My remarks will always be brief because that is what I believe in.
Two things that I would say on this (groundbreaking ceremony). When I ran for commissioner I remember people asking, what is the next big thing that you want to see come to Brownsville. And my response was always consistent. I do not want to see the next big thing come to Brownsville, I want to see the next big thing come out of Brownsville.
And it is not just about Brownsville. It is about the region. The South Texas region and the northern Mexico region. Because when the region wins, we all win. Every city, every citizen, from jobs to economic development to infrastructure. It cannot be us versus them from the port to the city to the county to the U.S. and Mexico. It has to be all of us working together to better the lives of every citizen out there. And this is the first example.
This is not groundbreaking for some new thing that this family wants to try. This marks growth and expansion. And not bringing the first jobs to the area but bringing more jobs to the area. And that is property taxes, that is wages that go into the local economy. And that is livelihoods for the citizens of Brownsville, putting food on the table for those families. That is a fantastic thing that we should be very, very, proud of. This will be one of the success stories that I get to tell. Of one of the great things that is happening in Brownsville and we look forward to see what the future holds for you, even before that.
And economic development. Absolutely. We have been a community that for too long has relied on the property taxes to fund our general fund. But, we have an amazing team at the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation that has really turned (things) around in the last two years. And we see activity now in our (industrial) parks. And I hear that even the last two lots that might have been available, there are now letters of intent that are coming in for those, which is a wonderful thing to see.
I ride the trails here regularly so I love seeing all the activity that is happening here now and this is a sign of things to come for Brownsville. Where there is greater revenue coming in from sales taxes, where there is greater revenue coming in from the industrial sector. That we can reduce our dependency on property taxes for the citizens and that is a testament to the work both of GBIC, their board members and their staff and families like the Rodriguez family and the companies that are doing these things here in Brownsville and creating jobs for the local families. So, thank you all very much for everything you are doing. Keep up the great work and whatever we can do for you, we are just a phone call away. Thank you.
Editor’s Note: The above remarks were made by Brownsville City Commissioner Roy De Los Santos at a groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming arrival of a freight forwarding company to the North Brownsville Industrial Park. The company is the AMFCO Group. The company, owned by brothers Luis and Cesar Rodriguez, already has a presence in Brownsville. The new facility will allow them to expand. Commissioner De Los Santos (pictured above) can be reached by email via: [email protected].
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