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Commission approves MOU amendment for Veil House with city use provision
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Summary
The commission ratified an MOU with the Brownsville Historic Association for rehabilitation and maintenance of the Veil House, adding city use language (six free uses per year; additional uses at 50% of standard rental) and approved the item after debate (vote announced as 4–3).
The City Commission considered and ratified a memorandum of understanding with the Brownsville Historic Association (BHA) on April 7 covering rehabilitation, operation and maintenance of the Veil House. Staff said BHA agreed to language granting the city six free uses of the facility per year and charging the city half of the regular rental rate for any additional uses.
Commissioners asked for cost estimates and whether there were any fundraising commitments; staff said Preservation Texas had not yet provided a cost estimate and that the final price would depend on relocation and a condition assessment at the prospective new site. One commissioner said the unknown cost made it difficult to support the item, while another moved to approve with the amendment adding the six free rentals provision.
A motion to approve the MOU with the amendment was seconded and put to a vote; the clerk announced the motion carried and staff stated the amended language would be added to the MOU before signatures. No dollar amounts for rehabilitation were available at the meeting.
Next steps: staff will insert the agreed city-use language into the MOU and forward the document for signatures; staff and BHA will continue fundraising and perform a site assessment before cost estimates are finalized.
