By Juan Montoya
Remember the hare-brained suggestion by Texas Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. to consolidate all of the school districts in Cameron County into one governed by the largest one, the Brownsville Independent School District?
![Image result for sen. eddie lucio jr., rrunrrun]()
That idea, once county districts got wind of it, sank like a lead balloon and Eddie ran for cover blaming one of his staff members for introducing it "prematurely."
Now Lucio is backpedaling again after the BISD passed a resolution asking that the BISD boundaries be expanded to conform with the city limits of Brownsville. The board asked that Lusio and new District 37 State Rep. Alex Dominguez push the bill thriugh the Senate and House this legislative session.
The first to complain was the Los Fresnos ISD who said that at least three of its schools would be inside the Brownville city limits and they didn't like it.
Now it's the San Benito ISD which is giving the idea a thumbs down.
Lucio, as he is wont to do, has now come out defending the Los Fresnos ISD and saying the issue should be "studied" more closely before any bills are introduced.
But the move north, say some political watchers and Anti-LNG advocates, is that if the other part of the BISD expansion plan – the area of Cameron County south of the Port of Brownsville channel up to the Gulf of Mexico – is approved, it opens up the debate of tax abatements for those companies. At least one, Anova, has a lease agreement with the port for land south of the channel.
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Port Isabel ISD, the towns of Laguna Vista and South Padre Island and other taxing entities and districts there, have turned down proposals and passed resolutions against the tax abatements for those companies. Virtually all of the Port of Brownsville and the land south of the channel falls within the boundaries of the Point Isabel ISD.
But if even this small part of the school district realingnment goes through, it will be up to the BISD, not the PI ISD to decide whether it will grant Anova the abatements it so dearly would love to have.
We're not talking peanuts here. Those abatements could mean millions of dollars in taxes to these companies, and a heft contribution to our state senator.
And as we have come to know him and Lucio III so well, they will hold their noses to stave off the stench to deposit their checks in their contribution accounts.
Remember the hare-brained suggestion by Texas Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. to consolidate all of the school districts in Cameron County into one governed by the largest one, the Brownsville Independent School District?
That idea, once county districts got wind of it, sank like a lead balloon and Eddie ran for cover blaming one of his staff members for introducing it "prematurely."Now Lucio is backpedaling again after the BISD passed a resolution asking that the BISD boundaries be expanded to conform with the city limits of Brownsville. The board asked that Lusio and new District 37 State Rep. Alex Dominguez push the bill thriugh the Senate and House this legislative session.
The first to complain was the Los Fresnos ISD who said that at least three of its schools would be inside the Brownville city limits and they didn't like it.
Now it's the San Benito ISD which is giving the idea a thumbs down.
Lucio, as he is wont to do, has now come out defending the Los Fresnos ISD and saying the issue should be "studied" more closely before any bills are introduced.
But the move north, say some political watchers and Anti-LNG advocates, is that if the other part of the BISD expansion plan – the area of Cameron County south of the Port of Brownsville channel up to the Gulf of Mexico – is approved, it opens up the debate of tax abatements for those companies. At least one, Anova, has a lease agreement with the port for land south of the channel.
Port Isabel ISD, the towns of Laguna Vista and South Padre Island and other taxing entities and districts there, have turned down proposals and passed resolutions against the tax abatements for those companies. Virtually all of the Port of Brownsville and the land south of the channel falls within the boundaries of the Point Isabel ISD.
But if even this small part of the school district realingnment goes through, it will be up to the BISD, not the PI ISD to decide whether it will grant Anova the abatements it so dearly would love to have.
We're not talking peanuts here. Those abatements could mean millions of dollars in taxes to these companies, and a heft contribution to our state senator.
And as we have come to know him and Lucio III so well, they will hold their noses to stave off the stench to deposit their checks in their contribution accounts.