Fire contract controversy fizzles out with closed-door discussion
Following a week of back-and-forth discussions over transparency, leaks, and the fitness of the city attorney, San Antonio City Council members ended up discussing the stalled contract negotiations behind closed doors, just as nearly half of them had already asked.
San Antonio City Manager will have โconversationโ with city attorney after council membersโ closed-door grievance airing
Less than week after nearly half the San Antonio City Council called for a meeting to discuss the โfitnessโ of the city attorney, they got a chance to air their grievances behind closed doors.
San Antonio City Council in revolt; nearly half of members want to consider forcing out city attorney
The day after they say the city attorney tried to partially block their demand for a special meeting, five San Antonio City Council members are demanding another meeting - this time to discuss whether he is fit for the job.
San Antonio airport to get 420 pound โautonomous security robotโ
The San Antonio City Council agreed Thursday to lease a nearly 5โฒ 5โณ tall, 420-pound โautonomous security robotโ to patrol a secure area of the San Antonio International Airport to check on alarms set off by opened doors. Itโs expected to be deployed within a month.
San Antonio City Council passes new code of conduct; questions raised about enforcement
Less than three weeks after issuing its third formal reprimand to a council member in the past 15 months, the city council voted 8-2 to adopt a new code of conduct. However, itโs debatable if the code would even apply to all three incidents, and the enforcement measures included in the code are all largely symbolic.
City council pay, more council districts: commission begins 6-month process considering charter changes
How much to pay San Antonio city council members, whether to add more council districts, and independent redistricting could all end up on San Antonio votersโ ballots next year. But it will depend first on what a 15-members citizen commission decides over the next six months.
CPS Energy board approves rate increase; council to vote Thursday
The board voted 5-0 to approve the proposed increase of 4.25% to the base rates, raising the average customerโs monthly bill by $4.45. The city-owned utility still needs the approval of the San Antonio City Council, which meets on Dec. 7.
โGrave oversightโ: San Antonio childcare center slams plans for low-barrier homeless shelter next door
Just days after San Antonio City Council members approved a $15.9 million plan to use a downtown hotel as a 200-room, low-barrier homeless shelter, the childcare center next door says it is โoutraged.โ
Some sparks fly as council finalizes budget, including fund to assist travel for abortion care
As the San Antonio City Council spent a second day debating last-minute tweaks to the city budget, a proposal that could help fund trips to out-of-state abortion clinics continued to be a point of contention.
โAir of compromiseโ: Abortion travel fund, mental health teams among proposed city budget tweaks
Expanding a popular mental health team, creating a fund to help cover travel to out-of-state abortion clinics, and giving more money for Animal Care Services were among the most high-profile changes council members discussed making to the budget - largely favorably.
Court tosses code enforcement cases spurred on by letter from disgraced former assistant development services director
An administrative hearing officer has tossed out four code violation cases against the owners of a west San Antonio storage yard after ruling that city code does not require the parking area to be paved.
City Council backs moving Brackenridge Project ahead in 6-4 vote
The San Antonio City Council awarded Amstar, Inc. a $3.5 million contract for repairing the historic retaining walls, stabilizing the pump house, and reconstructing the grand stair case. However, the cityโs plans to cut down dozens of trees in the process has draw sharp criticism.
Feral hog trapping contract up for San Antonio City Council vote
The invasive, nuisance species have been spotted at the City of San Antonioโs southernmost park, the Medina River Natural Area. And the Parks and Recreation Department says there has been evidence of the pigs at other city properties, such as Friedrich Wilderness Park and the Greenway Trail System.
Rundown apartments now subject to extra inspections
In a near unanimous voice vote Thursday, the San Antonio City Council passed a new โProactive Apartment Inspection Program,โ which stems out of the attention that properties with numerous citations like Seven Oaks Apartments attracted in the summer of 2022.
Rosie Castro confirmed as interim District 7 councilwoman
Amid a standing ovation, the San Antonio City Council confirmed the civil rights activist and mother of the cityโs two most recognizable political figures, Maria del Rosario โRosieโ Castro, as the interim council member for District 7 on Thursday morning.
Marijuana, abortion make San Antonio May ballot, but city attorney says โdecriminalizationโ efforts arenโt enforceable
The "San Antonio Justice Charter" has enough signatures to get on the ballot, but will it matter? The City Attorney claims most of the proposed changes aren't legal, and the city wouldn't try to enforce them, even if they were to pass.
San Antonio City Council authorizes eminent domain takeover of Moses Roseโs, will try negotiating first
The San Antonio City Council voted 9-2 on Thursday morning to authorize the use of eminent domain to acquire Moses Roseโs Hideout on East Houston Street, which sits in the footprint of a planned Alamo Visitor Center and Museum.
Clayton Perry stripped of council committees, Mario Bravo given new assignments amid reshuffle
Following the scandals and โno-confidenceโ votes on two city council members, Mayor Ron Nirenberg reshuffled City Council assignments Monday, stripping one memberโs assignments and restoring another to a more active role on council.
San Antonio City Council votes โno-confidenceโ in Clayton Perry but scraps call for him to resign; prepares for temporary replacement
The San Antonio City Council plans to appoint a temporary replacement for District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry while he takes a "sabbatical." A resolution that originally called for him to resign was watered down during a special meeting.
San Antonio City Council to vote on whether to censure District 1 Councilman Mario Bravo after investigation of angry confrontation
The San Antonio City Council is scheduled to decide Thursday whether to censure District 1 Councilman Mario Bravo and issue a vote of โno confidenceโ over his angry confrontation with District 7 Councilwoman Ana Sandoval.
Censure, no-confidence vote on Mario Bravo after investigation of angry confrontation
An investigation found Bravoโs โactions violated City Councilโs rules and expectations that are reflected in City Administrative Directives 4.67 Equal Employment Opportunity/Anti-Harassment and 4.80 Violence in the Workplace,โ according to an agenda memo posted online Thursday evening.
City Council passes $3.4B budget, including bill credits to CPS customers
The San Antonio City Council is poised to pass a $3.4 billion budget Thursday that includes pay bumps for employees, dozens of new police officer positions, and a property tax cut. But it is unclear whether council members will follow a staff recommendation to send $50 million in extra revenue back to CPS Energy customers or take more time to figure out an alternate use.
City council still divided on how to spend $50M of CPS windfall
The hot temperatures and higher natural gas costs have been pushing up power bills, which increases CPS Energy revenues in turn and the amount the utility passes on to the city. While city staff has proposed giving $50 million back to CPS customers - mostly through bill credits averaging $31 for residential customers- city council members havenโt all signed on to the idea..
City council passes resolution supporting abortion access
San Antonioโs resolution does not legalize or decriminalize abortion in San Antonio. However, it does make a policy recommendation against spending city money -- outside of what is โclearly requiredโ by state and federal law -- to catalog, collect or share with other government agencies information on instances of abortion strictly to pursue criminal investigations.
SAPD wants to add up to 50 more officers; East and West Side council members against it
Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and Councilwoman Teri Castillo were the only dissenting council members in a 7-2 vote on whether to pursue a grant of up to $6.25 million through the U.S. Department of Justice, which would help pay for up to 50 new police officer positions. The pair of freshman council members, who represent the East and West Sides respectively, raised concerns about whether adding officers would help reduce crime and about the increase to SAPDโs budget that would results from it.
SA approves major Hemisfair project amendment with Zachry, greenlighting hotel and residential units
The San Antonio City Council approved a contract amendment with Zachry Hospitality on a major project at Hemsfair, greenlighting the process for a hotel and more residential units at the former Worldโs Fair site.
City Council approves $300K settlement in Texasโ sanctuary cities lawsuit against McManus
San Antonio city council on Thursday is scheduled to vote on a $300,000 settlement for a 2018 lawsuit that accused SAPD Chief William McManus of flouting a state law that requires local governments to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
San Antonio limits construction noise with โgoodnight, goodnight construction siteโ ordinance
The San Antonio City Council amended the cityโs noise ordinances on Thursday to limit the hours during which construction crews can do any exterior building construction work, including demolition and excavation. The council also approved more stringent penalties for violations.
San Antonioโs 5-year, $1.2 billion bond program goes to the voters
City council approved the final, $1.2 billion list of bond projects Thursday, including: money for affordable housing, expanding the cityโs greenway trail system, repairing failed streets, and building fire and police stations. It now goes to voters for approval during the May 7 election.
After retreating from the bond process, Texas Biomed gets $10 million for infrastructure through ARPA
Despite vocal opposition from animal rights activists and others, city council voted Thursday to give $10 million to Texas Biomedical Research Institute for infrastructure improvements at its campus.
Top CPS Energy leadership taking pay cut would show solidarity with customers, says San Antonio professor
As a proposed CPS Energy rate increase heads to the San Antonio City Council for a vote this week, some customers are saying not so fast. Many who left in the dark during last yearโs winter storm are asking why utility leaders arenโt taking a pay cut instead.
$25M request down to $5M: Brackenridge Park Conservancy wants council to increase bond money for Sunken Garden Theater
The conservancy is pushing for a $62 million overhaul of the 1930s-era, city-owned theater, located next to the Japanese Tea Garden in Brackenridge Park. Plans include new facilities, professional lighting and sound systems, and a sweeping roof that covers the stage and expanded seating area.
City sets 10-year goal of producing, preserving 28,049 affordable housing units
The Strategic Housing Implementation Plan - or SHIP - was approved unanimously with one abstention and a second councilwoman away from the dais. At its core, the SHIP is about helping 95,000 Bexar County households who are most at risk of housing instability.
San Antonians say mental health, housing, and infrastructure among best ways to spend pandemic relief money
In a Thursday presentation to council members, city staff showed the results of the various surveys, town hall meetings, and meetings with the Small Business Advocacy Commission from the previous months.
New, 20-year plan for San Antonio International Airport โclear for takeoffโ
The โSDP,โ as officials refer to it, provides a vision for the airport into 2040 that will accommodate expected growth. It calls for unifying the airport terminals, including a brand-new, third terminal; adding more gates; extending the largest runway to accommodate longer international flights; re-routing vehicle traffic; central passenger screening; and more parking.