District 2 Commissioner Jessica Tetreau discussed plans for and showed a rendition of a possible observatory during a work session before Tuesday’s Brownsville City Commission meeting.
Tetreau and Assistant City Manager Arturo Rodriguez presented plans for an observatory and a viewing area at Disposal Cell 3 in the City of Brownsville Landfill. The concept is in a preliminary stage and the discussion helped get direction from the commission to begin researching the proposal.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is a private company founded in 2002 by Elon Musk. It “designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft,” according to the SpaceX website.
Tetreau said it was about seven and a half years ago when SpaceX presented plans for a South Texas Launch Site on Boca Chica Beach to the commission. The site will be used for commercial launches and will support launches of the Falcon 9, the first orbital class rocket capable of reflight, and Falcon Heavy, an operational rocket with the ability to lift into orbit nearly 64 metric tons, to low-Earth orbit, geostationary orbit and beyond, according to the SpaceX website, spacex.com.
The 110-foot-tall Disposal Cell 3 would be used as a viewing site for future rocket launches. The cell is not active and can be used as long as there is nothing permanently placed on it and the event is temporary. Temporary bleachers and portable toilets could be placed there.
The location was proposed due to its favorable view of future SpaceX launches and because the city already owns the land.
At-large Commissioner “B” Rose M.Z. Gowen asked if the landfill smells.
Rodriguez replied Cell 3 is not near the currently active cell and that every day, the landfill is covered by dirt so any potential smells are covered up, but there could be a potential smell.
“I can’t say if there is or there isn’t smell, but my experience, personally, in my trips out there have not had that pungent smell that … usually comes across with trash,” Rodriguez said. “Could it be there? Potentially, yes.”
Questions about environmental issues, cost, location and other uses for the observatory and landfill were not answered because city staff needed direction from the commission in order to look into details of the concept.
“At this point, we are … still in a very preliminary stage,” City Manager Noel Bernal said in a phone interview with The Rider. “I would say we’re exploring this further and doing some due diligence so that we can put some information together that the city commission could consider to then give us a definitive action and direction on whether or not this is something that they want to pursue as a project.”
In other business, City Attorney Rene De Coss led discussions on proposed changes to the city’s code of ethics and whistleblower policy during the work session.
The previous code of ethics expired on July 1, 2005.
“Back in 2005, the commission, back then, allowed [the code] to lapse,” De Coss said in a phone interview Thursday with The Rider. “Once a ordinance lapses, or the ordinance is no longer operational, you know, there is no duty by anyone to follow it. … Whether we have a code of ethics or not, you know, every single member of the city is expected to act ethically.”
De Coss said city employees follow Brownsville’s personnel policy manual, which contains rules and procedures on how employees should conform and act.
His recommendation is to update the expired code of ethics by changing the language that provides an expiration date, as well as updating which boards the code applies to since some former boards are either no longer in existence or have “morphed” into different boards.
De Coss said the code of ethics will bring clarity and transparency and the challenge is to make a change that will be able to stand on its own for years to come.
“This code of ethics … it’ll bring clarity and transparency with everyone who deals with the city to make sure that every employee, every city official has disclosed what ties or business ties they have, so that there’s no conflict when they’re dealing on behalf of the city,” he said.
A whistleblowing policy exists in the city’s personnel policy manual. It covers whistleblowing, sexual harassment and “other complaints,” De Coss said.
His suggestion for the policy is that it remain, but that the language be simplified in order for everyday employees to be able to understand it. He also said the manual could be distributed in a better manner so that all employees know where to go if they need to make a claim.
Both policies are being worked on and there is no date yet for a future discussion or action item.
In other business, the commission:
–approved a resolution regarding the Metropolitan Planning Organization redesignation
–appointed Jaime Ibarra and Julianna Sosa to the Building and Standards Commission
–appointed Laura Elena Dominguez to the Brownsville Beautification Committee
–appointed Luis Foncerrada and city employee Efren Trujillo to the Main Street Advisory Board.
