North San Antonio Edition - June 2022

CITY & COUNTY

News from Hollywood Park, Hill Country Village, San Antonio & Bexar County

COMPILED BY EDMOND ORTIZ

Bexar County Commissioners Court meets June 21 and July 12 at 9 a.m. Bexar County Courthouse, 100 Dolorosa St., Ste. 2.01, San Antonio. 210-335-2011 www.bexar.org Hollywood Park City Council meets June 21 at 6 p.m. 2 Mecca Drive, Hollywood Park 210-494-2023 www.hollywoodpark-tx.gov San Antonio City Council meets June 23 and 30, and July 7 and 14 at MEETINGS WE COVER homeowners a 20% property tax exemption. They also approved a $30,000 exemption from Bexar County Hospital District property taxes for homeowners ages 65 and older. Both exemptions will apply to 2022 valuations. CITY HIGHLIGHTS HOLLYWOOD PARK City Council unanimously voted May 23 to appoint engineer and business person Chester Drash to ll the Place 1 council seat left vacant by Sean Moore’s mayoral election. Drash lls the Place 1 term that expires in May 2023. Drash is board chair and president of Alabama- based engineering rm TTL. SAN ANTONIO City Council met on June 16 to approve new forms of property tax relief that the council now plans to implement ahead of Fiscal Year 2023, which begins Oct. 1. Mayor Ron Nirenberg and several council members voiced support for tax relief as part of the 2023 budget process, especially given skyrocketing home appraisals over the past year. The council considered and accepted several proposals including raising the homestead exemption from the current .01% or $5,000 minimum to 10% for all homesteads, expanding the current over-age 65 tax exemption from $65,000 to $85,000 and increasing the disabled persons’ exemption from $12,500 to $85,000. The council also plans to cut the total property tax rate from $0.55827 to $0.54504. BEXAR COUNTY Commissioners Court voted June 7 to oer NUMBER TO KNOW city of San Antonio projects it will forego in Fiscal Year 2023 in order to accommodate three new tax relief that will become eective starting with 2022 valuations. $93M Amount of property tax revenue the

Hill Country Village mulls bond election proposal

HILL COUNTRY VILLAGE Ocials are exploring hold- ing a special election this November to oat a potential bond that would fund an envisioned city hall project. No details have yet been determined, but City Council voted May 19 to hire the rm McCall, Parkhurst and Horton as the town’s bond counsel and to hire Frost Bank as the city’s nancial advisor. Representatives from both companies will work together to craft a bond proposal complete with projected costs, scenarios and nancing methods. “We’re absolutely available to run any scenarios you need and do price points,” Frost Bank Executive Kevin Escobar told the council. Some council members said it is time to look at how best to use a city-owned 14-acre tract of undeveloped land at Bitters Road and South Tower Drive. In November 2019, 62% of local voters rejected a measure that would have opened the property to commer- cial or mixed-use development. The land has since stood untouched, but for years local leaders have indicated that part of the parcel could be used to support a new city hall. Council Member Thomas Doyle on May 19 said an election would give residents a chance to determine how to upgrade the town’s 36-year-old, 3,736-square-foot municipal complex at 116 Aspen Lane. While the city has not yet settled on specic proposals, local leaders are pondering whether to renovate and modernize the existing city hall; raze the structure and replace it with a new building; or construct a new munici- pal complex on a portion of the 14-acre parcel. “The purpose is to use a bond election as an opportunity

CITY HALL OPTIONS Hill Country Village leaders are weighing at least three city hall redevelopment options as part of talks about a potential Nov. 8 bond election. Costs are estimates. Doyle and other council members agreed that the city could hold one or two town halls this summer for residents to discuss scenarios for improving city facilities and form a consensus. The state’s deadline to place an item on the Nov. 8 general election ballot is Aug. 22. to hear from citizens and what they’d like to see happen,” Doyle said. City Administrator/Police Chief Frank Morales said the latest estimates show building a new city hall complex at Bitters and South Tower would cost $2 million-$3 million. Upgrading the existing city hall would be the cheapest of the options at about $1 million, Morales said.

1 $1M Update and expand the existing city hall at 116 Aspen Lane. 2 $2M Raze and replace the existing city hall. 3 $3.5M Build a new facility on part of the 14- acre tract at South Tower Drive and Bitters Road.

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SOURCE: CITY OF HILL COUNTRY VILLAGE COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

San Antonio ocials seek input on Stone Oak area’s future

SAN ANTONIO The city has begun a two-year process in which Stone Oak residents and merchants are asked to chime in through surveys and meetings about the far North Side neighborhood’s long-term future. About 20 people attended a May 17 open house at Wayside Chapel to provide feedback on the city’s Stone Oak Area Regional Center Plan. Stone Oak’s plan, like others across San Antonio, is being developed as a means to implement the SA Tomor- row Comprehensive Plan, which was adopted by City Council in 2016. City representatives said the Stone Oak plan will encompass stakehold- ers’ recommendations and strategies that could be used by city depart- ments, partner agencies, private entities and community partners to further enhance the area as a regional center lled with various housing, job, retail, recreation and transit options.

This city map shows dened boundaries for the Stone Oak Area Regional Center, which is included in the city’s SA Tomorrow long-range comprehensive plan.

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9 a.m. 114 W. Commerce St., San Antonio. 210-207-7040. www.sanantonio.gov Shavano Park City Council meets June 27 at 6:30 p.m.

SOURCE: CITY OF SAN ANTONIOCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

collaboration with the Stone Oak community to develop a plan that will build on the area’s existing assets,” the city’s Planning Director Bridgett White said.

Information on the Stone Oak Area Regional Center Plan can be found at https://stoneoak.sacompplan.com. “We are looking forward to engag- ing conversations and continued

900 Saddletree Court, Shavano Park 210-493-3478. www.shavanopark.org

COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM