The Brownsville Public Utilities Board Makes Your Life POWERful
By: Billy R. Bradford, Jr. , Brownsville PUB Board Member

October 3rd through the 9th has been declared as Public Power Week by the Brownsville Public Utilities Board and the majority of the Brownsville City Commission. I want to take the opportunity to tell you about our electric system – Brownsville PUB – a community-owned enterprise.

The Brownsville PUB is our hometown “public power” electric utility, and has been for nearly a century. Brownsville PUB is operated by a local Board of Directors that are appointed by the City Commission. The utility operates as a public service and its job is to provide electricity in a business-like manner at a reasonable cost. We are a community business that is one of only 2,000 such utilities across the country.

Having a community-owned utility gives you more than just electric power. It also provides service and savings that make your life more powerful:

  • We are driven by public service, not profits. While some of our competitors are attempting to use credit history as a factor in determining how much to charge customers, the Brownsville PUB is diligently working to ensure that customers’ bills do not become a hardship.
  • Our loyalty is to our customers; we serve you – our fellow citizens, friends and neighbors – not stockholders nor a Board of Directors in another city far away from Brownsville. We are accountable to you here locally.
  • We contribute to the community in many ways to help make Brownsville a better place to live and work including lighting the little league fields, sponsoring many local community service organizations and providing the city with a significant return on its investment.
  • Over the past year, an average BPUB residential customer would have paid 37% more for electricity if they were serviced by AEP/CPL. This means that the average BPUB residential customer paid about $30 less a month for electricity.
  • Our Board holds open meetings where customers can see their utility in action. The regular meeting is held the second Monday of every month. Additionally customers are encouraged to attend our monthly Consumer Advisory Panel (PUBCAP) meetings to provide feedback to utility representatives. PUBCAP meets the third Wednesday of every month.

The Brownsville Public Utilities Board is known as a leader in the utility industry and has been a valuable asset to Brownsville for many years. While certain members of our community contemplate selling the system, I urge you to think back on Brownsville’s history.

In the early 1900s, community leaders had the foresight to invest in creating a city-owned utility system after many failed attempts by private companies. In the late 1950s, community leaders again had a choice to sell the system or create the Brownsville PUB. By a narrow margin, the citizens of Brownsville voted in favor of Public Power. We hope that we can count on your continued support of public power as an American tradition that works for your interest here in Brownsville.

We invite you to join us in our celebration at the Brownsville PUB Administration Building lobby. There will be balloons for the children, electrical safety demonstrations and information about our utility and its services. Come see how we make your life POWERful. Please call Sylvia Cancino at 983-6292 for more information about activities for the week. We hope you’ll join in our celebration.