommmeeee-where.
Citizens in Brownsville have a right to complain. TO VENT!! And if this blog serves as a place to do so , so be it. Everyone has a right to his/ her opinion. That being said , why are many of the comments directed at the self serving officials you may ask ?? For the simple reason that elections come and go, new officials come and go and the basic necessities in Brownsville continue to lack.. Streets are in shambles, trash everywhere(alleys ), lack of police patrols, traffic light sincronization, flooding and the list goes on. And all we hear about are how only the privileged/elite citizens benefit . Same story year in and year out. Thats why the frustration exists!!! When will we see an end to this abuse???
Lmao to the person who said Harlingen. Go to that back water town. Brownsville may be digging their own grave but Harlingen is one. Half the population is about to go in one in second. In fact, just move you’ll save on emissions and get your little 10% discounts lol
Will the “citizens” in Browntown be able to pay with their Lone Star cards because everyone has one, Lol! Ja Ja Ja! There is nothing
In downtown Browntown worth paying for. Shitty restaurants, shit over priced bars and Chinese garbage stores! The city commissioners and managers should spend time in McAllen so they can learn how a real city is run. Just boycott downtown Browntown and teach the city manager and commissioners a lesson.
Its 2023 get with the times, what's the big deal? Use the new meter, geez you guys can't handle any change but are really quick to complain about the lack of change? If you can't afford to pay a downtown parking, I'm NOT sure what you can afford? Sorry not sorry, but that's an inconvenient truth. The idea here is to paint a shameful picture of the current administration and more so the City Manager to create a narrative of removing her to put in place a person that this blog and the lame constituents that are involved with him want. Why, for their own personal advancements? Who's the rata now? Who's the one trying to grab an edge and be above the masses at that point? Same old tale with this blog, garbage, Zeke Silva (equivalent of garbage), and then some garbage ass hearsay.
August 14, 2023 at 9:07 AM
Shows your lack of knowing the situation by trying to place blame on someone, that's called bias. This is an issue that the previous commission has left behind for the current. Linda and her family were already well-off. You obviously don't know them whatsoever, not to say that I know them personally or much less the details of their lives but trust me they don't need anything that they can't acquire on their own. I just disagree with how you try to taint a situation without any objective reasoning. But of course, you get on a blog, post anonymously, try and talk nonsense, coward.
Howard
-Winter Haven
August 14, 2023 at 4:19 PM
There was a local trash clean-up this past Saturday, did you attend? NO, then shut up! You are just as guilty as the rest of us!
Privatize downtown parking to a wrecker service with a 2 hour time limit on each and every space including those reserved for City officials. Take away spots designated for outdoor dining, exclusive parking etc.
I don't blame anyone other than the downtown areas City Commissioner. I don't even know his name, that restaurant owner. Ben Neece would never allow this to happen. One dollar an hour to park? A console you have to navigate and don't understand ? Wait until code enforcement gives out the first 10 buck ticket. There will be such an outcry from the working stiffs. But don't worry, we quit enforcement by 7 pm so feel free to park downtown until sunrise for all my uppity, hoity-toity restaurants and bars crowd. This will be downtowns downfall. I liked it better with Musicos y pataletas in a cool bar mid-afternoon. Bring that back and I'll gladly pay 2 bucks an hour. Maybe thats the plan push everyone to sell. Let's make it the Best Bar Hop in the USA.
5:06pm.
JUST BECAUSE WE MAKE EACH 140,000.00 A YEAR. GIVES NO RIGHT TO LAUGH AT SOMEONE WHO MAKES LESS.
NO SE OLVIDÉ DE SU PAROCQUIA.
August 14, 2023 at 5:18 PM
How dare, I pay property taxes and a lot, in a mobile park (living) pays "NOTHING", no input on any unimproved projects here, no input in taxes, only on what you pour down your belly, and living outside the city limits.
WOW this is a first.
I know just about everybody here, was born and raise here, you transplants can not tell a local citizens any old or new news, my family lives here since BEFORE this area was stolen from local owners by the gringos and before it was the US.
Is this the objective reasoning you were looking for? I believe you need to understand objective reasoning before you make it a decision factor.
Remember this is a blog not a college level required paper. GOOGLE BLOG so you can understand.
99% blogs are subjective, meaning emotional very few are objective.
With cheap prices, everybody can stand the super heat we have down here, we in turn are used to it.
TURN THE FAN ON GRANDPA...
(remember this is a blog no corrections required)
5:06pm.
Only the judges make over 140k a year and das because they are GODS.
Don't worry, it will be a CLUSTER!!!
Why is everyone crying …. Downtown is only busy Thursday-Saturday night …. The rest of the time it’s unoccupied. That’s the honest truth. No one in their right mind is going to downtown for a cup of coffee when Starbucks is just around the corner of the highway. You gotta be real with yourself, if you want to go to downtown Brownsville it’s because you are making an effort to go to downtown Brownsville, realistically there is nothing there you can’t acquire anywhere else. We don’t have Mon-Sun bars or restaurants. Total of how many 8-10 … common y’all gotta grow up and get over it. Out with the old in with the new!
As someone who loves our Brownsville community I strongly believe that charging for parking downtown is fine. A dollar an hour is not bad. It comes down to .25 cents for 15 minutes. I don't go often to downtown but I do go. I probably go 5 to 7 times a year. A two hour limit time is to little. I wish we had a 3 hour limit.
However, I think that the monies that are raised from downtown parking should be used to maintain the downtown area. The person in charge of this money should not have an open card to allocate the money wherever they want. Money should go to maintaining street lights, streets or any other area the city is in charge of maintaining.
The way I see it when I go to San Antonio or any other city as a tourist I get charged for parking.
The problem with money is that the people in charge of taking care of the money are not able to resist the temptation of stealing.
We are a good community of people. Next time you go to a store or restaurant observe how much as a community we respect the disabled and elderly. Many of us have ❤️ and it is a beautiful quality to observe and display in our city.
11:40am.
It's from working the oil. 79764
5:23 ??? Thats all you registered from that comment? And if there was a trash cleanup , when was it announced? Next time there’s one , why don’t you spread the word. I’d be happy to lend a hand. Have a blessed day.
5:44pm.
Really, you are going to compare Brownsville to a big city?
Yes, San Antonio is entertaining and BEAUTIFUL during Christmas at the Riverwalk. JUST BEAUTIFUL ❤️
Brownsville has no city attraction, events, entertainment, clubs.
Sorry, it has charro days.
God bless the kids on there week of passion on performing there best.
And no stores for shopping for clothes and shoes.
God is a democrat, he is poor, walks and has no automobile, no tv, no radio, sleeps on the floor and uses a fireplace to cook. No matter how fancy your coffin or urn is, you are still dead, and the worms will get to our ass even if you are cremated.
I am not comparing Brownsville to San Antonio I am stating that every city I have been to charges for downtown parking and that the revenue generated should be used to maintain the area.
If there is nothing to see and nobody goes downtown then it should not matter if the city charges for parking because nobody goes there
17 at 3:08 PM
You are a philosopher
If the city "elite" were smart, they would sell a pre-paid card where you can fill it up with money to cover your parking. When you put the card in, you receive a receipt to stick on your windshield indicating the time you parked there and you can punch in how long you are purchasing the time for it or just have the machine take it out for you.
Don't they have these in Austin? I have used them in Austin before.
For example, you put $20 on a pre-paid card, that covers your parking. Instead of using your credit or debit card and potentially put you at risk of getting scammed or ripped off, you should purchase a pre paid card like the prepaid tickets that the city has for using the bus. You pay for your parking by putting the card in and it gives you a receipt with the time of purchase. When you leave, you put in the card again and take your receipt. The receipt indicates how much time was used and how much money was taken from the card and your current balance after use! If you don't clock out, it should take a five hour limit.
August 15, 2023 at 5:44 PM
I agree and thank you for saying so, in Brownsville we are a good community of people. We look out for each other, our elderly, we're bilingual, we're the best place and the best people. We are worth protecting. We look out for each other, and say no to stupid af ideas like this. Can't squeeze blood from a rock but do they ever try!! To squeeze even more money out of poor, decent people in the oldest part of town.
I had opportunities to move and live in other cities and came back to Brownsville again and again.
Houston, with their traffic jams, commutes and road-rage psychos, toll road payments and money-grubbing, one-upping, cutthroat culture no thanks.
Racist Harlingen, where the color of your skin and last name is the deal, nah.
Dallas, land of Donald Trump worshipper wackos, nope, never going back to that. Like escaping a cult.
Brownsville is the best. But our own leaders don't think so, they see a land of poor, uneducated ripe for raping and taking advantage of. Long time residents' homes they wanna overvalue, throw the old owners out on the street and then resell it to some outside investor. They see streets and wanna tax them by the hour.
Hey esse, the real problem is the stupid salaries!! Yeah why is the city manager and city manager asst salaries being advertised 200K+? For Brownsville? How much the school upper superintendents and principals taking away from the money that SHOULD be going to the teachers? All these "executive management" which are just dumb desk jobs for fatasses!!
Disconnected from the day to day real work, giving themselves raises. Always looking for new ways to tax the poorest gente in America, now you can't even park without paying a tax.
The only people that park downtown are the store workers, the owners of the stores, their families and the mexican shopper, NOBODY ELSE PINCHES PENDEJOS... ELECTED CITY COMMISSIONERS.
I have never been downtown in the last 15 years or more, I passed thru there to go to the mall which is now closed, so I have no reason to even pass thru there and I don't to mexico, the rude immigration officers there are a bunch of pendejos. They act as if you are invading their home, and the hispanic officers there ARE WORST MORE RUDE. PINCHES COCOS
For those with disabled placards or plates here is what the state of Texas says.
Those with a disabled parking placard or a license plate displaying the ISA may:
Park in any spot designated for persons with disabilities
Be exempt from local and state government parking meters. State law does not allow you to exceed the meter limit, but cities may pass ordinances to extend your meter time.
SO you do not have to pay for parking no matter what they do. Local Ordinances do not supersede state law.
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