Cabler says plan for Imagine Brownsville not a done deal

Officials are closely reviewing the suggestions of a planning group for the implementation of the Imagine Brownsville master plan — while the recommended budget for its execution is tweaked.

"We are a long way from solidifying any agreement," City Manager Charlie Cabler said Friday.

Cabler is referring to the implementation plan that a group identified as the Comprehensive Plan Coordinating Board (CPCB) Executive Committee developed, including a Memorandum of Understanding and proclamation that are being presented to public entities for their consideration and possible action.

The memorandum establishes the CPCB executive committee, task force and technical support group.

The committee would be comprised of representatives from the city, Greater Brownsville Incentives Corp., Brownsville Community Improvement Corp., Brownsville Public Utilities Board, Brownsville Navigation District, Brownsville Independent School District, the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College and a representative from the private sector for each of the public entities.

Each of the entities would have to approve the memorandum before the CPCB, executive committee, task force and technical support group are established.

The purpose of the executive committee would be to provide final approval of the phasing, funding and implementation of improvements and initiatives recommended by the task force and to forward those recommendations to the corresponding public entities responsible for implementation, according to the Memorandum of Understanding.

The memorandum also calls for a $25,000 yearly contribution from each participating entity to fund the CPCB’s operating budget.

The proclamation affirms that the public entities would unite and work together to implement the master plan.

The Brownsville Community Improvement Corp. (BCIC), chaired by City Commissioner Charlie Atkinson, already approved the memorandum and proclamation and the $25,000 yearly commitment. City Commissioner Anthony P. Troiani also is on the BCIC board.

"We are not going to release funds until everything (is established), until everyone is involved," Atkinson said, referring to the required approval of all the entities.

Although City Commissioners Atkinson and Troiani are already on board through BCIC, the City Commission has not taken action on the memorandum or proclamation.

Cabler said he is not yet comfortable with the proposal.

"I need to really look at it (the proposal from the planning group) and the comfort level is very important," Cabler said. "Is the city comfortable right now? Are the commissioners comfortable? I would say, ‘No, we’re not ready.’ "

Cabler’s impression is that the aim is to identify funding sources and projects that can be aggressively pursued now. "What can we start doing immediately?" he said.

"Obviously, when you present it to others, it is a well-organized master plan. It is an award-winning plan, but it has to be fed. It has to be fed with financial, monetary support to be productive. That is where we need to get to first," the city manager said.

In the meantime, Cabler said, "We’re not waiting for Imagine Brownsville to get off the ground." In implementing the plan, Cabler said, "We need to absorb and account for the projects that we are doing now and incorporate that."

He also said that it has not been determined if there is going to be an executive committee and who will or not be on it. "To me, that is up for review," the city manager said. "We are in infancy as far as a total agreement as to how this is going to function," Cabler said.

In other developments, a draft budget that the planning group was reviewing called for a $381,000 budget, of which $206,000 would be in in-kind services that participating entities would provide, including $85,000 for an executive director. The remaining $175,000 would be in monetary contributions from the entities.

A revised draft budget now calls for a budget of $175,000 and does not include any monetary value for in-kind contributions, including the $85,000 for an executive director.

The revised budget includes the following positions and salaries: facilitator, $42,000; grant coordinator, $38,000; and administrative assistance, $12,000.

The draft budget also calls for an allocation of $25,000 for technical support, $20,000 for communications, $12,000 each for publications and travel, $6,000 each for meeting logistics and office supplies and $2,000 for Web site support.

"We haven’t agreed on any budget," Cabler also said. He said that he had disagreed with paying an executive director or paying someone more than one of the high-ranking city staff members that would work with the group. "I would not really appreciate it," Cabler said.

The Brownsville Navigation District board has approved the proclamation, but action on the memorandum has not been taken, CEO Eddie Campirano said. The board will consider it sometime in December.

Campirano said that BND is in total agreement that it is important for all the public entities to be in communication with each other.

But, "It needs to be very clear that our participation in this effort doesn’t in any way, shape or form mean that we are acquiescing any of our policy-making authority," Campirano said.

"It doesn’t change anything," Campirano added. "This (the proposed CPCB executive committee or planning group) is not a governing board. Each entity is still going to have to conduct its own business the way it sees fit," Campirano pointed out.

"We’re not giving up anything," he said, noting that BND’s participation in an effort would not result in abdicating its responsibility.

"I would think that every entity feels that way," Campirano said.