By Edmond Ortiz
The newest slate of news briefs are highlighted by an internal investigation of San Antonio’s mayor for alleged misconduct, Castle Hills revising rules covering short-term rentals, and a Northeast Side school district preparing to call for campus consolidations.
San Antonio mayor under fire
San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones is being investigated for an alleged violation of the city’s code of conduct following a reported confrontation that happened Feb. 5 between Jones and District 1 City Councilmember Sukh Kaur at City Hall.
Kaur submitted a formal complaint to trigger the investigation. Reports of the confrontation also prompted five council members to submit a memo on Feb. 9, seeking a special council meeting to consider a formal censure of Jones.
“Over the past seven months, there have been repeated instances of unprofessional conduct in dealing with council members, city staff and residents of San Antonio,” the memo’s authors stated.
According to city rules, such a special council meeting must occur one week following the conclusion of the investigation of Kaur’s complaint. A censure vote is a reprimand, but does not require the removal of the individual office-holder in question.
Kaur has declined to provide comments regarding her complaint. But Jones has shared that her run-in with Kaur focused on the city’s efforts to get The Bonham Exchange nightclub, located within Kaur’s downtown council district, to reduce occupancy and have the club’s owners install a fire sprinkler system in order to get the building in compliance with local fire code.
Jones later issued a statement, saying she does not mean to hurt anyone’s feelings in matters of public discourse, but she was also disappointed that fellow elected leaders are pursuing a reprimand.
“My style of leadership is grounded in my lived experience, and that approach does not always align with the traditional templates of female leaders or my colleagues’ views,” Jones said in the statement.
Castle Hills amends short-term rental laws
Castle Hills City Council voted 4-1 on Feb. 10 to pass a set of revamped rules concerning short-term rentals.
Some of the key revisions include raising the number of STR permits from 10-25 – 15 for Castle Hills residents and 10 for non-residents with residency confirmed by documentation of homestead from appraisal district records, a current utility bill, or other written proof acceptable to the city manager.
The city is also now giving applicants a chance to request a variance thru the city’s board of adjustment, and is grandfathering existing properties that have STR permits.
Castle Hills’ decision to amend its short-term rental rules comes nearly one year after some residents complained to the city that one STR was being established in close proximity of another STR. Many local residents have also voiced concerns about parking, noise and traffic issues developing around local STRs.
The revamped STR ordinance discourages permitted STRs from being established within 1,000 feet from each other.
The vote follows a months-long series of discussions involving council, the city’s zoning commission, as well as multiple moratoriums.
One resident, Justin Switzer, said he was fine with Castle Hills revising rules for STR operators, but was not comfortable with increasing the number of permitted STRs.
Switzer also expressed worry about the trend of commercial entities that buy single-family homes and turn them into STRs, which has become a significant issue not only in many San Antonio neighborhoods but in smaller surrounding towns and suburbs. He asked city officials to be more proactive in enforcing local STR laws.
“I would encourage you to take an aggressive and stern approach,” he added.
City leaders said they were careful to get much input from the community, including short-term rental property owners, adding that simply banning STRs would only invite lawsuits. Council members added that STR rules can be adjusted as needed as time goes along.
“I feel like it’s time to make the decision tonight. I think that’s important to all of our residents, but I also want to say that this is not final forever. This is a work in progress,” Council member Beth Daines said.
Judson ISD headed for school closure vote
Judson Independent School District board will meet at 9 a.m. Feb. 14 to consider the closure of multiple elementary and middle schools and programs to help reduce the district’s budget deficit.
Trustees voted 6-1 on Feb. 9 to approve one of four scenarios suggested by district administrators in a long-anticipated move to consolidate campuses and cut into a $36 million shortfall.
Administrators in this scenario are recommending the closure of Judson Middle School, Woodlake and Spring Meadows Elementary Schools, the fine arts academy at Olympia Elementary School, the Ed Franz Elementary Leadership Academy, and the Park Village Elementary Blended Learning Academy.
The school board will consider the closure of each campus and program in separate votes. JISD officials said, if all approved, the proposed closures will take effect in the 2026-2027 academic year and would save the district $7 million. Administrators added these closures would prevent deeper cuts into district staff.
Board members said closing any campus or program is difficult, especially for affected employees, parents and students, but it is a necessary move to help shore up JISD’s long-term finances.
Interim Superintendent Mary Duhart-Toppen, having recently taken over for ousted Superintendent Milton Fields, said she and fellow administrators considered various factors, such as current utilization of targeted campus facilities and projected enrollment and young family populations around JISD toward deciding which schools to consolidate.
“The longer we wait, the longer it’s going to take us to get ready for (2026-27), and so with our recommendation tonight, we can go ahead and start the work to identify the campuses that need to be proposed for consolidation,” Duhart-Toppen said.
Trustee Jose Macias cast the lone vote against the specific school closure scenario that his fellow board members approved. He said the board must carefully treat school closures in front of a “fractured” JISD community.
The vote to close schools comes 10 days after the JISD board voted 4-3 to fire Fields, a decision that has proven unpopular among many district employees and residents.
The Feb. 14 meeting will also include closed session discussions into two potential investigations, according to the meeting agenda. One investigation would address an employee complaint about Macias, and another would address Macias and trustee Suzanne Kenoyer’s claim of abuse of board authority and employee retaliation on the part of board President Monica Ryan.
Additionally, trustees are slated to have a closed session discussion about Macias’ allegation of several violations of the Texas Penal Code by school board leadership.
