Brownsville commission streamlines lawsuit service, approves multiple rezonings and hires Stantec for parks plan

Brownsville — The Brownsville City Commission on Jan. 7 adopted an ordinance to centralize how the city is served with lawsuits and claims, approved three separate zoning or special-use requests, and authorized a contract award for the city parks master plan.

The measures were acted on during the regular meeting at City Hall and passed on voice votes. A separate executive-session motion approved awarding the parks master-plan contract to Stantec Consulting Services Incorporated, subject to finalization by the city manager and city attorney.

The ordinance (No. 2024-1762) revises the city’s administrative code to designate a single point of service for lawsuits and damage claims and to codify settlement authority. Under the ordinance as described to the commission, the city secretary is to be the primary recipient for service; when city secretary staff are unavailable, the city attorney would serve as the designated recipient. The ordinance also formalizes an existing practice by…