Brownsville city commissioners and Brownsville Public Utilities board members finalized the plan to give customers who paid into a failed energy project their money back, signaling the potential end of a tumultuous period for both city officials and residents.

On Monday, May 8, a select number of Brownsville Public Utility Board customers, current and former, should begin receiving their refund through the mail.

"Refunds will be issued to the electric system who the funds were collected from between April 2013 and September 2016," Chief Financial Officer for BPUB Mike Perez said.

The total amount to be distributed is more than $31.3 million.

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The money is a mix of interest and cash originally set aside for the construction of the plant that ultimately failed.

According to an audit, the failure was known to both then CEO John Bruciak and then Brownsville Mayor Tony Martinez in 2017.

Perez says the refund will be divided by how much power customers used during that three and half year period.

"The residential customer's average refunds will be around, in this case, around $212," Perez said.

The city and utility board are also putting their cut of the funds back into the pot for active customers. So if you're still getting power from BPUB, you should receive at least another $48 from that money.

"In essence, a residential customer whose calculated refund is $200 will receive a total refund of $248.78. So the $48 is on top of the refund they'll be getting," Perez said.

The first phase of refunds begins May 8th. Phase two for inactive customers should get a check in the mail by May 22nd.

If you have any questions regarding the refund, visit Brownsville-pub.com/TEFrefund or call 956-983-6121.