Transportation planning expert Edmund Haas gives his views on Brownsville's proposed Capital Recovery Fee program

BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS - Edmund Haas, a transportation planning manager with Freese & Nichols, spoke in depth about the City of Brownsville’s proposed Capital Recovery Fee program at a public hearing held at city hall on Jan. 16. Freese & Nichols are consultants to the City of Brownsville on the Capital Recovery Fee initiative. The plan is to impose a one-time charge on developers as they begin new projects. The fees raised would go towards roadway improvements. Certain exemptions are being built into the program, such as affordable housing projects and extensions to legacy businesses, which are defined as those based in Brownsville for a minimum of five years.Here is an audio recording of what Haas said at the public hearing. It includes questions from city commissioners. Haas is introduced by J. Joel Garza, Jr., multimodal Transportation director for the City of Brownsville.Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.