It created hundreds of jobs and built a new facility, but T-Mobile is saying goodbye to Brownsville and before their exit, city leaders said the company has to pay back millions worth of incentives.
Brownsville city leaders said it's been a great partnership, but T-Mobile will be closing their Brownsville call center.
It first opened in 2007 and the city leaders said it’s closing will leave hundreds without jobs.
"At this point they're at about 470,” said Vice President of Brownsville Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) Gilbert Salinas. “Unfortunately they will be shutting down by the end of June and that means there will be 400 plus people or families that is without a job.”
The city offered up to $3.5 million of incentives to draw the company to Brownsville.
T-Mobile had to follow certain requirements including the company had to stay in Brownsville for at least five years and create 700 jobs.
The company did neither and now the city is taking back the $2.5 million they already paid them.
"We were able to recuperate that money,” said Salinas. “Yesterday we actually received the check for $2.5 million from T-Mobile.”
He said T-Mobile is helping find jobs for some of those who will be laid off.
"They are offering packages, they're offering the employees that are there right now the opportunity to move to some of the other facilities,” said Salinas. “I think there's a facility in the upper valley in Mission"
T-mobile will also leaves behind their facility and the city is already looking for someone else to move in.
"We're in some pretty serious discussions with a prospect that's looking into possibly bringing in a company that would be paying similar wages that T-Mobile was paying there if not more. said Salinas.
Salinas said the BEDC continues to work hard to draw job-creating companies to the city.
He said right now there are ten major projects in the works and said jobs are coming soon.
"Those projects are at about almost $5 billion in capital investment and upward of 4,000 jobs.” said Salinas.
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