Your District 7 NewsletterVOLUME 7 | Sept. 14, 2017

Dear Neighbors,

This morning, my City Council colleagues and I approved the City’s budget for 2017-2018. I am proud to have supported a plan that begins to address the lack of publicinvestment in some of San Antonio’s older neighborhoods. I am also thankful that wewere able to secure an additional $2 million for drainage projects in District 7.

I believe this plan incorporates your priorities – the ones you told us about in publicforums, emails and phone calls to the District 7 offices, and numerous one-on-oneconversations.

Next year’s budget isn’t perfect – no investment plan of its size ever will be – but Ibelieve it will improve our quality of life and make our communities safer. It providesfunding to hire 42 new police officers, including four park police officers, and 43 newfirefighters. The budget also maintains our strong commitment to improving streets,sidewalks, and other basic infrastructure in every Council District.

The repairs to some of the most deteriorated streets and sidewalks in Council Districts 1,2, 3, 5, and 10 will be in addition to our regular maintenance spending. In other words,fairer, more equitable budgeting doesn’t mean some districts will lose out oninfrastructure funding.

In adopting the budget, we also voted to keep the City’s property tax rate at its currentlevel. As you may know, there was a call to trim the tax rate. But after a great deal ofreflection, I couldn’t support the proposal. The tax relief for homeowners would havebeen minimal while the overall hit to our ability to repair and maintain our infrastructurewould have been significant.

Our new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

Thank you for your guidance during this budget season.

Yours in public service,

Councilwoman in the News

Amid controversy, a climate plan

Now, city staff are working with the [University of Texas at San Antonio] and[CPS] to develop “a comprehensive plan of attack,” said District 7 CouncilwomanAna Sandoval, whom Nirenberg appointed to chair the new committee.

Read morewww.expressnews.com

National Night Outis Just Around the Corner

Are you ready to stand with your neighbors and show that your community is unitedagainst crime? National Night Out is your chance to do that!

This year's National Night Out events will take place on October 3rd and our office willbe attending as many registered events as we can! National Night Out is an opportunityfor neighbors to strengthen their relationships with each other and their relationships withlaw enforcement officers.

If your neighborhood hasn't yet registered your National Night Out, click here.

Join Development Servicesfor Zoning 101

As part of the Development Service Department's efforts to increase and improvepartnerships with the community, they’ve started a DSD Academy to help residentsunderstand the various aspects of development, including zoning, platting, permits,inspections, code enforcement and graffiti.

The first session is Zoning 101, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 23, 9:00 – 11:00 a.m., inthe Board Room inside the Cliff Morton Development & Business Services Centerlocated at 1901 S. Alamo. Zoning 101 will provide an overview of the zoning and planamendment process, what are zoning districts, how to participate in the process andnavigate DSD's website to get to the information you need to know. The class will bepresented by Catherine Hernandez, DSD’s Land Development Administrator.

But hurry, spacing is limited to 100 attendees! If you would like to attend, registerthrough this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Zoning101Sep23

Partnering with the community to build and maintain a safer San Antonio is a mission thatDSD takes seriously and are always looking for new and innovative ways in which toaccomplish our goals. DSD Academy will have a session every month, each on adifferent topic. For more information, you can visit the DSD website at

http://www.sanantonio.gov/DSD and check under "Training" in the Resources section.

Cincinnati Ave CorridorStudy Meeting

Join us for a meeting to provide feedback on the DRAFT study on Cincinnati Ave. Thestudy reviews the current conditions and vision for the future of the corridor, based onresearch and previous community input.

The meeting will be held at St. Mary's University (1 Camino Santa Maria) in ConferenceRoom B, 2nd floor. It will take place from 6 to 7:30pm on Monday, Sept. 19th.

Public Input Meeting:Medical Center and UTSA Area

The first Community Meeting is rapidly approaching: the meeting will be on Monday,September 18th at the Igo Branch Library at 13330 Kyle Seale Parkway.

Networking and refreshments will begin at 5:30, the formal presentation will begin at 6:00

pm followed by the group activity. The meeting is scheduled to end by 8:00 pm.

Historic Homeowner Fair: Sept. 30th

The 9th Annual Historic Homeowner Fair will beSaturday, September 30, 2017, at the Pearl Stable.

The Historic Homeowner Fair (HHF) is a free, annual event hosted by the City of SanAntonio Office of Historic Preservation. It is designed to bring together owners of agingand historic homes with local professionals, services, products, and solutions and toeducate homeowners about caring for and maintaining their properties. In addition to anExhibitor Hall of local contractors and preservation organizations, the HHF provideseducational sessions and hands-on demonstrations throughout the day which cover awide array of topics including wood window repair, securing financing for a project, andeven landscaping.

Calling All YouthMusicians & Vocalists!

Calling all youth musicians and vocalists, ages 13 to 18, to come be part of the Parksand Recreation Department’s Take Note Youth Band. Applications are being acceptednow for the City’s youth pre-professional music ensemble.

The Take Note Youth Band is specifically tailored for aspiring musicians and singerswho have a desire to make a career in the music industry. The band includes vocalists,keyboardists, bassists, drummers, percussionists and saxophonists. Band members willbe introduced to concepts needed to perform a variety of musical styles such as pop,rock, jazz and blues in preparation for live performances throughout the city, including the

San Antonio Rock-n-Roll Marathon. The band also performs at the annual ¡BRAVO!Show, evenings of song and dance hosted by City of San Antonio Parks and RecreationDepartment and performed at the Arneson River Theatre each July. To take advantage of this opportunity, musicians should submit an application bySeptember 22. The application can be downloaded at the Take Note Youth Bandwebpage. Applications can be emailed to Monalisa.Montgomery@sanantonio.gov ormailed to ATTN: Mona Lisa Montgomery, 5800 Enrique M. Barrera Parkway; SanAntonio, Texas 78227. Hours for dropping off an entry are Monday through Friday from8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Applicants will be notified in advance to take part in live auditions the week of October9, 2017. For more information please call 207-3132.

Westside Creeks Restoration OversightCommittee Meeting

The San Antonio River Authority is inviting the public to the upcoming Westside CreeksRestoration Oversight Committee Meeting on September 19th at 6pm. It will be held atthe River Authority's office at 100 East Guenther Street.

The meeting will include updates from project managers on the San Pedro CreekImprovements Project, Westside Creeks Improvement Project, and the Elmendorf Lake

Pool Project.

The meeting is quarterly and open to the public.

Hidden Treasure:The City's Public Access Channel

City government is big and complex. It can be intimidating, but shouldn't be. To help youget the most of your government, every week we will dedicate part of the District 7newsletter to City services you may not be aware but that you might find useful.

This week, we're highlighting the City's TVSA, a government access channel andstreaming service that brings City Hall to your living room.

Here's how TVSA describes the program:

City information is as close as your television. Tune in to TVSA for programs that willhelp you better understand how your municipal government is working for you. TVSA isavailable on Time Warner Cable channel 21; Grande Cable Channel 20; AT&T U-versechannel 99 and online on the TVSA website.

TVSA programs cover a wide variety of issues. Watch live City Council meetings, B-session meetings, or Bexar County Commissioners' Court meetings. Find your CityCouncil members' monthly programs. Several City departments and City agenciesproduce their own shows to inform and educate residents about all of the services theyprovide. TVSA also offers special programs throughout the year such as the annual OurPart of Town district talent shows or other current programs. Check our live TransGuidecoverage before you head out on your morning or afternoon commute. If you arechannel surfing, our TVSA notices have information on upcoming events or tips on howto utilize City services.

To view archived programs, including past City Council sessions, click here.

Ask Ana AnythingOne of the ways Councilwoman Sandoval wants to give you the answers you need aboutcity government is through "Ask Ana Anything", a recurring part of the weekly District 7newsletter. Have a question for Ana? Email it to district7@sanantonio.gov with thesubject line "Ask Ana Anything".

Let's get started!

Dear Ana,

Why is City Council starting to talk about and planning to spend taxpayer dollars on aclimate action plan? What does that have to do with making our neighborhoods better?

Curious

Dear Curious,

I understand your skepticism. We don’t normally think about climate change in relation toCity government. But it’s becoming increasingly clear that we need to act at all levels ofgovernment to protect ourselves against the worst effects of global warming, from moreextreme weather events such as Hurricanes Harvey and Irma to hotter days.

The danger of flooding is greater, and warmer weather and more ground-level ozone(smog) create conditions that especially hurt people with asthma, lung diseases, andallergies.

I am proud to chair the Community Health and Equity Committee, the aim of which is tomake San Antonio stronger. Since climate change is one of the bigger threats to ourpublic health, it is our responsibility to help develop an action plan to protect us as muchas possible against its effects.

I hope I’ve addressed your concerns.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Ana

How to Help Victims of HurricaneHarvey

We're Still inStage 1 Water Restrictions

Stage 1 of the city’s drought plan istriggered when the 10-day average of theEdwards Aquifer drops to 660 feet orbelow. According to the city’s AquiferManagement Plan ordinance, coming outof drought stages can be considered 15days after the aquifer is above the trigger.

Under Stage 1, outdoor watering with asprinkler or irrigation system is allowedonly before 11 a.m. and after 7 p.m., oneday per week, as determined by the lastnumber of your street address. See graphto the right to see when your wateringdays are.

Watering days begin and end at midnight;overnight watering is not allowed. Waterwaste, such as water running down thestreet, is prohibited year-round. However,watering with a handheld hose is stillallowed any day, any time.

Our Office Staff

Ruben LizaldeChief of Staff210.207.7039

Ryan M. GarciaZoning Advisor210.207.0874

Joseph BravoConstituent Services Liaison210.207.2727

Matthew TrevinoCouncil Aide 210.207.0872

Bianca MaldonadoHousing & Neighborhoods210.207.0873

Liz McLeodPolicy Advisor210.207.2723

Greg JeffersonCommunications Director210.859.1134

Sandra G. VidaurriSenior Executive Secretary210.207.0870

Office Hours

Brass Professional Center4414 Centerview Dr #160

210-207-0870

Monday - Friday:9am - 5pm

Maury Maverick Library8700 Mystic Park

210-207-0877

Saturday:10am - 1pm