Cameron County tables notice to terminate Brownsville Local Development Company contract after small-business appeals

Cameron County Commissioners Court on Wednesday tabled consideration of a notice of termination for its contract with the Brownsville Local Development Company, the nonprofit certified development company that administers SBA 504 loans locally, after several small-business owners urged the court to preserve the program.

The court voted to table agenda item 2Z, which would have given notice of termination of contract number 2021C10351 with the BLDC, on a motion by Commissioner Joey Lopez seconded by Commissioner Sophia Benavides. The same vote pattern later tabled a separate agenda item (2AA) to dissolve the BLDC program manager position (PCN 419140001), also on a motion by Lopez and seconded by Benavides.

The decision followed public comments from several local business owners and community members who described the SBA 504 program as supportive of local investment and jobs. "Since October of 2021 the SBA 504 program has been a game changer for Cameron County," Hector Picasso identified himself as a BLDC board member and said. "Over the past 39 months this program has driven over $11,000,000 in…