Government
BY JARRETT WHITENER
Contract for School Resource O cers still uncertain
Whether the city of Cibolo will extend and renew an interlocal agreement between the city and Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD on the school resource o cers, or remove those o cers from schools to expand the city’s force, remains uncertain. Following discussion May 14 and May 28 by the Cibolo City Council, the council agreed to the creation of a workshop to look at the best option
SRO interlocal agreement
100+ cases made in the 2023-24 school year
500+ calls of service in the 2023-24 school year $192,481 in funding from Cibolo
Tom Maxwell was sworn in as mayor on May 14 alongside new city council members.
COURTESY CITY OF UNIVERSAL CITY
$494,951 in funding from SCUCISD
Universal City mayor, council sworn in Tom Maxwell was sworn in as the mayor of Universal City during a called meeting on May 14. Bernard Rubal, Phil Vaughan and Lori Putt were sworn in as City Council members. In the May 4 election, Maxwell ran unopposed for the mayor position, while six candidates ran for City Council. During the May 14 meeting, City Council canvassed the votes and swore in those three individuals as council members. Alongside swearing in the new mayor and council members, City Council voted to appoint Christina Fitzpatrick as mayor pro tem, who serves in the mayor’s absence.
SOURCE: CITY OF CIBOLO COMMUNITY IMPACT
moving forward. The background
Should the interlocal agreement between Cibolo and SCUCISD not be renewed, the school district would still need to have armed security o cers on campus. The speci cs During the May 28 City Council meeting, City Attorney George Hyde gave a presentation on the interlocal agreement and changes to Texas law following the implementation of House Bill 3 in 2023. In the presentation, Hyde said amendments to the interlocal agreement did not consistently go before City Council for approval, which makes the validity of the contract questionable. “Our interpretation of this provision is that this provision ended on July 31, 2017,” Hyde said. “Once it ended, there was no way to revive that contract without the City Council taking action.” Cibolo Animal Services is in search of community support as it works to manage capacity challenges. For CAS, the spring months are among the most di cult as animals come in more often, Animal Services Manager Janette Wilson said via email. “We are often, if not always, over capacity,” Wilson said via email. Current situation In April, CAS had an intake of 88 animals, accord- ing to a report on the May 14 City Council agenda. During the month, 55 outcomes were reported, including 19 returns to owners, 17 adoptions, eight dead in shelter or upon arrival, six transferred out and ve to wildlife rescue. What else? One of the main challenges the facility faces is many in the community not knowing where the Cibolo Animal Services in need of support
Since 2011, the cities of Schertz and Cibolo have had interlocal agreements with SCUCISD to provide city police o cers to school campuses. The city of Cibolo is working to expand its police department and potentially have an o cer for each geographic area in the city, council member T.G. Benson said during an April 9 meeting. At the meeting, council discussed returning SRO o cers back to the city to increase police coverage. During a May 8 SCUCISD board of trustees meet- ing, a resolution was passed showing support for the interlocal agreement. Following the approval of House Bill 3 in 2023, school districts are required to have one armed security o cer present at each district campus. Schertz council passes smoke-free ordinance New smoke-free protections have been extended to all indoor workplaces in the city of Schertz, following the passing of an ordinance by City Council on May 21. The details Sta previously said the ordinance updates language to match the state. This includes de nitions surrounding electronic devices, vaping devices and retail tobacco stores. According to the ordinance, smoking is prohibited in enclosed public places, includ- ing restaurants and places of employment. Smoking may be permitted in retail tobacco and vaping stores, private residences, hotel and motel rooms, and outdoor seating areas. Any violations will be subject to a ne up to $200 on the rst o ense and no more than $500 for each conviction after.
Monthly intakes Due to limited space in the rst few months of 2024, the Cibolo Animal Services facility was challenged with nding a place for the high volume of intakes. intakes outcomes 88
71 73
55
46 45
43 46
January
February
March
April
SOURCE: CITY OF CIBOLO COMMUNITY IMPACT
facility is or how to get involved. The Cibolo Animal Services facility is located at 108 Cibolo Drive Building #3, Cibolo, near the Public Works facility. Additional information on volunteering and donation opportunities can be found at www.cibolotx.gov.
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NORTHEAST SAN ANTONIO METROCOM EDITION
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