The Greater Brownsville Incentives Corp. (GBIC) building is located at 500 E. St. Charles St. Proposition A, which voters will consider in the May 4 City of Brownsville Special Election, proposes terminating the GBIC and the Brownsville Community Improvement Corp. to create “the Greater Brownsville Municipal Development District and the imposition of a sales and use tax at the rate of one-half of one percent (0.50%) for the purpose of financing development projects.” Eduardo Cortez/THE RIDER
Voters in Brownsville and its growth area, known as extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), can cast ballots on Propositions A and B in the May 4 Special Election.
Early voting began April 22 and will end Tuesday.
Approval of Proposition A would establish the Greater Brownsville Municipal Development District. The district would be “dedicated towards fostering economic growth and enhancing the quality of life within Brownsville and its ETJ (city’s growth area),” according to an April 15 news release on the City of Brownsville’s website.
The development district would be funded by a sales tax increase imposed on residents in the city’s ETJ area. The sales tax would increase from 6.25% to 6.75%, about five cents on every $10 purchase, according to brownsvilletxmdd.com. The sales tax, which would not increase in the city, would fund projects within city limits and in the city’s growth area.
Approval of Proposition B would terminate the city’s existing economic development agencies, the Brownsville Community Improvement Corp. and the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corp. Residents within city limits can vote on both propositions, while residents in the ETJ can vote on Proposition A, according to the news release.
Brownsville Mayor John Cowen said the response from the public for the propositions has been positive from his perspective.
“I think, you know, the community realizes this is an opportunity to help move the needle in … a stronger way to increase the amount of revenue we get for quality-of-life projects and economic development projects,” Cowen said.
He said he has not personally received any comments from ETJ residents but thinks Proposition A will allow the city to do more projects that will benefit their area as well.
Roy De los Santos, District 3 commissioner, said the public has been curious and inquisitive from the response he has seen.
“They want to know facts about it,” De los Santos said. “That’s the interaction that I’ve had with members of the community. Aside from that, I have seen several folks posting online that after doing their homework, they are supporting the MDD and giving their reasons why. And I’m very happy to see that.”
De los Santos said projects that could be funded with the sales tax increase include parks, museums and trails in the ETJ. He said the funds could also help make improvements and open businesses to create jobs in the ETJ.
The frequently asked questions section on brownsvilletxmdd.com states the development district would be governed by a board appointed by the City Commission.
The Rider asked if the commission would appoint a representative from the ETJ area.
De los Santos replied it is up to each member of the commission.
He said anyone who lives within the city or ETJ is eligible to serve.
“There’s no mandate that it has to be someone from the ETJ, but we absolutely encourage folks from the ETJ to apply,” De los Santos said.
Mark Kaswan, a professor in the Department of Political Science, said the merger of the two current agencies into the development district will not generate as much revenue.
“There just isn’t that much economic activity happening in the ETJ,” Kaswan said. “But other than that, merging the two entities is not going to have any direct impact because it’s just taking functions that already are, you know, exist and are functioning, at least on some level, and bringing them together under one roof.”
He said he is a bit skeptical about the development district.
“Neither GBIC nor BCIC have the greatest track record in terms of success, in terms of effective use of the money,” Kaswan said.
“Combining them into one entity means that you have fewer people engaged in that process because then you only have one commission,” he said.
Kaswan said his other concern is elected officials investing money in large projects coming in from the outside or from people who are not from the community.
“Part of the reason why you’re able to attract those businesses is because you give them incentives,” he said. “Those incentives only last for so long. When the incentives run out, then the businesses leave.”
Kaswan said the concern is not with the increase in sales tax but with how the money will be used.
De los Santos said the propositions are an opportunity to generate additional revenues.
“Ultimately, this is going to be money that gets reinvested into the local community,” he said. “So it is for the benefit of the citizens.”
As of Wednesday, 2,465 early votes had been cast in the special election, according to figures from the Cameron County Department of Elections and Voter Registration.
Voters can visit brownsvilletxmdd.com to get more information on the propositions.
