State of Brownsville Address

Some people insist on comparing McAllen to Brownsville, but is this a fair comparison to either city? If you consider, McAllen has the Chamber, the Economic Development Corp. and Convention Visitors Bureau boards operate under the city, while Brownsville has each entity separate from the city and with little or no direct input from the city.

Granted, McAllen appears to be more professional and united than Brownsville, but could that be because its form of government was created to foster working together, while ours viciously divides? For instance the McAllen Chamber, Economic Development Corp. and Convention and Visitors Bureau provide visionary plans and a cooperative city agenda, while Brownsville is paying $850,000 for its vision and plans through "Imagine Brownsville" to make up for the lack of leadership in our city.

Could it be that more business people get involved in McAllen and seek office? A whole lot of people who seek office in Brownsville cannot afford to invest the time to serve, which in my opinion has resulted in candidates seeking a title who do not or cannot invest the time to be fully engaged to make things happen for our city. Too often many opportunities have passed us by, because our leadership standards are low and some will sell us out for a steak dinner and social acceptance. 

 McAllen has gas well royalties, an affluent property and sales tax base to fund its budget, while Brownsville has a low-income property tax base. In spite of Brownsville's divisive form of government that was created by design, my vision for Brownsville is to grow and prosper by transforming Brownsville from a poor to a wealthier community by capitalizing on our natural and wildlife assets, such as the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, the Port of Brownsville, South Padre Island and Boca Chica beaches, Brownsville/SPI International Airport, historical sites, wildlife preserves, Public Utilities Board and Brownsville being the county seat on the Rio Grande bordering Mexico is an added plus where all the other cities must come to.

INITIATIVES 

Historic Brownsville is the crossroads of the hemisphere on the border by the sea, which is how I promote Brownsville when traveling. Other cities can only wish to have our assets, which we too often take for granted. Even San Antonio, does not have what Brownsville has, but they know how to work together and market their city.

Since taking office, the mayor's initiative has been to keep campaign promises and meet our city's needs, which includes obtaining a permit from Mexico to build the Brownsville-Matamoros Weir project, which will increase water reserves for Brownsville from 20 to 45 days and Matamoros from 3 to 25 days; it will also lend itself to build a surrounding riverwalk with full-service hotels to attract tourism and conventions. The weir can be the catalyst to build an international free trade zone with theme park similar to Disney, which will capture a market of more than 500 million people to the south of the Rio Grande.

The mayor's initiatives made it possible to increase the minimum wage to $8.50 per hour for city employees and hopefully to $10 by next year. Raising wages and standards are long overdue, along with adopting the county's holiday calendar for our city employees.

After failing to provide permanent funding through the $3 fee proposal (by being voluntary it has generated less than $500 thus far), a one-time city financial assistance for the cultural arts and the Gladys Porter Zoo was successful and welcomed, but we are still in need of permanent funding for next year. These cultural and educational programs provide for creative ways to incorporate them into our youth and culture mindsets and are part of our city's economic development and deserve a financial commitment from the city.

Through the mayor's initiative, the first citywide recycling program in the region has begun, which will be used to build alliances with BISD, UTB, juvenile justice alternative education program, and the county through recycling and Weed and Seed programs. 

Taking the initiative to raising awareness on the deplorable conditions and the slaughtering of pets at the Brownsville Animal Shelter was a challenge and is ongoing, which resulted in a positive change in attitudes toward pets. This has also resulted in the very first animal clinic with a full-time veterinarian in the region. Volunteers have reduced the number of pets being slaughtered by reporting puppy sales on street corners at 544-7351, increasing awareness and adoptions, but we need more volunteers to call us at (956) 639-4055 to help us make Brownsville a "no kill" animal shelter. Education, vaccinating, spaying and neutering pets and expanding the shelter is a priority.

OUTREACH AND COOPERATION 

Brownsville mayor's initiative is to form an alliance with Matamoros and Tampico by adopting a bi-national agenda formalized during Charro Days in Matamoros. The alliance calls for supporting the Brownsville-Matamoros Weir, building a riverwalk and an international theme park, a binational desalinization plant at the Port of Brownsville to be operated by International Boundary and Water Commission and the Comision Internacional de Limites y Aguas, and building Flor de Mayo International Bridge. A shuttle transport between Matamoros and Brownsville, building an ecological corridor from Brownsville to Tampico, an Ann Arbor Day celebration with tree planting in Matamoros and Tampico, bringing international flights and a casino ship between Brownsville and Tampico will be worked on through the alliance. 

Working with local church elders to evacuate citizens during Hurricane Dean was an overwhelming positive success and is now incorporated into Brownsville's emergency evacuation plans and a model for others to follow. I hope to continue networking with church leaders who want to help educate citizens on issues and facilitate projects for the poor. Through the mayor's initiatives preliminary talks to partner up with Kmart and Hermes Music for Christmas toys for children, raising awareness on responsible pet care to control the over population and to avoid a health crisis is another example how a community can unite for the common good.

We are pursuing partnering up with the medical community and others to raise awareness on drug related problems, HIV (AIDS), obesity and diabetes issues, which we tend to ignore as a city by shirking it off as someone else's responsibility. However, I believe we can unite the city with the clergy, private and public sector to aggressively keep our citizens educated in the health risks and consequences together. 

Other projects on the burner through the mayor's initiative are building a 180-foot high flagpole with a megaflag dedicated to all veterans, which will be placed along U.S. Hwy 77/83 with a welcome sign. I am also working to find sponsors to build statues of historical personalities who made an impact on Brownsville, with the first being Charles Stillman, the founder of Brownsville. 

FISCAL ISSUES 

I was elected mayor June 16, 2007 and inherited a premature political tax rate reduction of $.03 cents, which caused a deficit to the 2007 general fund and a current loss of $1.5 million to the 2008 general fund, money that could have permanently funded the Gladys Porter Zoo operations, the Brownsville Fine Arts Museum and the Animal Shelter expansion that is desperately needed to reduce the slaughter. These needs have historically been ignored, but are now my priority since taking office.

The city commission recently adopted a $28.4 million plan for additional street improvements, sports park needs, airport projects, and other capital improvements and equipment for public safety, which will be funded with 4-B money. However, we still need a bond issue to meet the Gladys Porter Zoo capital improvement needs, public safety, drainage, street paving and other needs. 

Other needs to address are hiring additional personnel for police, fire and city code enforcement, along with the equipment needed. Improving vector control to fumigate is long overdue, shredding tires to reduce health risks, aggressively enforcing weedy lot violations and putting the puppy mills out of business. I soon plan to introduce a post-disaster plan to start clean up after a hurricane, with the cost being reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 

Standard ongoing projects are paving and maintaining streets, addressing drainage needs and cleaning up the city. I believe the area maintenance fee citizens pay through their utility bills should be restricted as intended when I first introduced this fee in 1991, but the money was transferred to the general fund for other uses. I plan to look into using city inmates to physically sweep city streets and cut weedy lots.

FUTURE PLANS

Synchronizing traffic signals and mounting cameras at busy intersections will be introduced for consideration in the near future. Continuing support for beautification projects that represent our architecture, culture and landscaping vision is needed without going to extremes. Support for the sports-plex project Dr. Joe Zavaletta initiated is ongoing. I will propose that the Linear Park Trail have yield-to-traffic signs at all intersections installed and that a natural habitat corridor be planted to attract birds and butterflies to the corridor.

Ideas and projects for development are building a power plant at the port, building a teen facility for civic and social events for our youth to dance and hang out in a control environment and setting up a 24-hour teen crisis counseling hotline to prevent unnecessary tragedies for our youth.

Subdivision slum developments should be prohibited by requiring lots to be at least 75 feet wide and 100 feet deep, with covenants and restrictions that protect the integrity of the neighborhoods.

Implementing an impact fee to fund the capital improvements needed to keep water utility rates down was derailed. I was also removed from the Capital Improvements Advisory Committee in order to make it easier for developers to get their way, but even though my hands are tied I will continue to bring transparency to the issue. State and federal funds for road construction are being cut, which affects projects like Morrison Road, FM 511 and the East Loop; because of this, I proposed creative ideas to address the shortage of funds. These proposals includes an additional increase of $5 on license plates, to introduce and pass legislation to allow a 15 cent increase on international tolls and a small fee added to the liability insurance premium for road construction. 

For the past three years HUD money has not been spent for low-income housing as it once was when 200 homes per year were being built, as compared to the eight homes per year being built today. I have held numerous meetings, but it has been frustrating due to a local bureaucrat's impediments created to resolve these issues for the benefit of our low-income citizens. I am now forced to take this issue to Washington in the hope that we can get back to building 200 homes through the Community Development Corp. and others like them. 

I am going to see if we can get UTB students involved with city government to help create and operate a teen court mentor program to help us with juvenile delinquency. The Boys & Girls Club had been mismanaged and is now under city control, which is supported by the commission, but we need to find ways to pay off debt left behind. 

Brownsville's $120 million budget relies heavily on sales and property taxes. For every dollar the city collects, 13 percent goes toward debt service, 39 percent for public safety and 48 percent for administration, maintenance and operations, which leaves very little for Imagine Brownsville wants and needs, but we can be creative by creating a public safety taxing district through a referendum when we put together a bond issue for capital improvements. 

I strongly feel Brownsville's ability to transform itself to a national destination is starting to take place. Some will criticize that I should or should not do this, but my response is that we are better off today then prior to June 16, 2007. 

McAllen is unique, just as is Brownsville, and we should stop comparing ourselves. Instead, we should do our part to fulfill Brownsville's potential by seeking ways to partner up with other entities to improve our city, as we are currently doing with grants for BISD, Arbor Day celebration, citywide recycling and partnering where the benefits outweigh the cons. 

A charter review and update should be considered with the intent to bring unity, perhaps consideration should be given to bring the Brownsville Chamber, Brownsville Economic Development and Convention and Visitors Bureau under the city's direct control, which might foster better relations to fulfill Brownsville's potential. Other issues to resolve are the benefits being paid for commissioners, which I believe is wrong. 

Transparency is lacking when issues like solid waste are discussed and decided in executive session or discussion to support a resolution that allows using city levees to build the border wall without public input in my opinion is wrong. Mr. Anthony Troiani's resolution to allow building a wall along the city levee cannot be done without Mexico's approval as per agreements made with Mexico, but the City Commission refused to listen and passed the resolution anyway. 

Mayors are unique. In this instance, I am one out of seven on the commission. I have one vote for legislative purposes, but the mayor's office holder is recognized as the highest authority entrusted to represent and the person who speaks for the entire community, which the commissioners do not understand and feel they must compete against. This city also reverts to a mayor form of government in case of an emergency, which was questioned by some during Hurricane Dean, but it goes to show why it is important to support your mayor, no matter who he or she is as the leader of our community. 

Citizens expect mayors to provide leadership and set the pace to build better communities, because normally they are the most engaged in city affairs. In this instance the state of affairs within the city of Brownsville is divisive, because they all want to be mayors, but in spite of this, the future is bright for Brownsville. 

I am providing direction and setting the pace; now it is up to the City Commission and citizens to accept or reject whom the voters chose to lead them for four years and you can be part of the solution or part of the problem - which are you? To date, I have not received or heard of any viable ideas or proposals to address the overall needs of our city and I intend to show what a fulltime, engaged mayor can produce, as compared to a non-engaged person. 

The above is my vision for Brownsville and a living agenda to work off during the next four years. Please join me to face the challenges ahead to fulfill our potential.

Pat Ahumada is serving his second term as Brownsville mayor.