Morning, everyone! It’s AI Data Center time. Uh-oh. Read here about the long (and unsatisfying) semi-resolution!
Here we go:
Hours 0:00 – 7:58: Pretty much just a full deep dive into the AI Data Center thing
Bonus! 3 pm workshops: It’s budget season! Kicking things off with some tax rates and utility rates.
On a totally different note: quiet zones are coming back! Sorry trains, you’re on vibrate now.
Fire up the press! We’re back! This week, we’re talking about the land next to El Centro, an ordinance protecting tenants, and a sketchy SMPD grant for $25K.
Let’s go!
Hours 0:00 – 3:27: the land next to El Centro, the Lions Club, and a $25K grant for SMPD.
Hours 3:27 – 4:14: Should San Marcos have a Tenants Rights to Organize ordinance? (yes.)
Bonus! 3 pm workshops: the next Community Survey, and lowering utility late fees
…
And also:
Election season will be here soon! Here’s what’s up:
Place 1: Currently held by Matthew Mendoza. So far, Matthew and Chase Norris have filed to run.
Place 2: Currently held by Saul Gonzales. Saul, Josh Paselk, and Brandon Oles have filed to run.
Candidates have until August 16th to file paperwork to be on the ballot. Exciting times!
It’s a city council week! Before the terrible flooding and tragedies – (feels like a million years ago) – council discussed tax breaks for a Texas State boutique hotel, Gary Job Corps, funding for veterans, and more.
My heart goes out to those affected by the flooding and tragedies. What an unimaginable nightmare.
The meeting:
Hours 0:00 – 3:03: Texas State wants a fancy-shmancy boutique hotel, and we want to give them a lot of money for it. Plus some zonings, Gary Job Corps, and funding for veterans.
(There were two workshops: rules for HSAB grant funding, and reallocating the last bits of Covid money. But I didn’t write them up.)
Finally: this is the only meeting in July. New 2025-26 season of City Council Stars starts in August!
Here’s the two big issues this week: Data Centers and Flock license plate reader cameras for SMPD. These kept Council up until 2:30 am, last Tuesday.
Wild. Let’s do this:
Hours 0:00 – 3:28: 2.5 hours of citizen comments! Also a bunch of small topics – street parking permits, sidewalks, CDBG funding.
Hours 3:28 – 6:47: Here’s your two biggies: the Data Center(s) and the Flock license plate readers. This is where all the action is. (Plus a teeny bit on scooters.)
Bonus! 3 pm workshops: The CIP list, and should SMPD officers be allowed to use their vehicles whenever they want?
There’s only one meeting in June, so try not to miss me too much. See you in July!
Just one topic this week at City Council: the Ceasefire Resolution in Gaza. The meeting ran till almost 2 am. I feel like I really earned my “watching council so you don’t have to” stripes this week.
Here it is:
Hours 0:00 – 7:24: Should San Marcos approve a call for a ceasefire for the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza?
In writing this up, I mostly dropped my usual breezy kidding-around shtick. There’s just too much anger and intensity on this subject for me to poke the bear.
It’s hot-button issue night! All the spiciest topics for you. We’ve got proposed downtown apartments next to Little HEB, a resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza, and tension between the new City Hall, and the skate park and dog park. Too hot in the hot tub!
Let’s goooo!
Hours 0:00 – 6:00: Three hours of citizen comments! Plus downtown apartments next to little HEB, and some new speed limits for the Wallace Addition.
Hours 6:00 – 6:59: It’s time to wade into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Buckle up.
Bonus! 3 pm workshops: Where do we want to put the new city hall? But what about the skate park and dog parks?
That’s all, folks! See you in May.
Short and sweet this week. Some charter suggestions, Flock cameras again, and a new development down by Trace. Also some great workshops, and a short note about Jim Garber.
Let’s go!
Hours 0:00 – 1:19: Literally only three items! Charter Review suggestions, those Flock cameras, and a new development down by Trace.
Bonus! 3 pm workshops: This is where all the action is! Bikes, e-scooters, and how much work goes into keeping our river happy.
A short tribute: Jim Garber passed away this past Monday, and I want to say a few words. We knew each other before I started blogging, and he was probably the first person to figure out who I was on here. And then I turned around and gave him a hard time on the blog! On more than one occasion!
We emailed about it, and I sheepishly thanked him for being a good sport. His response was, “No problem. Healthy discussions with all viewpoints are what moves us forward. Keep up the good work!!!”
That’s the kind of lovely, good-natured person he was. He believed in honest discourse, which is a value I deeply share. He believed in fighting hard for what you believe, but also doing so with a light, good-natured touch. He was on P&Z for over a decade, and knows how P&Z works probably better than anyone in town. He’s been on probably on a dozen different short-term committees. He worked hard and shaped this city, but he did it while being quick to kid around and not take himself too seriously.
I’ll miss him for sure. May his memory be a blessing.
Cape’s Dam is BACK, baby, and we’re going to unpack it all. Also a bunch of shorter items: the budget, the SMCISD stormwater waiver, council compensation, Redwood, and the privacy policy for the SMPD license plate scanners.
Here we go!
Hours 0:00 – 2:50: Some small zoning projects, the budget policy statement, and a bunch of follow-ups: the SMCISD stormwater waiver, council compensation, and the septic problems in Redwood and Rancho Vista.
Hours 2:50 – 3:56: Nothing but Cape’s Dam, coming at you 24/7, baby! Let’s dive deep.
Bonus! 3 pm workshops: Downtown improvements and license plate readers. We’ve got a new privacy policy for the latter.
See you next time!
Lots going on this week! Flooding fears in Redwood/Rancho Vista, the SMCISD budget crisis, council compensation, and a massive presentation from SMPD. There is a LOT. Enjoy?
The meeting was super long, and the workshop was also a full three hours. So I’ll do my best to be zippy, so that I don’t wear out my welcome.
Hours 0:00 – 2:16: The flooding problems of Redwood/Rancho Vista, grant money plans, Summer Fun, and maybe some speed bumps in Trace?
Hours 2:16 – 4:28: In which SMCISD is pitted against the flooding problems in town. And also council compensation gets hammered out.
Bonus! 3 pm workshops: One short, on Evoke Wellness. One extremely long, on what SMPD has been up to over the past four years.
This is a big week! Malachi Williams, that weird Data Center thing you’ve heard about, and Council outlines their hopes and dreams for the next year. Like, how about a Crime Prevention office that is outside of SMPD and the incarceration system? And lots more! It’s very exciting.
Let’s do this!
Hours 0:00 – 2:03: Citizen comments on Malachi Williams, lots of details on the new Data Center proposal, and a little on Council compensation and travel budgets.
Hours 2:03 – 2:33: Council gets to outline the coming year’s priorities, and they’re dreaming big: A tenant’s bill of rights! A non-police office of crime prevention! And so much more.
Bonus! 3 pm Workshops: Fixing the city utility assistance program, and the last little bit of Covid money.
That’s all I got! Enjoy.
The San Marxist 