BPUB To set a standard fee for all Cameron County Residents starting May 2014

Tenaska Enterprises one of the Nations largest independent creators of Electrical Generated Power and the Brownsville Public Utilities Board in collaboration with Tony Martinez have decided to set a standard fee to all the residents of Cameron County Texas that will be effective starting May 2015.   The fee of 323 dollars plus interest is going to be charged to all the residents that have a contract with Brownsville Public Utilities Board and is going to go on effect starting May 2015.  Mayor Martinez stated that with this nominal fee the residents will help with the construction and expanding of this colossal project that will eventually help the community atract major companies that have shown interest in the area but that are easily spooked when they are told that the City of Brownsville does not have the money to build such monumental infrastructure to supply their needs of electrical and water usage.

Tony Martinez stated in the month of February that BPUB will offer their waters services and will dig a trench to the local city of Edinburgh to supply Tenaska with needed gas and water needed for the generators that will be providing the city with much needed electrical power.

All residents of the area including marginal colonias will be charged the standard fee and residents that are enrolled in SNAP benefits MEDICAID will be asked to pay an extra 3 dollars in their bill.  Most residents are opossed to the idea stating that some of the households in the area are so poo r that they don't even own a/c or have windows units and they are not going to feel comfortable paying the fee.  Other residents stated that Brownsville is the poorest city of the nation, people are locally registered in food banks and receive food stamps and are not willing or able to pay the fee of over 300 dollars a month.

Mayor Martinez says that this fee will only last the next five years, until the completion of the plant and that it will attract major enterprises and that he will try and collaborate with local agencies to help the residents that are behind on payments or are not going not to be able to pay up the standard fee starting next year.