[00:00:06]
>> MAYOR JONES: ALL RIGHT. THE TIME IS NOW 5:06 P.M. ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15TH, 2026.
THE CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC COMMENT MEETING IS CALLED TO ORDER.
MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL ROLL.
>> MAYOR, WE HAVE A QUORUM. >> MAYOR JONES: GREAT. THANKS, MADAM CLERK.
THERE IS A PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED FOR TODAY AS WELL AS PUBLIC COMMENT.
[ PUBLIC HEARING ]
WE'LL BEGIN THE MEETING WITH THE PUBLIC HEARING AND THEN MOVE ON TO PUBLIC COMMENT.SPEAKERS WILL BE CALLED IN THE ORDER THEY ARE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK AND THE NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE ANNOUNCED, SO SPEAKERS MAY BEGIN TO MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE PODIUM. GROUPS OF THREE OR MORE INDIVIDUALS WILL BE GIVEN NINE MINUTES. FOR A SPEAKER WOULD LIKE TO CEDE THEIR TIME TO ANOTHER SPEAKER THEY MUST NOTIFY THE PRESIDING OFFICER PRIOR TO BEGINNING THEIR TIME AS UNUSED MINUTES ARE FORFEITED. ONLY SPEAKERS ON THE LIST MAY SPEAK OR CEDE THEIR TIME. WRITTEN COMMENT MAY BE SUBMITTED TO THE CITY CLERK. AND IF DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU'LL NEED TRANSLATION SERVICES, PLEASE NOTIFY US EARLY SO WE CAN HAVE THAT PERSON READY.
THANK YOU. THE TIME IS NOW 5:07 P.M. AND THE PUBLIC HEARING IS NOW OPEN. MADAM CLERK, PLEASE READ THE ITEM FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING.
>> ITEM 1 IS A PUBLIC HEARING FOR PROPOSED SUBSTANTIAL AMENDMENT NUMBER 1 TO THE FISCAL YEAR 2026 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN AND BUDGET FOR THE REPROGRAMMING OF $2,115,424.68 OF PRIOR GRANT SAVINGS FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT TO SUPPORT FOUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES.
>> MAYOR JONES: OKAY, THANK YOU. LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE TWO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM. ANTONIO DIAZ, FOLLOWED BY
ANTONIO FLORES DIAGAS. >> I'M HERE BASICALLY, I HAVE QUESTIONS BECAUSE TO ME IT'S LIKE YOU'RE TAKING MONEY THAT'S IN ONE POCKET AND PUTTING IN ANOTHER.
AND I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHY IF IT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO BENEFIT LOW INCOME, RENTERS, HOMEOWNERS, OR IS IT JUST GOING TO BENEFIT DEVELOPERS? IS IT JUST TO DEVELOP A CERTAIN AREA AND HAVE THAT MONEY READY TO BE USED? I KNOW IT'S HUD MONEY SO IT'S ALREADY IN THE CITY'S HANDS, BUT IT'S BEING TRANSFERRED, AND IT'S -- THAT'S WHAT GOT MY MIND TO THINKING IS WHY IS IT BEING TRANSFERRED? IS IT NOT BEING ABLE TO BE USED FOR WHAT IT WAS FIRST GOTTEN FOR? WHAT IS THE PURPOSE? WHAT IS THE REASONING FOR CHANGING IT TO ANOTHER POCKET? HOW IS IT GOING TO BE USED? I KNOW IT SAYS AFFORDABLE HOUSING, BUT IF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS STILL THE MEDIAN INCOME AT 50,000 OR SOMETHING, THAT'S NOT AFFORDABLE TO SAN ANTONIO. SO I'M JUST BASICALLY WANTING TO KNOW IF WITHIN THIS DEVELOPMENTS WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO PUSH THESE DEVELOPERS TO HAVE A FEW UNITS THAT ACTUALLY ARE AFFORDABLE SUCH AS LOW INCOME UNITS AND THE PERCENTAGE, IF THERE'S GOING TO BE AT LEAST 10% OF THOSE UNITS WITHIN THOSE DEVELOPMENTS ACTUALLY TO BE AFFORDABLE, WHICH IS LOW INCOME, SOMEWHERE UNDERNEATH 30,000 OR SO, 20,000 MAYBE, BEING REALISTIC.
IT'S SAN ANTONIO. BUT THAT'S WHAT'S RUNNING THROUGH MY MIND, I'M SORRY.
IT'S JUST I DON'T KNOW THE PARTICULARS EXACTLY SINCE YOU ALL ARE THE ONES THAT ACTUALLY GET TO SEE ALL THIS INFORMATION BEFORE WE DO AND EITHER MAKE AGREEMENTS THAT WE KNOW NOTHING ABOUT UNTIL THEY'RE DONE, AND SO I'D JUST LIKE TO KNOW IF THE MAJORITY OF OUR POORER POPULATION THAT'S OUT THERE WORKING PART TIME, TWO PART-TIME JOBS AT A TIME GETTING PAID ANYWHERE BETWEEN EIGHT TO TEN DOLLARS AN HOUR, WILL ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO AFFORD THESE APARTMENTS OR HOUSING.
BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, I DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW IT'S GOING TO BE USED OR WHY IT'S BEING TRANSFERRED FROM ONE POCKET TO ANOTHER. I KNOW THE CITY ALREADY HAS IT, IT'S JUST THE PARTICULARS AS TO WHY. AND IF IT'S JUST TO HELP DEVELOPERS THAT ARE ALREADY FAIRLY WEALTHY TO SOMEHOW MITIGATE THEIR COSTS AND THEY BE ABLE TO DEVELOP AND SAY, WE WANT TO BEAUTIFY THIS AREA, AND SOMEHOW WHAT YOU ALL CONSIDER AFFORDABLE IS NOT ACTUALLY AFFORDABLE. [APPLAUSE].
[00:05:17]
>> LIKE I SAID, ANTONIO SAYS, A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT MAKING THE WAGES TO AFFORD THESE APARTMENTS. YOU KNOW, SOME ARE STILL GETTING PAID MINIMUM WAGE.
YOU'VE GOT TO THINK ABOUT IT. BUT IT WON'T AFFECT Y'ALL BECAUSE Y'ALL ARE RICH. THINK ABOUT US, THE CITIZENS FROM SAN ANTONIO, THE POOR PEOPLE. AND THOSE THAT ARE LIVING ON FIXED INCOME, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE STRUGGLING. AND WHAT Y'ALL ARE DOING IS NOT RIGHT.
AND I'M AGAINST MARVEL TOO BECAUSE THEY'RE BILLIONAIRES.
THEY DON'T NEED NO OTHER, YOU KNOW, BUILDING OR WHATEVER.
WE'VE ALREADY GIVEN THEM TWO. HOPEFULLY YOU DIDN'T GIVE OUT THE MONEY FOR THE CITY BECAUSE THE CITY REALLY NEEDS THE MONEY TO BE FIXED, THE STREETS, FLOODINGS OR WHATEVER. THERE'S A LOT OF THESE STREETS THAT REALLY NEED FIXING AND WE PROBABLY HAVEN'T EVEN GONE THROUGH YOUR DISTRICT COMPLETELY. TO CHECK THEM OUT, SEE WHAT THEY NEED. HAVE YOU SPOKE TO THE PEOPLE AROUND THERE? MAYBE A FEW, BUT TALK TO A WHOLE BUNCH MORE BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I DO WHEN I RUN.
THE THING IS THEY'RE ASKING FOR HELP. AND THEY'RE NOT GETTING IT.
AND THAT'S WHY I RAN. BUT THINK ABOUT IT BEFORE YOU VOTE FOR THE RICH, THINK ABOUT US. WE'RE A WHOLE BUNCH OF US. AND THAT -- Y'ALL ARE STARTING TO CHARGE FOR THE FIESTAS. I GO TO THEM TO CELEBRATE AND RELEASE MY STRESS AND WHATEVER, AND NOT HAVE TO PAY TO GO IN, YEAH, FIVE DOLLARS IS NOT A LOT FOR Y'ALL, BUT IT COULD BE SOMETHING FOR US.
WE DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH MONEY AFTER WE PAY OUR BILLS AND WE'VE GOT TO STRETCH IT OUT FOR THE WHOLE MONTH. THINK ABOUT IT. WHY Y'ALL WANT TO GET MORE RICHER? GIVE US SOMETHING FREE. THANK YOU.
>> MAYOR JONES: THAT'S THE FINAL SPEAKER, CORRECT, DEBBIE? OKAY. HAVING HEARD ALL COMMENTS FROM THOSE PERSONS WISH TO GO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, THE PUBLIC HEARING IS NOW CLOSED.
THE TIME IS NOW 5:14 P.M. WE'LL NOW MOVE ON TO PUBLIC COMMENT.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.