(Ed.'s Note: First the City of Brownsville created a fiasco with COVID-19 testing by limiting access to city residents and gave one vendor about $1 million worth of favored treatment for over four months before it was overwhelmed and opened the door for others. Now, Mayor Trey Mendez's limiting restaurants to 25 percent capacity has run afoul of the Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's order. Who is the amended city order favoring now? And an even more pointed question: What else can the city commission and its top administrators mess up?)
Special to El Rrun-Rrun
BROWNSVILLE (KVEO) — The City of Brownsville’s attempt to limit restaurant capacity to no more than 25 percent has been ruled invalid by state officials.
In a letter addressed to Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez, officials with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton advised the city that its limitation contradicts Governor Greg Abbott’s orders.
According to the letter, Executive Order GA-28 allows restaurants to open at up to 50 percent capacity, as opposed to the city’s limitation of 25 percent.
The attorney general’s office stressed that it is up to restaurants, not local governments, to decide their capacity under the 50 percent rule.
“The City of Brownsville’s order clearly conflicts with Governor Abbott’s order. It is imperative that we remain consistent in our application of limitations, and that the restaurants operating within the state’s limitations are allowed to do so,” said Attorney General Paxton. “The city should immediately review and revise this unlawful order.”