San Antonio City Council Meeting Summary (December 2, 2025)

The San Antonio City Council met on December 2, 2025, to review ecosystem micro-mobility options, discuss the transition from horse-drawn carriages to electric alternatives, and deliberate on traffic safety initiatives including speed limit reductions and labor contract integrity. The meeting featured presentations from city departments and extensive discussion on stakeholder engagement, pilot programs, and regulatory updates.

Consent Calendar

• The minutes of the November 4, 2025, meeting were approved unanimously via voice vote. Councilman Spears attendance was noted for the record.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public were present to offer testimony.

Discussion Items

Micro-Mobility and E-Carriage Pilot Program

• Staff Presentation: Assistant Director Rick Riley (SAPD) and John Jax (CCDO) presented data on the current electric vehicle service industry (20 permits, 33 drivers, ~25,000 trips in 2025), dockless scooters (Bird/VO), and bike share (B-Cycle). They highlighted usage patterns, costs, and the existing regulatory framework under Chapter 33.
• Councilmember McKee Rodriguez: Expressed support for a holistic stakeholder approach to define the e-carriage transition. She questioned the fairness of the current horse carriage ownership structure, noting an inequity where two owners control most permits, and argued that a simple one-to-one permit transfer without addressing ownership concentration would not ensure equality. She voiced interest in using the Inner City Tourist Board to potentially fund specific routes for pilots.
• Councilwoman Correa: Supported the formation of focus groups for all mobility sectors (EVs, petty cabs, carriages) to include owners, drivers, and riders. She advocated for increasing permit limits, particularly for petty cabs, to support local entrepreneurship and suggested piloting funded routes in new areas like River North to generate usage data.
• Councilmen Albert (Villan) and Mungia: Supported the pilot and the creation of a study to assess the impact of permit increases on congestion. Councilman Mungia echoed concerns regarding the inequitable distribution of horse carriage permits and emphasized the need to ensure fair access during the transition. He suggested evaluating if the 20-permit cap for standard electric vehicles was necessary or arbitrary.
• Councilman Spears: Requested detailed operating and startup cost data (e.g., $20,000 for an e-carriage) to help existing carriage operators transition without bankruptcy. He questioned whether minimum standards, such as battery capacity, should be required beyond current safety equipment (lights, VIN).
• Councilman Dr. Corr (Correa): Noted that cost and company counts for dockless vehicles are comparable to other major cities. He suggested identifying 10 events over the next year to test strategic pilot routes and funding, and recommended increasing petty cab permits.

Traffic Calming and Speed Limit Reductions (Item 3)

• Staff Presentation: Interim Public Works Director Juana Yala outlined a CCR request to lower prima fascia speed limits from 30 to 25 mph near schools, parks, and community centers in District 7. She noted state law requires an engineering study for such changes and recommended a pilot program in District 7 to test the feasibility, noting previous studies showed signage alone had limited impact without other physical calming measures.
• Councilman Aldretico: Expressed strong support for the pilot to address resident concerns regarding speeding and safety. He advocated for analyzing the city's Unified Development Code (UDC) to see if current subdivision designs encourage speeding and suggested future projects should integrate traffic calming proactively.
• Councilwoman Castillo: Highlighted the frustration with delays in implementing traffic calming infrastructure (e.g., signal installations taking up to three years) and emphasized the need for a holistic, data-driven approach to evaluate requests efficiently.
• Councilmember Mungia: Suggested piloting a mail-out signature collection method for traffic calming requests to remove barriers for elderly residents or those with fenced properties. He also noted that new subdivisions often require immediate traffic calming (e.g., Vita or Solana Ridge), implying a need for UDC changes to prevent these issues at the design phase.
• Councilman Spears: Proposed combining the speed limit study with any existing traffic studies (within the past five years) to reduce costs and asked for clarification on how to handle Farm-to-Market roads regulated by the state.

Labor Standards and Integrity in Contracts (Item 5)

• Staff Presentation: Mike Shannon (Capital Delivery Dept.) reviewed the current wage and labor standards ordinance and the CCR's proposal to strengthen it. Recommendations included establishing a permanent repeat offender list, extending the complaint window from 60 to 180 days, and strengthening anti-retaliation clauses. Staff noted they found 107 minor payroll errors last year but no habitual violations requiring termination.
• Councilman Dr. Corr: Expressed support for the proposed changes to ensure fair wages and prevent wage theft involving taxpayer funds, emphasizing the need for a diverse stakeholder group to refine the ordinance.
• Councilman Aldretico: Supported the formation of a stakeholder group to review the proposals, stressing the importance of protecting workers who build the city.
• Councilmember Mungia: Encouraged the formation of a robust stakeholder group to ensure industry and labor voices shape the final recommendations before returning to the committee.

Key Outcomes

• Motion Approved: Council approved a pilot program in District 7 to study the lowering of prima fascia speed limits from 30 to 25 mph near community assets (Item 3). The pilot will involve an engineering study and may include additional traffic calming measures.
• Motion Approved: Council approved a request to form a stakeholder group to review and recommend updates to the city's wage and labor standards ordinance regarding wage theft and repeat offenders (Item 5).
• Next Steps: Staff are tasked with identifying priority locations within District 7 for the speed limit pilot, determining the cost and scope of a citywide traffic analysis, and convening the stakeholder group for labor standards discussions. Follow-up reports are expected in the early part of 2026.
• Clarifications: It was confirmed that the online traffic calming application system is being finalized and that renters count toward the 51% signature threshold for traffic calming requests.