Brownsville City Commission: Bus fare increases gets green light 

The Brownsville City Commission has approved a proposed Brownsville Metro bus fare structure that will increase fares beginning Oct. 1.

Some of the changes include a $1 increase to fixed-route general fares, a 50% discount on all fares and passes for students, seniors, individuals with disabilities and veterans, a 50-cent increase on Day Passes and a new $60 30-Day Pass, according to the presentation made Tuesday.

The increases come after more than 20 years of keeping fares unchanged, according to Joel Garza, director of Multimodal Transportation. Garza said not doing so resulted in a $1.7 million operating deficit.

Public outreach efforts to receive residents’ inputs included open houses on July 25 and Aug. 15, on-board, in person and online surveys and ads in the Brownsville Herald.

During the public comment period, Christopher Basaldú, co-founder of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, said the 100% increase would be “an undue burden on the most vulnerable of our society who rely on public transport.”

He said making the bus system more reliable would be excellent but making it less accessible would be wrong.

During the public hearing, all residents who spoke opposed the proposal.

Resident Martin Cuevas said the new fare structure highlights the issue that the city is not getting enough funding. 

“If we increase the fare, from what I’ve heard from the homeless, it’s gonna be a herculean task to raise that extra dollar,” Cuevas said. “… As we move forward, in this city … I feel that we should be able to demand more.”

After the public hearing, District 3 Commissioner Roy De los Santos said after 20 years of operating costs increasing, it “almost becomes unsustainable” to not raise fares.

“For all those years that the costs are going up, it’s coming out of the general fund,” De los Santos said.

He also addressed the concerns some had about installing more shelters at bus stops.

De los Santos said residents usually do not sit inside the shelter because of the hot weather.

“Even if we had shelters at 100% of our stops, citizens would still be looking for other, more comfortable places to sit, because shelters only work, ideally, in very certain areas and certain times of day,” he said. 

De los Santos said the city needs to get better at the design of the shelters.

He said the city needs to forge new partnerships with hospitals and doctor’s offices to ensure free rides for low-income people with health issues.

Commissioner At-Large “B” Rose Gowen said those who provided examples of how the fares would affect them “may not be understanding how the discounts will work.”

Gowen urges those who believe they will be affected by the prices to speak to staff to understand the prices and discounts.

Commissioner At-Large “A” Tino Villarreal motioned to approve the proposal and Gowen seconded. The motion passed 5-2, with De los Santos and District 1 Commissioner Bryan Martinez casting the dissenting votes.

In other business, the commission passed an amendment to the Municipal Campaign Finance Code that will place limits and regulations on candidate contributions.

A few of the caps include $1,000 per person and $2,500 per political action committee/companies for mayor and commission candidates and a $100 cash limit, all within two-year contribution cycles, according to the presentation.

Some prohibitions include receiving funds from litigants seeking $50,000, from contractors from solicitation to 180 days after a contract is awarded and city employees soliciting funds unless off the clock, according to the presentation.

In an email to The Rider on Friday, City Attorney Will Treviño said candidates who do not comply could face both criminal and civil penalties. The most the city can cite under a general penalty is $500 for all violations, and $1,000 can be recovered for a civil penalty for all violations, according to the email.

Treviño said the overseeing of the limitations is “complaint driven,” where candidates can report possible violations.

De los Santos said he feels the amendment is “a step backwards” and limiting how much a person can contribute favors candidates who are independently wealthy.

“For the average citizen that can’t do that, if they got a couple of rich friends, their couple of rich friends can’t help them much anymore,” he said.

Mayor John Cowen said the limitations are all about “setting guardrails” on city elections.

“This just helps make sure that there’s no undue influencing,” Cowen said. “I think the limits are completely reasonable.”

Villarreal motioned to approve the amendment and District 2 Commissioner Linda Macias seconded. The motion passed 5-2, with Martinez and De los Santos casting the dissenting votes.