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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Special Session on Greater SATX Regional Economic Partnership Briefing – February 12, 2026

City Council — Thursday, February 12, 2026

BodySan Antonio, Texas

SessionCity Council

DateThursday, February 12, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:44:13

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

1:06

Okay, good.

1:07

The time is now 2.17 p.m.

1:09

on Wednesday, February 11th, 2026 in the city of San Antonio.

1:13

Be session is called to order.

1:15

Special sessions called order.

1:17

Madam Clerk, please call roll.

1:22

Councilmember Corps.

1:25

Councilmember McKee Rodriguez.

1:27

Present.

1:27

Councilmember Via Gran.

1:29

Here.

1:30

Councilmember Mungia.

1:32

Councilmember Castillo.

1:34

Councilmember Gaulman.

1:36

Councilmember Alarete Gavito.

1:38

Here.

1:38

Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez.

1:40

Councilmember Spears.

1:42

Councilmember White.

1:45

Mayor Jones.

1:46

Mayor, we have Quorum.

1:47

Great.

1:48

Thanks, Madam Clerk.

1:50

This meeting will include a briefing on the Greater SATX Regional Economic Partnership 2016 plan and agreement.

1:57

Let me provide some remarks before I have to leave here shortly and turn it over to Councilman McKee Rodriguez.

2:13

As we are also looking at the changes in the uh in the federal environment, there's an opportunity, I think, as evident by uh the Taiwanese delegation that I hosted, as well as some of the follow-on activity as a result of that, but also other countries that are looking at onshoring the importance of making sure this is a really robust capability, which is why we are having them brief their plan to us here in light of the major investment uh that the city makes into this and ensuring we have a really strong ROI.

2:43

Um again, as we take each of these topics um, not in silos, but in the aggregate, um, obviously the Greater SATX team works quite closely with with Alex Lopez to help us understand um and ensure that the return on investment for these incentive packages um is exactly um uh as as strong as they can as they as as they can possibly be in light of you know our understanding of the things that we are not going to invest in as a as a result of those foregone property tax taxes, for example.

3:15

Um I want to thank the um the the Greater SATX team, they've um given me a couple of pre-briefs um on this, and so as we look at making sure that this is the best a resource that best serves the city, uh Greater SATX um serves other um communities, municipalities as part of their efforts, but obviously we really care about San Antonio only and want to make sure that our ROI is in fact um the strongest it can be.

3:43

I appreciate the updates to the presentation as well.

3:46

That um if you haven't had the opportunity, I would encourage my colleagues to read in in full the Tarlandton report, uh which is the um uh report that goes over how how well this has um worked over the year over the years and where we are still lagging when it comes to our counter our peer cities on some of these things.

4:04

In particular, the one that sticks out to me is wage growth.

4:08

Um so again, we're when we look at the uh incentive packages and the ROI, we have to see the long-term um movement on those and wage growth is something that I know we all um care about because you know if we don't have that, we then look at the monies that we have to put into these assistance programs, whether it's CPS or SAWs or anything else, right?

4:29

So ensuring that um we our efforts are tied to ensuring we are best supporting families, and we best do that by advocating for good uh good wages for them and their families.

4:40

Okay.

4:42

Um, Eric, I'll turn it over to you uh for comments.

4:45

Thank you, Mayor.

4:46

Um so yes, so we we we uh and I want to thank Sarah because we we had to adjust this date a couple of times, but we wanted to, as the mayor laid out, um, have Sarah come in and cover uh the organization, what they've accomplished over the last five years and where their scope and focus is going forward, and you'll hear about that in the presentation.

5:07

It's also important uh for you uh to have an opportunity to understand and be able to ask questions because uh in about two weeks, we'll bring forward our annual contract with Greater SATX.

5:20

It's our funding contract for our portion, and Brenda will talk a little bit about that.

5:25

Um we we work very well with uh with Greater SATX, they're an important partner, as the mayor said in making sure that uh from an expansion uh of existing companies and the recruitment of other industries, key industries that we continue to take advantage of San Antonio's position.

5:47

Um so I'm gonna hand it over to Brenda.

5:50

Brenda's gonna do some um opening comments and presentation on the proposed contract, and then uh Sarah will conclude.

6:00

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council.

6:02

I'm Brenda Hicksorenson, Economic Development Director, and as mentioned, joining me today presenting is Sir Carabius Rush, president and CEO of Greater SATX Regional Economic Partnership.

6:14

Together, we will provide more information about our partnership and the impacts that has had on San Antonio and the region.

6:21

This relationship is focused on a few of the areas that we address within the economic development department, specifically the corporate recruitment efforts, both domestically and internationally, as well as supporting existing job creators with services, advocacy, and support, so they continue to grow and call San Antonio home.

6:43

While Greater SATX celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2025, the public-private partnership between Greater Bear County and San Diego San Antonio was established in 2010.

6:56

As Greater continued to expand their organizational scope, they also expanded that partnership and in 2021 expanded to 14 regional partners with the launch of their all-in strategy.

7:10

At that time, the City of San Antonio shifted to a performance-based contract.

7:15

I will touch upon that contract conclusion as well as the proposed 2026 contract.

7:21

Here you will see a few years of historical performance as well as the projected 2025 results, which are pending final validation.

7:30

There are several items greater directly controls, such as lead pursuits and leads converted to active projects.

7:38

Of those items, GRADER has met or exceeded their targets.

7:42

There are other factors, such as job creation and capital investment, in which GRADER influences.

7:48

Those results were not as anticipated, and Sarah will provide more insight into the factors associated with those results.

7:57

We will you will also note here that in 2024, we pivoted our foreign direct investment or FDI strategy and began partnering with GRADER for an in-country lead generation efforts.

8:22

Again, all numbers are pending final validation.

8:46

This slide highlights the anticipator the anticipated public sector investments as a result.

8:52

But I'd like to outline first what that means for our 2026 proposed agreement.

8:57

The general services agreement portion of the agreement decreases from a maximum potential of $635,000 to a maximum potential of $110,000.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Economic Development█████████████████████████████████████████████73%

Workforce Development████7%

Technology and Innovation██3%

Education Partnerships█2%

Veteran Affairs█2%

Public Education█2%

Public Health█2%

Childcare█2%

Procedural█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Special Session on Greater SATX Regional Economic Partnership Briefing – February 12, 2026

Note: The raw transcript indicates the meeting was called to order at 2:17 p.m. on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, but the provided metadata specifies the meeting date as February 12, 2026. This summary uses the February 12 date as instructed.

This special session of the San Antonio City Council was a briefing on the Greater SATX Regional Economic Partnership’s (Greater SATX) five-year Momentum 2030 strategy and the proposed 2026 annual contract between the city and Greater SATX. The meeting included presentations from Brenda Hicksorenson, Economic Development Director, and Sarah Carabius Rush, President and CEO of Greater SATX, followed by council discussion. No votes were taken; the contract is expected to be formally considered in about two weeks.

Discussion Items

Presentation on Greater SATX Performance and Proposed 2026 Contract

Brenda Hicksorenson reviewed the performance-based contract history. For 2025, Greater SATX met or exceeded targets for items under its direct control (lead pursuits, leads converted to active projects) but fell short on job creation and capital investment due to national economic uncertainty (tariffs, policy changes). The proposed 2026 contract reduces the maximum potential from $635,000 to $110,000 for the general services agreement, with 70% ($357,000) paid in quarterly installments and 30% ($153,000) performance-based at $500 per job created with wages at or above $100,000 annually. The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) attraction plan increases by $55,000 for Japan lead generation. Total potential investment: $759,250, a possible decrease of $70,000 from 2025.
Sarah Carabius Rush presented the Momentum 2030 strategy, building on the 2020–2025 “All-In” strategy. Key results from the past five years: 118 major projects regionally (99 within San Antonio), $7 billion capital investment ($5 billion in San Antonio), nearly 19,000 jobs created (13,000 in San Antonio), average wage over $80,000, and a $29 billion regional economic impact. The city’s $3 million investment yielded a return of $5,525 per dollar invested. For 2025, Greater SATX expected to announce ~7,500 jobs but did not due to national headwinds; however, the pipeline remains strong. Momentum 2030 prioritizes advanced manufacturing, life sciences, aerospace/defense, cybersecurity, and new technology. Goals include 125 projects, 20,000 direct jobs with average wage $100,000, $5 billion capital investment, and increasing educational attainment to 45%.

Council Discussion and Questions

Councilmember Alde Gavito emphasized that the city’s investment in economic development signals priorities and supports job creation, nonprofits, and community opportunities. She suggested partnering with the Office of Historic Preservation to use vacant buildings for new employers and offered to help remove barriers to speed deals. She also noted data centers should be placed thoughtfully to support community infrastructure.
Councilmember Viegran (chair of Economic Workforce and Development) stressed the importance of council members proactively engaging with Greater SATX to attract business to their districts. He highlighted the need for infrastructure and cultural amenities to retain workers. He asked how the city can best support recruitment; Sarah responded that being champions and making it easy to do business are critical.
Councilmember Galvan asked about engaging K-12 school districts in workforce development, data on jobs by council district, local hiring vs. relocations, and the impact of city investments like Ready to Work and VIA. He also raised data centers, emphasizing job creation, local hiring, environmental impacts, and the need for thoughtful placement. He requested a breakdown of jobs by district and wage data.
Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez asked about the regional partnership model (Greater SATX serves 14 communities) and how it avoids competition. She also inquired about the $10 million capital investment threshold for projects, whether it excludes mid-size companies, and the site selection process. She suggested Greater SATX produce a peer review of the Philadelphia study on the sports and entertainment district.
Councilmember Spears asked about flexibility in the Momentum 2030 strategy to pivot based on results, support for local small businesses (via BRG visits and grants), and how to better integrate talent development as a primary driver. He also highlighted veterans and military families as a talent pool and requested more focus on airport connectivity.
Councilmember Castillo questioned the definition of “high wage” (currently $100,000 for the performance target) and noted the 2024 target was $50,000. He asked for tracking of contract labor wages and benefits, and requested a report on industry wages across Greater SATX-attracted jobs. He also thanked staff for identifying schools in District 5 for paid partnerships.
Councilmember Mungia noted that immigration restrictions and tariffs are headwinds. He praised the ROI and cited benefits to District 4 (JCB, manufacturing). He cautioned against steering students into specific industries without considering their interests and emphasized long-term career mobility and health impacts. He also stressed the need for continued city investment in education, health care, and homelessness to support business attraction.
Councilmember White (Mayor Pro Tem) requested more granular data on the competitive dashboards (e.g., actual numbers behind rankings). She encouraged Greater SATX to engage council early in the deal process, include corporate citizenship in briefings, and consider adding K-12 CTE and unhoused community representatives to the board or an advisory group. She also suggested creating an official policy linking child care (e.g., Pre-K 4 SA) to company recruitment.

City Manager Eric’s Remarks

Eric clarified that the seven deals lost were not all previously shared with council; some were never public. He explained the Condor airline situation was not a mistake: it proved a market of 290 passengers, and the data is now used to pitch other European airlines. He noted that the city’s investments in public safety, infrastructure, quality of life, and neighborhoods are critical to Greater SATX’s ability to sell San Antonio. He also noted that the average travel time to work ranking dropped partly due to road construction, which is a positive sign of growth management.

Key Outcomes

No formal votes were taken. The council will consider the annual contract with Greater SATX in approximately two weeks (anticipated late February 2026).
Council members requested additional data: job creation by council district, wage breakdowns, local vs. relocation hiring, and specific job titles. Greater SATX agreed to provide follow-up reports.
A briefing on data centers is scheduled for March 4, 2026, with CPS Energy and SAWS.
The council will refresh its economic development ordinances later in 2026, with close coordination with Greater SATX.
Council members expressed overall support for the partnership and the Momentum 2030 strategy, with several offering to champion economic development efforts.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, good. The time is now 2.17 p.m. on Wednesday, February 11th, 2026 in the city of San Antonio. Be session is called to order. Special sessions called order. Madam Clerk, please call roll. Councilmember Corps. Councilmember McKee Rodriguez. Present. Councilmember Via Gran. Here. Councilmember Mungia. Councilmember Castillo. Councilmember Gaulman. Councilmember Alarete Gavito. Here. Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez. Councilmember Spears. Councilmember White. Mayor Jones. Mayor, we have Quorum. Great. Thanks, Madam Clerk. This meeting will include a briefing on the Greater SATX Regional Economic Partnership 2016 plan and agreement. Let me provide some remarks before I have to leave here shortly and turn it over to Councilman McKee Rodriguez. As we are also looking at the changes in the uh in the federal environment, there's an opportunity, I think, as evident by uh the Taiwanese delegation that I hosted, as well as some of the follow-on activity as a result of that, but also other countries that are looking at onshoring the importance of making sure this is a really robust capability, which is why we are having them brief their plan to us here in light of the major investment uh that the city makes into this and ensuring we have a really strong ROI. Um again, as we take each of these topics um, not in silos, but in the aggregate, um, obviously the Greater SATX team works quite closely with with Alex Lopez to help us understand um and ensure that the return on investment for these incentive packages um is exactly um uh as as strong as they can as they as as they can possibly be in light of you know our understanding of the things that we are not going to invest in as a as a result of those foregone property tax taxes, for example. Um I want to thank the um the the Greater SATX team, they've um given me a couple of pre-briefs um on this, and so as we look at making sure that this is the best a resource that best serves the city, uh Greater SATX um serves other um communities, municipalities as part of their efforts, but obviously we really care about San Antonio only and want to make sure that our ROI is in fact um the strongest it can be. I appreciate the updates to the presentation as well. That um if you haven't had the opportunity, I would encourage my colleagues to read in in full the Tarlandton report, uh which is the um uh report that goes over how how well this has um worked over the year over the years and where we are still lagging when it comes to our counter our peer cities on some of these things. In particular, the one that sticks out to me is wage growth. Um so again, we're when we look at the uh incentive packages and the ROI, we have to see the long-term um movement on those and wage growth is something that I know we all um care about because you know if we don't have that, we then look at the monies that we have to put into these assistance programs, whether it's CPS or SAWs or anything else, right? So ensuring that um we our efforts are tied to ensuring we are best supporting families, and we best do that by advocating for good uh good wages for them and their families. Okay. Um, Eric, I'll turn it over to you uh for comments. Thank you, Mayor. Um so yes, so we we we uh and I want to thank Sarah because we we had to adjust this date a couple of times, but we wanted to, as the mayor laid out, um, have Sarah come in and cover uh the organization, what they've accomplished over the last five years and where their scope and focus is going forward, and you'll hear about that in the presentation. It's also important uh for you uh to have an opportunity to understand and be able to ask questions because uh in about two weeks, we'll bring forward our annual contract with Greater SATX. It's our funding contract for our portion, and Brenda will talk a little bit about that. Um we we work very well with uh with Greater SATX, they're an important partner, as the mayor said in making sure that uh from an expansion uh of existing companies and the recruitment of other industries, key industries that we continue to take advantage of San Antonio's position. Um so I'm gonna hand it over to Brenda. Brenda's gonna do some um opening comments and presentation on the proposed contract, and then uh Sarah will conclude. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. I'm Brenda Hicksorenson, Economic Development Director, and as mentioned, joining me today presenting is Sir Carabius Rush, president and CEO of Greater SATX Regional Economic Partnership. Together, we will provide more information about our partnership and the impacts that has had on San Antonio and the region. This relationship is focused on a few of the areas that we address within the economic development department, specifically the corporate recruitment efforts, both domestically and internationally, as well as supporting existing job creators with services, advocacy, and support, so they continue to grow and call San Antonio home. While Greater SATX celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2025, the public-private partnership between Greater Bear County and San Diego San Antonio was established in 2010. As Greater continued to expand their organizational scope, they also expanded that partnership and in 2021 expanded to 14 regional partners with the launch of their all-in strategy. At that time, the City of San Antonio shifted to a performance-based contract. I will touch upon that contract conclusion as well as the proposed 2026 contract.

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