THE SAN MARXIST
Paraphrasing and editorializing City Council since mid-Pandemic.
September 15th City Council Meeting
Today was the big day of final decisions on the budget, but it was pretty tame and quiet compared to last time. Still, I tried to keep it punchy. Enjoy! Details ahoy: Hours 0:00 – 2:35: Utility rates, the new budget, and tax rate are all finalized. Also city fees, especially for parks and library,…
Hours 0:00 – 2:35, 9/18/26
Citizen Comment Three speakers. Main topics: The city funding of HSAB is generous, but there is a much greater need. Southside is getting less than half of what they need to continue their Homeless Action Plan. There is a matching grant proposal from the McCoys, if the city can match it. We have a new…
Bonus! 3 pm workshops, 9/15/26
San Marcos EMS is firing up on October 1st. Council is still wrestling with EMS billing questions. There are a few final questions that Council has to resolve today: How much do we want to help low-income San Marcos residents? “FPL” means Federal Poverty Line. This means: For an individual, 200% FPL is about $30K…
September 1st City Council Meeting
Big meeting! Big, frustrating meeting. The theme of the night is “San Marcos Has to Pay Bills” and the second theme is “lalala I can’t hear yyyyyooouuu”. Lots of budget drama! Hours 0:00 – 5:51: EMS billing, a boatload of budget and rate hike discussions, some minor SMPD funding, and CARTS Bonus! 3 pm workshops:…
Hours 0:00 – 5:51, 9/1/26
Citizen Comment: Six people spoke at 6 pm. Main points made: Three homebuilders: these impact fees will destroy affordable housing! Please delay these! There will be an October 16th Halloween party at the activity center for adults with disabilities. Ken Paxton’s suit against the ADA is barreling forward. A data center in Caldwell County applied…
Bonus! 3 pm workshops, 9/6/26
Two workshops this week: CIP Projects for 2027 and The next draft of the River Parks and Quail Creek Park plans. Let’s go! … Workshop 1: CIP Projects CIP stands for “Capital Improvement Projects”. These are the major construction projects that need planning over 5-15 years. These are SLOW. These are the projects where everyone…
August 18th City Council Meeting
Lots of little topics this week! Keeping downtown looking nice, the new city EMS, new tax rates and new utility rates, school zones, bus routes, and new scooters. Each item is pretty quick and zippy. Let’s get into it: Hours 0:00 – 1:18: Lots of little topics: downtown, new scooters, EMS, school zone hours, utility…
Hours 0:00 – 1:19, 8/18/26
Citizen Comment: I’m combining citizen comment from the 6 pm meeting and the 3 pm workshops: Cottonwood Creek is very far from all polling stations. There is not good public transit to get to any of them. 123 is dangerous and insufficient. Under the new impact fees, a small 1200 sq ft house, built on…
Bonus! 3 pm workshops, 8/18/26
(I combined the 3 pm public comment with the 6 pm public comment, in the first post.) … Workshop 1: The Budget It is heavy-duty budget season! July 25th is the day that City staff finds out exactly how much tax money we’ve received. This is the first concrete draft budget that Council has looked…
August 5th City Council Meeting
Short meeting! All about sprawl: who should pay for the costs of sprawl? where is the new sprawl going to be built? Plus a little about the river. Welcome to the new 2026-2027 season of the San Marcos City Council! Enjoy: Hours 0:00 – 1:44: Sprawl down by Redwood, and who pays for sprawl? Bonus!…
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