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>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.
WELCOME TO OUR CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL SESSION. THE TIME IS 9:09 A.M. ON NOVEMBER 19, 2024. WE'LL CALL OUR MEETING TO ORDER.
MADAME CLERK, COULD YOU READ THE ROLL?
>> C>> CLERK: MAYOR, WE HAVE QUORUM. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: ALL RIGHT. WELCOME, EVERYONE. WE HAVE ONE PURPOSE ITEM FOR TODAY AND THAT IS THE CANVASSING OF THE NOVEMBER 5, 2024 ELECTION OF BEXAR COUNTY. MADAME CLERK, I'LL TURN THE FLOOR OVER TO YOU TO GO OVER THE RESULTS. WE DO HAVE ONE CITIZEN SIGNED UP TO SPEAK SO I'LL
TAKE THAT AFTER THE PRESENTATION. >> CLERK: GOOD MORNING, I'M DEBBIE RACCA-SITTRE, MUNICIPAL CLERK, RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ELECTIONS.
I WANT TO GO OVER THE CITY CHARTER ELECTION TIMELINE. THE MAYOR RECONSTITUTED THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION IN NOVEMBER OF 2023 AND THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION MET 11 TIMES TO LOOK AT THE CHARTER CHARGES. THEY REPORTED TO CITY COUNCIL IN JUNE AND CITY COUNCIL REVIEWED THAT REPORT, HAD ANOTHER MEETING IN AUGUST, AND ORDERED THE ELECTION AUGUST 8. EARLY VOTING FOR NOVEMBER 5 ELECTION. THE RESULTS RECEIVED VERY LATE YESTERDAY FROM BEXAR COUNTY. THESE ARE THE OFFICIAL TABULATIONS THAT INCLUDE THE OVERSEAS BALLOTS THAT COME IN AT THE LAST MINUTE . SO TODAY IS THE OFFICIAL CANVASSING AND IT'S THE LAST DAY STATUTORILY THAT THIS ELECTION CAN BE CANVASSED.
WE HAD 1,295,000 REGISTERED VOTERS FOR A TOTAL TURNOUT OF 58% .
WE DID HAVE SOME BLANK BALLOTS. THERE ARE ALSO UNDER VOTES AND OVER VOTES. UNDER VOTES MEANS THEY DID NOT VOTE ON THAT PARTICULAR ITEM SO THEY LEFT IT BLANK. NO FOR, NO AGAINST. AND THEN OVER VOTES ARE WHEN SOMEBODY MAKES THE SAME TWO MARKS ON A PAPER BALLOT. THAT CAN ONLY HAPPEN ON A PAPER BALLOT. PROPOSITION A WAS THE ETHICS REVIEW BOARD.
PROPOSITION A PASSED AT 72% FOR. PROPOSITION B WAS LANGUAGE MODERNIZATION. PROPOSITION B PASSED AT 68% FOR.
PROPOSITION C WAS CITY MANAGER TENURE AND COMPENSATION.
PROPOSITION C PASSED AT 54% FOR. PROPOSITION D WAS CITY EMPLOYEE POLITICAL ACTIVITY. PROPOSITION D PASSED AT 63% FOR.
PROPOSITION E WAS CITY COUNCIL COMPENSATION. PROPOSITION E PASSED AT 64% FOR. PROPOSITION F WAS CITY COUNCIL TERMS. PROPOSITION F PASSED AT 53% FOR. THE NEXT STEPS, THE PROPOSED CANVASSING ORDINANCE WAS PREPARED BY THE OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK. TODAY THE CITY COUNCIL WILL
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CANVASS THE RESULTS OF THE NOVEMBER 5 CHARTER ELECTION. THE CITY CLERK WILL POST THE CANVASSING RESULTS ON THE WEBSITE TODAY AND IT WILL BE --E PUBLISHED AND IT WILL BE CERTIFIED AND SENT TO THE TEXAS SECRETARY OF STATE. THANK YOU.>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: GREAT. THANK YOU, DEBBIE. WE HAVE ONE CITIZEN SIGNED
UP TO SPEAK ON ITEM 1. GUILLERMO VASQUEZ. >> GOOD MORNING, MAYOR NIRENBERG AND COUNCIL MEMBERS AND CITY MANAGER, MR. WALSH.
I'M GUILLERMO VASQUEZ AND I'M WITH AFSCME. WE WANT TO COME OUT TODAY AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORT TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS ITEM GOT ON THE BALLOT IT WAS VITAL, OBVIOUSLY TO OUR CITY EMPLOYEES TO ENSURE THEY HAD THE SAME RIGHTS OF EVERY OTHER CITIZEN HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU. BUT ALSO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S CLEAR THAT THE CONGRATULATIONS GO TO YOU AS WELL FOR ALL THE WORK THAT Y'ALL DID TO WORK WITH THE COMMISSION TO GET THE OTHER MEASURES ON THE BALLOT. AND WE WANT TO ENSURE TO YOU, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND OUR COMMUNITY THAT WE'LL BE WORKING TOO TO MAKE SURE WE CONTINUE DOING THE HARD WORK THAT'S NEEDED TO MAKE SURE OUR SERVICES ARE AUDIO]. WE'RE WORKING TOO WITH MANAGEMENT RIGHT NOW TO TRY TO FIND WAYS TO ENSURE OUR INDIVIDUALS CAN ENHANCE THEIR SKILLS.
INDEPENDENTLY WITH THE CITY WE HAVE SOME WAYS TO CREATE APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS, NOTHING LIKE THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM, BUT YOU COULD POSSIBLY SEE THE MARRIAGE OF THOSE TWO OPPORTUNITIES COMING TOGETHER FOR OUR CITY EMPLOYEES.
BUT ONE OF THE BIG THINGS WE'LL BE WORKING ON IS ENHANCING THE SKILLS OF OUR CITY EMPLOYEES. SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT IN WORKING WITH MANAGEMENT.
BUT WE'LL ALSO BE WORKING, OBVIOUSLY, TO IMPROVE OUR HEALTH BENEFITS, OUR PAY, ENSURING THAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO EMPLOYEES CAN MAKE A DECENT LIVING WAGE, SUCH AS A $20 AN HOUR MINIMUM WAGE, EVENTUALLY. WE WANT TO WORK WITH THE CITY TO DO WHATEVER WE CAN TO MAKE SURE WE SHINE PUBLICLY.
THERE'S A LOT OF NEGATIVE LIGHT AT TIMES ON OUR CITY OF BEING ONE OF THE POOREST, IF YOU WILL, IN TEXAS AND IN THE NATION. WELL, I KIND OF TEND TO SHY AWAY FROM THAT AND SAY, NO, WE'RE PROGRESSING. WE HAVE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE'RE DOING A LOT OF GREAT THINGS IN HOUSING. WE'RE WORKING ON OUR HOMELESS ISSUES AND ALL OF OUR CITY EMPLOYEES ARE PART OF THAT. BUT WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON NEW DEVELOPMENT WHERE WE'RE GOING TO CREATE NEW JOBS IN THIS COMMUNITY.
HIGH-PAYING, BUILDING TRADE SKILLS JOBS THAT ARE GOING TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAMILIES IN THIS COMMUNITY. WE'RE PROUD OF THAT AS A LABOR MOVEMENT, NOT JUST AFSCME, WE'RE GOING TO BE PART OF THAT ENTIRE DEVELOPMENT GOING FORWARD.
WE THANK YOU AND WE WANT TO PUT THIS IN A LIGHT THAT THE REALITY IS NONE OF THIS GETS DONE DOING THESE GREAT THINGS IN OUR COMMUNITY WITHOUT OUR 13,000 CITY EMPLOYEES. WE'RE THANKFUL FOR THEM AND ALL THE WORK THEY DO.
AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, AT THE SAME TIME, WE'RE THANKFUL FOR ALL OF US COMING TOGETHER TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND
HAVE A GOOD DAY. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, MR. VASQUEZ.
I FORMED THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION ON NOVEMBER 14 OF 2023 TO STRENGTHEN OUR CITY'S GOVERNING DOCUMENT AND ENSURE A BETTER FUTURE FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
TWO CHAIRS AND 13 MEMBERS EMBARKED ON AN 11-MEETING JOURNEY TO EVALUATE A CHANGE, A CHARGE THAT WOULD MAKE OUR CITY GOVERNMENT MORE ACCESSIBLE AND ACCOUNTABLE. WITHOUT ANY CONSIDERABLE ALTERATIONS, CITY COUNCIL CALLED AN ELECTION BASED ON THE COMMISSION'S RECOMMENDATIONS AND ASKED THE PUBLIC TO CONSIDER ONE MORE IN THE INTEREST OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
ON NOVEMBER 5 OF THIS YEAR, SAN ANTONIO AGREED TO TAKE A MASSIVE STEP FORWARD TOWARD BETTER GOVERNANCE. THE LANGUAGE OF THE CITY CHARTER WILL NOW BE EASIER AND CLEARER TO PARSE. FUTURE MAYORS AND COUNCILS WILL HAVE THE FULL AUTHORITY TO BOTH ATTRACT AND SET THE CONTRACT TERMS FOR THE BEST MANAGERS THEY CAN FIND, AND WE CAN EXPECT THE PUBLIC TO HOLD US ACCOUNTABLE TO GET THOSE HIRES RIGHT.
CITY EMPLOYEES ARE FREE TO ADVOCATE FOR THEIR PREFERRED COMPOSITION ON THIS CITY COUNCIL WHEN THEY ARE OFF THE CLOCK. MORE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY WILL FIND THAT THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL COMPENSATION AND TERM LOW-DLENGTHS ARE SUFFICIENT. FOR ANY DOUBT OR UNCERTAINTY WE MAY HOLD ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE NATION, I HAVE ALL THE FAITH IN THE WORLD OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, OUR COMMUNITIES, VOTERS, AND OUR RESIDENTS . BEFORE WE GET TO THE VOTE, THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE I WOULD LIKE TO THANK AND RECOGNIZE FIRST ON THE COMMISSION. BONNIE PROCESSER ELDER AND DAVID, OUR CO-CHAIRS.
AND YOUR TRANSPARENCY. TO OUR CITY STAFF THAT SUPPORTED THE COMMISSION, ILIANA CASTILLO DAILY, THANK YOU. YOU DID A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK FOR THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE ALONG WITH THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE IN THE
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ATTORNEYS OFFICE, PARTICULARLY LIZ AN ANDY. JOHN, MEGAN IN THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE. DEBBIE RACCA-SITTRE AND THE CITY CLERK TEAM.ALL OF THE C&E FOR MAKING THIS ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC AND MANY OTHERS THAT CRAFTED A PACKET THAT VOTERS WOULD APPROVE. TO OUR CAMPAIGN TEAM, ERICA GONZALES, J.D. GONZALES, AND GORDON HARTMAN. OUR TREASURER, H HOPE AND NORMA. AS WELL AS TO OUR AFSCME MEMBERS.
CHRISTY, GUILLERMO, ALL THE MEMBERS WHO HELPED OUR EFFORTS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I LOOK FORWARD TO TURNING THE PAGE ON OUR CITY CHARTER AFTER OUR CANVASSING VOTE TODAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR A JOB WELL DONE. WE'LL GO NOW TO COUNCIL DISCUSSION.
FIRST, LET ME GET A MOTION. THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM 1. COUNCILMEMBER CABELLO HAVRDA.
>> HAVRDA: THANKS, MAYOR. I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT PROP D.
THIS IS A BIG WIN FOR OUR NEARLY 14,000 EMPLOYEES AND FOR THE VOTERS OF SAN ANTONIO WHO MADE THIS POSSIBLE BY VOTING FOR PROPOSITION D.
A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO AFSCME FOR ALL YOUR WORK, YOUR PERSISTENCE AND HARD WORK.
YOU NEVER GAVE UP AND IT PAID OFF. THANKFULLY SAN ANTONIO SAW IT THE SAME WAY. WHEN I JOINED COUNCIL IN 2019 THERE WERE THREE THINGS THAT AFSCME AND I TALKED ABOUT I WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE. BUT IT'S ONE CHECK OFF THAT LIST AND THERE'S A COUPLE MORE TO GO, SO I'M EXCITED. THANK YOU. THANKS, MAYOR.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER CABELLO HAVRDA.
COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE. >> COURAGE: THANK YOU, MAYOR.
I WANTED TO NOTE FOR THE RECORD THAT WE HAD ABOUT 500,000 SAN ANTONIO CITIZENS, REGISTERED VOTERS, VOTE FOR THIS CHARTER AMENDMENT.
THAT'S SOMETIMES TWO TO THREE TIMES THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY COME OUT AND VOTE IN NORMAL MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS. I HOPE THAT WE AS A COUNCIL AND FUTURE COUNCILS CAN DO AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO MOTIVATE THESE 500,000 AND MORE OF THE 1.3 MILLION VOTERS IN SAN ANTONIO TO GET OUT AND TURN OUT IN OUR MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS. ALMOST 500,000, THAT'S GREAT.
I HOPE EVERY ONE OF THEM WILL COME OUT AGAIN NEXT MAY AND VOTE IN OUR NEXT CITY
ELECTION. THANK YOU, MAYOR. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK
YOU, COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE. COUNCILMEMBER VIAGRAN. >> VIAGRAN: THANK YOU, MAYOR. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO THANK THE VOTERS OF SAN ANTONIO FOR BEING SO DISCERNING, FOR REALLY LOOKING INTO THE ISSUES, FOR COMING OUT AND VOTING. THIS WAS A GREAT TESTAMENT TO THE WORK OF, I BELIEVE, OUR EMPLOYEES HERE AT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. SO THANK YOU, AFSCME FOR YOUR WORK IN MAKING SURE WE GOT OUT THERE. THANK YOU, ERIK FOR YOUR WORK IN ALL THAT WE DO SO THAT THE CITY KNOWS THAT WE ARE MOVING FORWARD.
AND I'M JUST THANKFUL FOR THE RECOGNITION AND HONOR THAT THE CITIZENS OF SAN ANTONIO JUST CAME OUT AND GAVE RECOGNITION TO THE PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY WORK IN
THEIR CITY AND COUNTY. THANK YOU. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER VIAGRAN. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL RIGHT.
HEARING NONE, THERE IS A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM 1.
PLEASE VOTE. MOTION CARRIES. ALL RIGHT.
WE DO HAVE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION TODAY SO THE TIME IS 9:22 A.M. ON THE 19TH DAY OF NOVEMBER 2024. THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO WILL NOW MEET IN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO CONSULT WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551.071 AND TO DELIBERATE OR DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING ITEMS. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEGOTIATIONS PURSUANT TO SECTION 551.087. PURCHASE, EXCHANGE, LEASE OR VALUE OF REAL PROPERTY PURSUANT TO SECTION 551.072. AND LEGAL ISSUES RELATED TO LITIGATION INVOLVING THE CITY, EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ALL PURSUANT
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING.
THE TIME IS 10:05 A.M. ON NOVEMBER 19TH, 2024. CITY COUNCIL HAS RECONVENED FROM ITS EXECUTIVE SESSION. NO OFFICIAL ACTION WAS TAKEN.
OUR SPECIAL SESSION IS NOW ADJOURNED.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.