Dear Neighbors,

This morning, my City Council colleagues and I approved the City’s budget for 2017-2018. I am proud to have supported a plan that begins to address the lack of public investment in some of San Antonio’s older neighborhoods. I am also thankful that we were able to secure an additional $2 million for drainage projects in District 7.

I believe this plan incorporates your priorities – the ones you told us about in public forums, emails and phone calls to the District 7 offices, and numerous one-on-one conversations.

Next year’s budget isn’t perfect – no investment plan of its size ever will be – but I believe it will improve our quality of life and make our communities safer. It provides funding to hire 42 new police officers, including four park police officers, and 43 new firefighters. The budget also maintains our strong commitment to improving streets, sidewalks, and other basic infrastructure in every Council District.

The repairs to some of the most deteriorated streets and sidewalks in Council Districts 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 will be in addition to our regular maintenance spending. In other words, fairer, more equitable budgeting doesn’t mean some districts will lose out on infrastructure funding.

In adopting the budget, we also voted to keep the City’s property tax rate at its current level. As you may know, there was a call to trim the tax rate. But after a great deal of reflection, I couldn’t support the proposal. The tax relief for homeowners would have been minimal while the overall hit to our ability to repair and maintain our infrastructure would have been significant.

Our new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

Thank you for your guidance during this budget season.

Yours in public service,

As part of the Development Service Department's efforts to increase and improve partnerships with the community, they’ve started a DSD Academy to help residents understand the various aspects of development, including zoning, platting, permits, inspections, code enforcement and graffiti.

The first session is Zoning 101, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 23, 9:00 – 11:00 a.m., in the Board Room inside the Cliff Morton Development & Business Services Center located at 1901 S. Alamo. Zoning 101 will provide an overview of the zoning and plan amendment process, what are zoning districts, how to participate in the process and navigate DSD's website to get to the information you need to know. The class will be presented by Catherine Hernandez, DSD’s Land Development Administrator.

But hurry, spacing is limited to 100 attendees! If you would like to attend, register through this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Zoning101Sep23

Partnering with the community to build and maintain a safer San Antonio is a mission that DSD takes seriously and are always looking for new and innovative ways in which to accomplish our goals. DSD Academy will have a session every month, each on a different topic. For more information, you can visit the DSD website at http://www.sanantonio.gov/DSD and check under "Training" in the Resources section.

Join us for a meeting to provide feedback on the DRAFT study on Cincinnati Ave. The study reviews the current conditions and vision for the future of the corridor, based on research and previous community input.

The meeting will be held at St. Mary's University (1 Camino Santa Maria) in Conference Room B, 2nd floor. It will take place from 6 to 7:30pm on Monday, Sept. 19th.

The first Community Meeting is rapidly approaching: the meeting will be on Monday, September 18 ^th at the Igo Branch Library at 13330 Kyle Seale Parkway.

Networking and refreshments will begin at 5:30, the formal presentation will begin at 6:00 pm followed by the group activity. The meeting is scheduled to end by 8:00 pm. 

The 9th Annual Historic Homeowner Fair will be

Saturday, September 30, 2017, at the Pearl Stable.

The Historic Homeowner Fair (HHF) is a free, annual event hosted by the City of San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation. It is designed to bring together owners of aging and historic homes with local professionals, services, products, and solutions and to educate homeowners about caring for and maintaining their properties. In addition to an Exhibitor Hall of local contractors and preservation organizations, the HHF provides educational sessions and hands-on demonstrations throughout the day which cover a wide array of topics including wood window repair, securing financing for a project, and even landscaping. 

Calling all youth musicians and vocalists, ages 13 to 18, to come be part of the Parks and Recreation Department’s Take Note Youth Band . Applications are being accepted now for the City’s youth pre-professional music ensemble.

The  Take Note Youth Band  is specifically tailored for aspiring musicians and singers who have a desire to make a career in the music industry. The band includes vocalists, keyboardists, bassists, drummers, percussionists and saxophonists. Band members will be introduced to concepts needed to perform a variety of musical styles such as pop, rock, jazz and blues in preparation for live performances throughout the city, including the San Antonio Rock-n-Roll Marathon . T he band also performs at the annual ¡BRAVO! Show, evenings of song and dance hosted by City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department and performed at the Arneson River Theatre each July.

 

To take advantage of this opportunity, musicians should submit an application by September 22 . The application can be downloaded at the Take Note Youth Band webpage. Applications can be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to ATTN: Mona Lisa Montgomery, 5800 Enrique M. Barrera Parkway; San Antonio, Texas 78227. Hours for dropping off an entry are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. 

 

Applicants will be notified in advance to take part in live auditions the week of October 9, 2017. For more information please call 207-3132. 

The San Antonio River Authority is inviting the public to the upcoming Westside Creeks Restoration Oversight Committee Meeting on September 19th at 6pm. It will be held at the River Authority's office at 100 East Guenther Street.

The meeting will include updates from project managers on the San Pedro Creek Improvements Project, Westside Creeks Improvement Project, and the Elmendorf Lake Pool Project.

The meeting is quarterly and open to the public.

City government is big and complex. It can be intimidating, but shouldn't be. To help you get the most of your government, every week we will dedicate part of the District 7 newsletter to City services you may not be aware but that you might find useful.

This week, we're highlighting the City's TVSA, a government access channel and streaming service that brings City Hall to your living room.

Here's how TVSA describes the program:

City information is as close as your television. Tune in to TVSA for programs that will help you better understand how your municipal government is working for you. TVSA is available on Time Warner Cable channel 21; Grande Cable Channel 20; AT&T U-verse channel 99 and online on the TVSA website.

TVSA programs cover a wide variety of issues. Watch live City Council meetings, B-session meetings, or Bexar County Commissioners' Court meetings. Find your City Council members' monthly programs. Several City departments and City agencies produce their own shows to inform and educate residents about all of the services they provide. TVSA also offers special programs throughout the year such as the annual Our Part of Town district talent shows or other current programs. Check our live TransGuide coverage before you head out on your morning or afternoon commute. If you are channel surfing, our TVSA notices have information on upcoming events or tips on how to utilize City services.

To view archived programs, including past City Council sessions, click here.