Brownsville City Commission: First reading of proposed Master Fee Schedule approved

The Brownsville City Commission on Nov. 12 approved the first reading of the proposed Master Fee Schedule, adopted a policy prohibiting the use of TikTok and other social media platforms on city devices and proclaimed November as Children’s Grief Awareness Month.

After the public hearing on the fee schedule, members of the commission passed the first reading of the proposal in a 5-0 vote.

Miguel Cavazos, budget officer and accountant III for Financial Services, said departments, such as Brownsville Fire/Emergency Medical Services; Parks and Recreation; Health, Wellness and Animal Services; and Planning and Redevelopment Services, proposed updates to their service fees.

An increase is proposed for spay and neuter services and a new $50 vendor fee is proposed for First Friday participants who do not have a business in Downtown Brownsville, according to the presentation.

The vendor fee will “support First Friday initiatives and help cover overhead costs all while supporting local Downtown businesses,” according to the presentation.

For animal adoption services, the proposed fee is $49, lowered from $99. Spay and neuter fees are proposed to increase depending on weight, such as $85 for female dogs under 30 pounds and $75 for male dogs under 40 pounds.

Proposed landfill fees include an incremental increase of “4% each year over a 5-year timeframe for all landfill fees as recommended by the City of Brownsville FY2025 Revenue Sufficiency Analysis.” 

Commissioner At-large “A” Tino Villarreal asked what fees are proposed for the Sports Park.

Cavazos clarified some of the proposed fees include the rental of softball and baseball fields, tournament fees and rental for artificial turf fields. The proposed multisport fields complex rental fee is $50 for residents and $60 for nonresidents. 

For the full list of proposed fees in the Master Fee Schedule, visit the city’s website.

Villarreal asked if the reduced rate for nonprofits applied to departments also applies to the Sports Park.

Deputy City Manager Alan Guard said the schedule can be amended to apply to the park.

Commissioner At-large “B” Rose Gowen motioned to approve the first reading and District 1 Commissioner Bryan Martinez seconded. Villarreal proposed to include the reduced fee for nonprofits wanting to use the Sports Park.

City Manager Helen Ramirez said the commission will discuss again if any changes to the discount will be made.

The motion passed unanimously.

The commission also proclaimed Nov. 21 as Children’s Grief Awareness Month and Day. The proclamation was accepted by Rubi Salinas, program coordinator for Children’s Bereavement Center-Rio Grande Valley.

Approved as a consent agenda item, the city adopted a resolution to adopt a policy prohibiting the use of TikTok and other social media platforms and services on city devices. 

The policy is in abidance with Senate Bill 1893, a Texas law signed Sept. 1, 2023. 

The law requires governmental entities to adopt a policy to prohibit the “installation of TikTok or another covered application on any device owned or leased by the governmental entity” and requires “the removal of covered applications from those devices,” according to the memorandum from City Attorney Will Treviño and Jorge Cardenas, Enterprise Applications director.

The next city commission meeting will take place at 5 p.m. Tuesday.