City tables budget approval

The Brownsville City Commission voted Tuesday night to table the Fiscal Year 2022 budget and approve the budgets for the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corp. and the Brownsville Community Improvement Corp. 

Helen Ramirez, CEO and executive director of the GBIC, presented the operating budget that totals $1,699,598 and an initiatives budget of $2.9 million. 

Expenditures in the GBIC operating budget include $450,200 for personnel services and benefits; $496,398 for administrative services; $155,500 for materials and supplies; $26,000 for maintenance of buildings and structures; $221,500 for miscellaneous services; $150,000 for appraisals, surveys and reports, impact studies, attorney and auditor fees; $185,000 for consulting and marketing services; and $15,000 for landscape and maintenance. 

Expenses in the GBIC initiatives budget include $1.2 million for industrial park development and infrastructure; $600,000 for manufacturing and workforce development programs, education and training; $850,000 for space and technology-related recruitment and marketing programs; and $250,000 for professional studies and consultant support for strategic initiatives.

“The consulting  and marketing services have to do with a campaign for a new Air and Space campus,” Ramirez said. “So, as we see some of those new companies are over space related, air related. So, we want to ensure that we are able to really create a campaign, not only local but national and international, in terms of being a point of reference for air and space technology in Brownsville.”

Josh Mejia, executive director of BCIC, introduced the operations budget amount of $1,072,570 and the self-directed initiatives budget, which is $7.47 million. 

Costs in the BCIC operating budget include $788,320 for personnel services; $19,250 for materials and supplies; $3,000 for maintenance of buildings and structures; $6,000 for maintenance of equipment; and $256,000 for miscellaneous services.

Monies allocated in the BCIC self-directed initiatives budget include $3 million for the eBridge project, $1 million for the economic impact grant, $569,701 for Big 1.0 Grants-Interior/Exterior/Signage/Rent Subsidy, $500,000 for StartUp Texas COVID-19 business assistance grants, $50,000 for cultural events or marketing campaigns and $30,000 for women empowerment programs.

“In addition to this, you all may have seen already on 13th Street and Adams, the eBridge Center [for Business and Commercialization] is now being constructed,” Mejia said. “There’s a gap in the roof now as we’re building the elevation into the existing roof. We are expecting for this project to be completed in February of 2022.” 

Commissioners tabled the second and final reading of the $158.5 million Fiscal Year 2022 city budget until Sept. 21 after District 3 City Commissioner Roy De los Santos said he had some questions.

“I would say, on the public library, I think there are some opportunities that we’ve missed here and as a department I have not had a chance to dig into yet with staff,” said De los Santos, who made the motion to table action on the budget. “But, I have dug in with [the] municipal court. There [is] still some additional information they’re providing. I’m confident that I’ll be satisfied with what I get in that area. I’d like to see it before I vote and approve the budget for that.”

OnWednesday, Commissioner At-Large “B” Rose Gowen told The Rider, “The city manager requested that if there were still questions about those three items or any three items that we table the budget all together and then reconsider it at the next meeting which will be, I believe the 21st because, by statute or charter, we have to approve the budget by the end of September.” 

The next city commission meeting will take place at 5 p.m. Sept. 21.