(Photo credit: Taken by author)

22/9/2020

What happened:
Tuesday, September 15, 2020, the EDC agreed to table agenda item 5.2. "5.2 Discussion and action to approve the 2020-21 annual budget for the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center," after Councilman and Board Member Ken Medders asked for there to be more time for the public to look over it.

"I would respectfully ask we table this at least until next week. Give people enough time to look at this budget, because they're asking questions. They're asking me questions that I really don't know."

Why it matters:
According to Medders, the budget in question was missing from the City's website. "I've had two calls this morning. Folks that have gone on the web, on the city site and this annual budget material is not there." Other EDC members agreed that this is a similar issue they face from residents.

When asked about this issue, Executive Director Darla Lepeyre said she did not know how it did not make it to the website because she submits the whole file, "I post the agenda and packet the same way I have for the past six months. The IT people used to post everything online, and now we do it ourselves. I hit a couple of buttons that say published. I thought it was there, but I don't know. I'll figure it out."

Kori Marra pointed out that as EDC board members, they had time to look over the budget and answer residents' questions. "As members, we all got this in the mail, so to say that we don't know anything about this is not true. We've had a chance to review it." Medders shot back, stating, "It's the public. The two phone calls I got were from the public, not me." Marra responded, "You just said you didn't have an answer for people."

Medders corrected his statement by saying, "I don't have an answer as to why they didn't get it." Marra defended her message saying she was addressing the board as a whole, "I'm not even addressing you, Ken. I'm sorry, I'm addressing the board."

What now:
After further review, the board set a meeting for the following Monday, September 21, 2020, to discuss and act on the tabled budget item.

The attending representative for the SPI Birding & Nature Center was Councilwoman Alita Bagley, a Board Member for SPI Birding & Nature Center for the past five years. As she did in the previous September meeting, Bagley stepped up to answer questions for the board.

Medders started off explaining that since the public has reviewed the budget, they (residents) asked about the rent per square foot of the Birding and Nature Center. "The question that I keep getting asked is, about the 12 cents (per ft) that the birding center is paying the EDC for the lease of that building, and I don't have an answer for them." Medders asked, "Why is it 12 cents instead of 75 or a dollar the going rate with the rest of the city?"

Bagley answered, "Well, you'll have to ask the EDC that. This (The Birding and Nature Center) is an EDC project that was the agreement."

EDC Member Kevin Miller asked, "Why is the EDC paying insurance $45,000 a year of insurance cost for the Birding and Nature Center? When you say it's the EDC's project, I don't really know what that means. What I think what you mean is that the EDC is financially responsible for the Nature and Birding Center, and if so, I would like to hear that directly."

Bagley suggested that since Executive Director Darla Lepeyre was there initially, she could better explain to her board. "Darla can probably answer this and explain much better since she was here from the get-go when this project was started."

After some explanation, Lepeyre told the board that in the operating agreement, the EDC would pay for it everything that they are currently paying for, including the rent amount which was voted on by the EDC. "If you all want to change it, we can amend the operating agreement."

Miller, who was still confused as to why the EDC was responsible for giving what he said he would call "almost free rent and all the insurance costs."

Lepeyre's summary explanation was, "I think Mickey (Furcron) you can help me answer this. It was an EDC project. I don't know what else to say."

Bagley approached the podium to help add an explanation, starting with mentioning that the EDC is an Economic Development Corporation, and it was an EDC project. "It's non-profit. This is your project, and we're running it for you. This is why we're here to show you what's being done." Bagley welcomed the board to visit her at the Birding and Nature Center with any questions they had.

Marra recommended a special workshop because the topic in discussion was not on the agenda, "Maybe we need a special workshop to go back through and discuss."

The motion passed, approving the 2020-21 annual budget for the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center.