By Edmond Ortiz San Antonio City Council is weighing a proposed property tax increase that local leaders hope will help to pare down a budget deficit, but they still face a range of proposed spending cuts and other tough fiscal decisions before arriving at a new budget. The council is also adding a special election…
By Edmond Ortiz City Council will have a special meeting at 9 a.m. Aug. 17 on whether to call a Nov. 3 election on the city’s previous pledge to allocate nearly $500 million in specific-use funds for the San Antonio Spurs’ planned downtown arena. The meeting is to be held at City Council chambers, 114…
By Edmond Ortiz Bexar County Commissioners are committing to a series of long-range plans designed to reform how arrestees, especially those with medical or mental health issues, are initially processed upon arrival at the Bexar County Jail, and how they are addressed in custody. Elsewhere, Balcones Heights City Council entertained recent attempt to vote no…
By Edmond Ortiz The power of art and art education was front and center of a July 29 CNTR/CTY panel discussion at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts where Alyssa Avenatti, executive director of the Children’s Chorus of San Antonio, shared the value of supporting the arts. According to Avenatti, a presentation from the…
By Edmond Ortiz Pet owners are familiar with the “rainbow bridge,” a concept offered in various written works over the years that describes an other-worldly place where pets go when they die and wait to be reunited with their owners. While pet cemeteries do exist, there are rare instances where members of the public can…
By Edmond Ortiz Cibolo is one of the many Texas communities to recently try adopting regulations for data centers, whose proliferation nationwide has sparked neighbors’ worries about environmental impacts. But as the number of data centers increases, local governments, grassroots groups and concerned residents wonder whether they have any true, significant authority to stop such…
By Edmond Ortiz When it comes to spending cuts and adjustments in developing San Antonio’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget, Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones is reiterating her stance that everything is on the table. Where the mayor stands The City Council will conclude a brief summer break and reconvene in August to face what local officials…
By Edmond Ortiz New Braunfels officials expect to wrap up their summer by considering potential changes to the city’s downtown parking system, which could expand free parking for residents, and increase parking fees on out-of-towners. What is happening City Council met July 13 to review the 1-year-old managed pay-to-park system. Interstate Parking runs a program…
By Edmond Ortiz Live Oak residents and leaders are paying their respects to late Live Oak City Councilmember Aaron Dahl, whose death was announced by the city July 10. A Connecticut native, Dahl moved to Texas where he earned a master’s degree from Texas A&M University. The architect then moved to San Antonio for work…
By Edmond Ortiz City Council was quick and enthusiastic June 19 in formally approving a set of economic development incentives designed to support Toyota Motor Corp.’s plan to expand its South Side automobile production footprint on the South Side. The move bolsters San Antonio’s booming manufacturing industry. What is happening Toyota will build a $2…
