BY PARKS KUGLE
San Antonio green lights new veterinary hospital As part of the continued effort to expand San Antonio’s Animal Care Services facilities, the City Council approved a $15.32 million project Dec. 11 with F.A. Nunnelly Company, which will construct a new 14,500-square-foot state-of-the- art veterinary hospital and renovate the existing 3,000-square-foot veterinary clinic. What you need to know The project includes administrative offices, a surgical suite, animal holding rooms and kennels,
San Antonio to enhance, streamline code enforcement In an effort to further improve services, the San Antonio Development Services Department, or DSD, has implemented a multi-phase strategic plan for code enforce- ment, which they used to brief San Antonio City Council on Dec. 3. In a nutshell Known as the Code Compliance Strategic Plan, DSD Director Amin Tohmaz said the department intends to centralize code enforcement data on one website, help educate the public on city code, develop new, easy-to-read publications, flyers and graphics, and train staff to support and engage in community outreach. “This strategic plan is really about part- nership with the community, transparency and continuous improvement,” Tohmaz said. The strategic plan will also treat vacant lots as a major quality-of-life and safety issue. The department will rely on annual notices and immediately abate lots near schools where grass exceeds 48 inches. Also highlighted in the plan is the need for proper staffing. Tohmaz said that since the last workload study, the city has grown significantly, while staffing has remained the same, and that the DSD may require a 10%-15% staff increase.
spay and neuter clinics and triage centers. Funds will be taken from the 2022 General Obligation Bond Program, included in the fiscal year 2026-27 capital budget. Stay tuned Construction is estimated to begin in winter 2026 and be completed by fall 2027.
Located at 4710 Highway 151, San Antonio, the campus currently consists of 11 buildings that house administrative offices, operating rooms and treatment and holding facilities. Prior to the vote, District 2 council member Jalen McKee-Rodriguez said the project will give ACS the proper resources it has lacked. “I was proud to champion this hospital because we know that the needs of ACS are great, and when they don’t have the resources that they need to perform the work our community expects and needs, it is a detriment to morale, to trust and to community safety,” Rodriguez said.
Animal Care Services
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Hollywood Park updates firefighter pay cycle
that the savings will come from a higher overtime threshold, which will change from 106 hours to 182 hours. He said that due to FLSA rules, two out of three firefighters’ repeating shift patterns exceed the 106-hour threshold for overtime in the current 14-day window. With the 24-day cycle, firefighters won’t automatically earn overtime just from their normal schedule. To offset and minimize pay loss, Burnside said the department would also like to implement an incentive pay in conjunction with a pay cycle shift in order to offset lost income.
To reduce the amount of overtime hours fire- fighters work while remaining compliant with the Fair Labor Standards Act, or FLSA, the Hollywood Park City Council voted to transition firefighters’ overtime accrual pay cycle from a 14-day pay cycle to a 24-day pay cycle Dec. 16. The gist Fire Chief Eric Burnside said the new system uses a flat 112 hours per pay period, giving firefighters consistent, predictable paychecks. According to Burnside’s estimates, the move will save the city $4,000 annually. Burnside explained
Focus areas include:
Improved communication
Educational materials
Hours prior to change
Hours after change
Hollywood Park firefighters work hours
152 hours
240 hours
Vacant lot management
Firefighters still work a total of 2,912 hours per year, but receive an additional 88 regular hours.
Proactive versus reactive enforcement
Regular hours Overtime hours
Staffing, workload and hardship referral support
2,760 hours
2,672 hours
SOURCE: CITY OF HOLLYWOOD PARK/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: CITY OF SAN ANTONIO/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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NORTH SAN ANTONIO EDITION
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