Brownsville city leaders are collecting written comments from the community about the city's LGBTQ+ Task Force.

City leaders tabled a vote at the previous city council meeting that could dissolve the task force. They met Monday night with the community to talk about possible solutions.

A heated Brownsville town hall was held between frustrated community members and the city commission.

Brownsville Mayor John Cowen says the goal of the meeting was to gather feedback on possible solutions if the city were to terminate its LGBTQ+ Task Force.

The task force was created back in 2019 and has helped create ordinances that ensure all people are treated equally and fairly.

Channel 5 News spoke with Cowen about why the task force is at risk of being dissolved. He says about a third of the city's budget comes from state and federal grants.

"A lot of these grants have language that we have to certify that we are in compliance with all state and federal laws. So these DEI executive orders are considered something we need to be compliant with," Cowen said.

So if the city continues with the task force, funding could be affected.

"This task force is a risk for us in maintaining that compliance," Cowen said.

During Monday's meeting, city leaders asked people to write their feedback on note pads.

Vicente Martinez gave some solutions and hopes the city will support the LGBTQ+ community.

"We want support from the city because the federal government is coming for us, and what better way than to have the city to ensure they care for us and keep us safe," Martinez said.

Cowen says they plan to compile all the feedback offered and discuss it at another community meeting. There is no word on when the next meeting will take place.

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