During a special meeting Tuesday night, the Brownsville City Commission approved a resolution to support a program that will help furloughed federal workers affected by the partial government shutdown.
The resolution allows the city manager to work with the Brownsville Public Utilities Board to create and implement a program that would extend the payment deadline on their utility bills.
District 1 Commissioner Ricardo Longoria Jr. said the program will benefit any federal employee who can show documentation and proof that they are being affected.
“This benefits any federal employee, from TSA guards in the airport to Border Patrol agents and to people that are working at the federal courthouse,” Longoria said. “If they can come to PUB and produce documentation that they are a federal employee, that they are being affected by the furlough, they’re going to receive assistance as far as an extension of their bill with no penalties and so forth.”
He said that in the future, if the government were to shut down again, PUB staff would still be able to provide assistance without having to go to the city commission.
