[00:00:46]
          >> MAYOR JONES: GOOD AFTERNOON. THE TIME IS 12:05 P.M. ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2026, AND THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO SPECIAL SESSION IS CALLED TO ORDER. MADAME CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL. 
          >> MAYOR JONES: GREAT. THANK YOU. I CALLED TODAY'S SPECIAL MEETING REPRESENTATION GIVEN COUNCILMAN MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ'S DISTRICT IS IMPACTED. 
          I KNOW THIS APPROACH MAY IMPACT OTHER ONES IN THE FUTURE AND WE CAN REVISIT THAT. GIVEN THIS ONE HAS SOME MAJOR DECISIONS COMING UP, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE HE WAS ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN A FORMAL CAPACITY. 
          ARE THERE FOLKS THAT WOULD LIKE A STAFF PRESENTATION ON THIS? OKAY. HEARING NONE, WE'VE GOT TWO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT ARE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK -- ONE PERSON. YEAH, THANK YOU. 
          ONE INDIVIDUAL THAT HAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. MADAME CLERK, IF YOU WOULD 
          PLEASE READ THE CAPTION. >> CLERK: ITEM NO. 1 IS AN ORDINANCE APPROVING AN INCREASE IN THE COMPOSITION OF THE TAX INCREMENT REINVESTMENT ZONE NO. 31 
          MIDTOWN BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO 11 . >> MAYOR JONES: THANK YOU. 
          SEAMA KARAM. YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. >> I'LL MAKE THIS SHORT. 
          GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I'M A MEMBER OF THE MIDTOWN TIRZ ADVISORY BOARD AND I WANTED TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF BOTH ITEMS IN TODAY'S SESSION EXPANDING THE TIRZ BOARD AS WELL AS APPOINTING COUNCILMAN MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ. 
          MY STANDING ON THE BOARD ARISES FROM BEING A RIVER ROAD RESIDENT, A NEIGHBORHOOD DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY THE TIRZ. I STRONGLY SUPPORT THE GREATER REPRESENTATION FROM OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, WHO HAVE ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE PUBLIC. THE TIRZ TOOL IS A POWERFUL ONE, ONE THAT ALLOWS FOR THE PUBLIC TO BE FIRST ACTORS TO INVEST IN AREAS THAT ARE BLIGHTED OR UNDERRESOURCED. 
          MANY WOULD ARGUE THAT THE MIDTOWN TIRZ, WHICH INCLUDES THE PEARL AND THE SURROUNDING DEVELOPMENTS IS ONE OF SAN ANTONIO'S GREATEST TIRZ SUCCESS STORIES. WE FACE THE OPPOSITE PROBLEM IS THAT THE INVESTMENT IS DRIVING GENTIFICATION. WE NEED TO PRIORITIZE PUBLIC DOLLARS TO INVEST IN OUR NEIGHBORS WHO NEED GREATER OPPORTUNITY AND INVESTMENT, NOT JUST THE DEVELOPERS AND INSTITUTIONS WHO KNOW HOW TO NAVIGATE THE TIRZ SYSTEM . THIS IS RELEVANT GIVEN THIS BODY IS CONSIDERING EXTENDING THE TIRZ TO 2060, WHICH IS ESTIMATED TO DEFER AN ADDITIONAL $500 MILLION FROM THE GENERAL FUND INTO THE MIDTOWN TIRZ OVER THE NEXT 40 YEARS. I BELIEVE THAT APPOINTING THE COUNCILMAN TO THE BOARD WILL PROVIDE THAT ADDITIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND ALIGNMENT. 
          THANK YOU. >> MAYOR JONES: THANK YOU. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE ITEM SO WE MAY BEGIN DISCUSSION? IT'S MOVED AND SECONDED. 
          PLEASE SIGN IN IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THE ITEM. HAS ANYONE SIGNED IN? OKAY. GREAT. OKAY. 
          IT IS MOVED AND SECONDED. HEARING NO CONVERSATION ON THIS ITEM, PLEASE VOTE. 
          ITEM 1 WOULD INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE BOARD AND NOW INCLUDE THE DISTRICT 2 COUNCILMEMBER. BUT THE SECOND ITEM WOULD SPECIFICALLY NAME COUNCILMAN MCKEE-RODRIGUEZ TO THAT. BUT THE FIRST VOTE IS TO EXPAND THE BOARD. 
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THE MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. MOVE ON TO ITEM 2. 
          MADAME CLERK, PLEASE READ THE CAPTION. >> CLERK: ITEM NO. 2 IS AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE APPOINTMENT OF THE DISTRICT 2 COUNCILMEMBER TO THE TAX INCREMENT REINVESTMENT ZONE NO. 31 MIDTOWN BOARD AS AN EX OFFICIO MEMBER. 
          >> MAYOR JONES: GREAT. WE HEARD FROM THE PUBLIC ALREADY ON THIS ITEM. 
          IS THERE ANY COUNCIL DISCUSSION -- EXCUSE ME. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO 
          APPROVE ITEM 2? >> BE THE FASTEST MEETING ON RECORD IF YOU WITHHOLD YOUR JOKES, COUNCILMAN WHYTE. 
          THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND. COUNCIL DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE, IT IS MOVED AND SECONDED TO APPROVE ITEM 2. 
          PLEASE VOTE. OKAY. THE MOTION CARRIES. 
          THANK YOU. THE TIME IS 12:10. THIS MEETING IS ADJ
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.