Utilities board to refund customers

Brownsville City Commission OKs Tenaska Equity Fund distribution plan

Months after the Brownsville Public Utilities Board provided a fund breakdown and distribution timeline, the city commission heard and adopted a resolution outlining steps for the Tenaska Equity Fund refund, which is estimated to start Monday.

The money to be distributed totals $31,355,071, which includes the original $29 million set aside for BPUB capital improvement during the construction of a natural gas-fired generating station that never came to fruition, as well as $2,355,071 in interest.

Key points in the distribution plan include that refunds will be issued to customers who paid for services between April 2012 and September 2016 based on consumption in kWh, or kilowatt hours. For customers who had help from assistance programs during that time, that portion of their refund will be returned to the program agency.

Refunds can also be offset against any payments owed to BPUB, such as damage claims.

“Total consumption for the Tenaska Equity timeframe is at 4.7 billion kWh and the average refund for the residential and commercial accounts are estimates only,” said Mike Perez, BPUB chief financial officer. “The residential customers’ average refund will be around, in this case, will be around $212.”

BPUB and the City of Brownsville opted out of their refunds, meaning the money will be distributed equally to 34,460 active customers who paid for services between April 2012 and September 2016. Each customer will receive an additional $48.78 from this fund, however, this amount may vary based on if the number of active customers changes in the final count.

Active customers will receive a credit on their bill for the amount of their refund by Monday. Inactive customers will receive their refund via a check in the mail to their last known address by May 22.

A webpage answering frequently asked questions will be available on BPUB’s website.

For now-deceased customers who paid during the Tenaska Project timeframe, the refund will go to their heir, Ryan Greenfeld, communications and public relations manager for BPUB, told The Rider while the city commission was in executive session. Any unclaimed credits and uncashed checks will go to “the state as unclaimed property and either the family or executor of the estate will be able to then make the claim for it.”

District 3 City Commissioner Roy De Los Santos asked what customers should do if they are no longer active and want to learn what address their check will be sent to.

“They can call customer service,” replied Estrella Solorzano, director of customer service for BPUB. “We are looking to have a page set up … where there will be a lot of these commonly asked questions. … We’ve also created a tefinquiries@brownsville-pub.com to be able to send any inquiries you have via email so you don’t have to wait on the call.”

Perez informed the commission that, as part of a four-step process outlined by a city bond ordinance, the board received reports and letters concluding the refund would not impair the reliability of electric utility services nor the board’s current ratings.

He also signed a certification that the utility system is expected to produce enough revenue to meet debt service obligations.

“That brings us here to the final step,” Perez said. “… The BPUB board is requesting for the city commission to approve a resolution approving and authorizing the board’s plans for distribution … of the Tenaska Equity Fund.”

District 2 City Commissioner Jessica Tetreau moved to approve the distribution plan and De Los Santos seconded. The commission approved the plan unanimously.

Protesters support activist Hinojosa

Some residents returned during public comment to demand that the charges against local activist Rebekah Hinojosa be dropped and to unveil a spray-painted portrait of Mayor Trey Mendez.

“The portrait is done in a street style, since we know he is a fan of public art,” artist Josue Ramirez said. “It is a fitting tribute to a leader who has left an indelible mark on Brownsville. … Your unwavering dedication to capitalist egomaniacs has had a profound difference in the lives of so many.”

As Ramirez spoke, Tetreau, De Los Santos and City Commissioner At-Large “A” John Cowen Jr. briefly spoke quietly among themselves as Mendez and other members of the commission watched on in silence.

Hinojosa was arrested Feb. 16, 2022, and charged with a class B misdemeanor for allegedly spray-painting  “gentrified” and “stop SpaceX” on the BTX mural downtown, which was paid for by Elon Musk, the company’s founder.

The activist said her arrest was politically motivated and asked that Mendez be investigated for abuse of power for posting her mugshot and place of work to Facebook.

Resident demands accountability

Resident Yolanda Speece spoke during public comment and said, “People who make their living enforcing the law should be held at a higher standard, not a lower standard.”

Speece said police in Brownsville should not be able to play a “get-out-of-jail-free card” when they break the law, no matter how big or how small.

“Officer Cervantes from the Brownsville Police Department violated the city ordinance by coercing and obligating me to hand over my German shepherd … to … a person who filed a false police report,” she said. “… My husband and I were falsely, falsely branded thieves.”

On the verge of tears, Speece said Sgt. Cecilia Valdez “yelled” at her and said “horrible” things about her husband, and that Cmdr. James Paschall said the municipal code was not enforceable.

“[The person who filed the report] claimed she allegedly lost my dog when the courts told her to hand it back to me through court order,” Speece said. “… I want to make sure no one ever has to go through this dramatic experience again.”

UTRGV Volleyball Team recognized

During proclamations, the UTRGV Volleyball Team was recognized for winning the 2022 Western Athletic Conference regular season championship and for bringing NCAA Division 1 volleyball post season home matches to the Rio Grande Valley for the first time.

The Vaqueras were one of just 18 teams in the nation to win 27 matches, a new program record.