Category: Meetings

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.

Is the national news making you spiral into a dark place? Come read about City Council, where things are less grim and you can make a difference. This week we’re taking on civil liberties and police license plate scanners, and some housing on Post Road, and some appointments.

Here we go!

Hours 0:00 – 2:73:  Rezoning some land on Post Road,  SMPD license plate scanners, and just a few of the many, many appointments Council made.  

Bonus! 3 pm workshops:  There was a transportation equity cabinet over the past eight months.  What does that even mean?

Have a good week, and don’t let the bastards grind you down.

Morning, everyone! This week’s meeting was only 26 minutes long. We’ve got the Blanco Gardens Area Plan, bike lanes on Sessom Drive, and we look at whether or not we have enough water for the next 50 years. That last one is the most interesting, for sure. Dive in!

The whole meeting was only 24 minutes! But the workshops were great, so those are here, too.

Hours 0:00 – 0:24: There’s literally just one topic: the Blanco Gardens Area plan. So I stretched it out and went deep. You know how I can be.

Workshop 1:  Sessom and Academy got a make-over. Let’s check in to see how it’s doing.

Workshop 2:  Do we have enough water to last us 50 years?  Smart people are thinking hard about this question. I love this topic.

One last note: the round-ups and deportations have begun. Re-posting this list of organizations who can put your time and/or money to good use:

Local to San Marcos: 

Mano Amiga is our homegrown organization. They are accepting donations, and will be able to use volunteers in mid-December. (Or they’ll send you to volunteer with a partnering organization.)

Regional Austin-San Antonio: 

American Gateways: Their mission is “To champion the dignity and human rights of immigrants, refugees, and survivors of persecution, torture, conflict, and human trafficking through exceptional immigration legal services at no or low cost, education and advocacy.”

Catholic Charities of Central Texas: Has a specific immigration services wing, “Offering affordable immigration legal assistance from experienced attorneys and staff, with a focus on family reunification.”

Statewide:

RAICES: From their website: “WE defend the rights of immigrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking people and families, empower communities, and advocate for liberty and justice.”

Texas Civil Rights Project: Has a specific Beyond Borders program, “From the banks of the Río Grande to the plains of rural Texas, we envision a border state that respects the right to migrate and supports human dignity for all people, no exceptions.”

Texas Immigration Law Council: “We work across the political spectrum to bring together diverse voices to catalyze consensus on practical immigration solutions for Texas and our nation.”

….

Final note: All of these came recommended to me. If I’ve left something off, let me know and I’ll add it on!

You did it! You’re here in this new year. So is Council, and they’re talking this week about HSAB grant money, shooting ranges, demolitions, and their wishlist for the Charter Review Commission.

Here we go:

Hours 0:00 – 2:25:  HSAB money gets allocated,  the lease with Ruben Becerra is finalized, and we buy a TOTAL BULLET CONTAINMENT TRAP.

Hours 2:25 – 4:26: Demolishing some old barracks in Dunbar, and Council’s wishlist for the Charter Review Commission.

(I didn’t write up the 3 pm workshops this week. The San Marcos Chamber of Commerce gave a presentation about their strategic goals, and answered some questions. Feel free to watch it here.)