Citizen Comment:
Only one speaker! Max Baker, representing the San Marcos Civics Club. They held their “Reasons Why NOT to Vote”* rally last weekend.
At the rally, they had a “Worst Issues in San Marcos” ballot. Here’s how the votes shook out:
-6 for public safety
-9 for economy
-13 for transit
-30 for environment
-40 for housing
Max highlighted those results for City Council: 137 people turned out for this rally, and they definitely care about housing and the environment!
Is this rally – and these votes – representative of San Marcos? Yes and no. It’s not a statistically random sample, no. However, it’s definitely a new and different outreach pathway, so it’s probably capturing a different set of folks than the same people who always fill out the city surveys.
*The name of this rally makes my stomach hurt a little bit. Here’s the Civics Club blurb: “The San Marcos Civics Club has talked a lot about local politics since we’ve formed and we wanna recognize the very real reasons people have to not vote each election cycle with this event.”
I get that they want to amplify the voices of people that are frustrated. The problem is that these two things can both be true:
1. People have real reasons that they don’t vote.
2. Republicans in Texas spend A LOT of time and energy trying to increase the number of people that feel that way. Apathy, hopelessness, and a sense of futility work in favor of Republicans.
It’s so hard to get people to show up and vote! And so important! This whole topic gives me an ulcer. Please vote.
For the record, they did have voter registration at the event! I just feel conflicted about promoting a message of resignation and hopelessness.
….
Item 10: VisionSMTX is inching towards the finish line!
Background
VisionSMTX is the new city comprehensive plan. Think of this as a master plan for planning & zoning: “We want this kind of development over here, but that kind of development over there.”
In 2020, Council appointed a gigantic 30 person steering committee. They met with consultants for two years, and produced the first draft of VisionSMTX.
In January 2023, it got handed off to P&Z. They looked at it and had a heart attack. “What’s all this stuff about affordable housing?! What’s all this stuff about bike trails and walkability and things besides cars?!” It was really kinda a self-satire. They clutched pearls, got the vapors, etc. “The historic district will be destroyed!” they cried.
“No no!” said the steering committee and city staff. “We want the rest of San Marcos to be more like the historic district!”
But P&Z formed a subcommittee (with the mayor) and rewrote it. Here’s their new cover page:
(not really. Sorry, it’s a slow week.)
The new version basically amounted to: “If you got a 30 year mortgage before 2015, you’re going to LOVE how nothing is changing! Sorry everyone else.”
Lots of people got mad, myself included.
So it was a major hot potato when it got sent over to city council, in September 2023.
Council seemed like they were going to pass it, at the first two meetings. But at the third, they unexpectedly postponed and formed a subcommittee. The subcommittee decided to survey the community, to see how popular the P&Z changes were. This was this past spring. The survey results showed that the community was split.
So since March, it’s been total radio silence.
This brings us to the present
The committee has hammered out a compromise position. They threw out some of the P&Z revisions, but also upheld a lot of them.
Two community members spoke during public comment: Gaby Moore and Diana Baker. (Usually I don’t put private citizen names on the blog, but I think it’s instructive this time.) What you need to know is that Moore is solidly in the camp of the original draft, and Baker is solidly in the camp of the P&Z revision.
They both praised the new, committee version! This is kind of wild. I was prepared to hate the current draft, but it seems like the Council Committee managed to thread the needle and carve out a compromise position. I don’t hate it!
Council still has to vote on it one more time, at the October 15th meeting. Then – after four long years – we might have a new comp plan.
…
Item 5: The library is commissioning some stained glass windows:
(That’s a mock up on the right – it’s not made yet.)
But isn’t that going to be lovely? Everyone likes it.
Jane Hughson has a question: how come sometimes, Council allocates money for art and gets to see the design, and how come sometimes they allocate money without seeing the design?
Answer: It’s not one single process. There’s a dozen different processes, depending on where the artwork will be and who is funding it.
Jane: I’m really talking about the new mural on LBJ. We didn’t preview the design for that one.
She means this one, as you’re heading from I-35 towards downtown:
Answer: [mumbo-jumbo about that specific funding process.]
Jane: Look, if I’d seen the design, I would have pointed out that there’s a bobcat, but there’s no rattler. That’s a pretty big omission. We should have had more eyes looking at the design so that someone would catch that.
She is totally right:
It is totally gorgeous! But it says “Welcome to the land of arrowheads, Texas State, Downtown, and the River, and that about sums up San Marcos!”
It should have had a rattler, and probably also some nod to Hispanic culture. Maybe on the far left, near the purple flowers.
…
Item 6: Quail Creek
Back in 2022, we bought this:
That is Quail Creek Park.
Located here:
It used to be Quail Creek Country Club:
But the golfers of yore have all wandered off to graze in greener pastures. Golf on, my preppy brothers! Golf with the wind.
Anyway!
Now we’re hiring some engineers to draft some plans for what we might do with it. There will be lots of opportunities for community input, etc.
Mark Gleason: It would be nice to have some trails and connectivity! It’s actually very close to Walmart.
This is a great point. In other words, Quail Creek is a total pain in the ass to drive to:
But it’s not actually so far if you could bike:
Staff replied: TWINSIES! We have been thinking the same thing.
San Marcos is so carved up by rivers and railroad tracks. Both are hard for cars, but easier for bikes. Once this place gets path-connected, bikers will be able to really sail around town.
Item 15: We’re filling vacancies for three committees:
– Animal Shelter Advisory Committee
– Citizen Utility Advisory Board
– Parks and Rec Advisory Board
Last meeting, they had one applicant for the Animal Shelter committee, but they wouldn’t put that person on the committee because they’d only lived in San Marcos for two months. (I scolded Matthew Mendoza and Jane Hughson for being unwelcoming.)
They postponed so that more people could apply.
So we’re back tonight! And… no one new applied. They were in the exact same situation with the same applicant, all over again. Alyssa pointed out that the “two months” was written back in June. Now that it’s October, they’ve actually been here six months.
But Jane argues that this person hadn’t written anything about why they wanted to save the pups.
The thing is, this is the prompt on the application:
This applicant checked off three possible commissions they would be willing to serve on. So they answered that questions generally: “I want to serve the community, etc.” They didn’t give three separate answers, for each possible commission.
(Furthermore, I’ve never ever seen council nitpick the answers that people give on the application form. This is a weird time to get out the microscope.)
Anyway! It turns out they ALSO only had one applicant for the Utility Advisory board. And this person also didn’t give any detail. So in the name of fairness, they kicked both of these vacancies down the road. (I still disapprove! Give these people a chance unless you have an actual reason to look askance at them.)
If YOU would like to be on a board or commission – or the future City Hall Steering Committee – you can apply here. It’s pretty short and not too painful.
Parks and Rec has a new board member, though. That vacancy got filled.
The San Marxist 