San Antonio Governance Committee Meeting - January 21, 2026
San Antonio Governance Committee Meeting - January 21, 2026
The Governance Committee of the San Antonio City Council met on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at 10:03 AM. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Jones and included roll call, approval of minutes, public comment, and three action items related to senior protection, a community benefits agreement oversight commission, and a Spurs arena project accountability dashboard. The meeting adjourned at 11:10 AM.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the December 11, 2025 meeting were approved unanimously with a motion and second, no corrections or amendments.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Darrell Greer (AARP Regional Program Manager, South Texas Adult Protective Services Community Board): Expressed full support for Councilwoman Castillo’s policy proposal to enhance senior protection. Cited national scam losses of $16.6 billion (FBI), with Texas ranking second at $1.3 billion. Offered AARP’s resources and programming to further protect older adults.
Discussion Items
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Item 2: Council Consideration Request on Enhancing Senior Protection (Councilmember Castillo, District 5)
- Staff (Melody Woosley, Human Services Director) presented current initiatives: enrollment in Do Not Call registries, legal referrals, fraud awareness campaigns, partnerships with Bear County’s Elder Fraud Task Force and Senior Justice Assessment Center, and a forthcoming status of older adults report. Recommended forwarding actions to the Public Safety Committee’s Elder Abuse Subcommittee, implementing enhancements within FY26 resources, and developing cost estimates for expanded services.
- Councilmembers discussed the need for metrics to measure impact, better utilization of the Joint Commission on Elderly Affairs, and legislative advocacy at the state level. Councilmember McKee Rodriguez supported staff’s recommendation, Councilmember Viagran expressed frustration with slow progress, and Councilmember Mungia emphasized mobilizing resources and leveraging partners like AARP. The motion to approve the staff recommendation passed unanimously.
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Item 3: Council Consideration Request on Community Benefits Agreement Oversight Commission (Councilmember Core, District 1)
- Staff presented a proposal to create a commission to oversee the $75 million (2.5 million/year for 30 years) community benefits fund from the Spurs arena term sheet. The commission would include appointments from each council member, mayor, SAISD, Bear County, and advisory reps from the city, county, and Spurs.
- Councilmember Core explained the need for genuine community engagement after prior surveys. Councilmembers raised concerns: the small annual amount ($2.5M), potential duplication of council authority, representation of the east side, and whether the county should have a vote without contributing. Several councilmembers suggested alternatives like a revenue bond or leveraging partners. The item was continued to the next Governance Committee meeting (motion passed).
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Item 4: Council Consideration Request on Spurs Arena Project Accountability Dashboard (Councilmembers Castillo and White)
- Staff recommended creating a dashboard for the entire Sports & Entertainment District (including the arena, convention center expansion, and potentially the Missions baseball stadium) rather than just the arena. The dashboard would be public-facing, tracking project milestones, financial commitments, and community benefits. The city issued an RFQ for an executive program manager (EPM) to help design the dashboard, expected contract approval by mid-April.
- Councilmembers supported the dashboard but requested it be easy to use, include public meeting notices, and show PFC revenue distribution. The motion was amended to include the entire district and the Missions baseball project. The amended motion passed unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Item 2 (Senior Protection): Approved staff recommendation to forward actions to the Elder Abuse Subcommittee, implement enhancements within FY26 resources, and develop cost estimates. All councilmembers voted in favor.
- Item 3 (CBA Oversight Commission): Continued to the next Governance Committee meeting for further discussion on structure, funding, and county involvement. Motion passed with no opposition.
- Item 4 (Dashboard): Approved as amended to include the Sports & Entertainment District and Missions baseball project. The EPM will design the dashboard, with a B session presentation to council before finalization. Motion passed unanimously.
Meeting Transcript
Spice it up. All right, the time is uh 10 03 a.m. on Wednesday, January 21st, 2026, and the meeting of the governance committee is now called to order. Madam Clerk, please call roll. Councilmember McKee Rodriguez. Present. Councilmember Viacron. Here. Councilmember Mungia. Mayor Jones. Mayor, we have quorum. First item on the agenda is approval of the minutes. Are there any corrections or minutes amendments to the minutes from December 11th, 2025? Okay, hearing none. Is there a motion and a second to approve the minutes? I make a motion to approve. Great. We have a motion and a second to approve the minutes. All in favor say aye. Aye. All in favor say no. Abstentions. Okay, motion passes. We have several members of the public signed up to speak. I'll call the individuals in the order that they signed up, and each individual will have three minutes to speak. The first person is John Hinehosa. John Hinehosa. Okay. Daryl Greer. Good morning, Mayor Jones and committee members. My name is Darrell Greer, and I'm the regional program manager to Oates from AARP, and I'm also a board member of the South Texas Adult Protective Services Community Board. I appreciate the opportunity to comment on this item. I want to thank Councilwoman Castillo for a thoughtful policy proposal to enhance senior protection. The CCR's effort to protect against senior exploitation and fraud is critical and timely. Financial losses due to scams have reached a staggering 16.6 billion dollars nationally, with Texas ranking second with 1.3 billion dollars in losses according to the FBI. Oates continues to raise awareness and empower older adults to safeguard their personal information and secure their financial well-being. Oates remains a committed partner to the city and is ready to offer resources and needed programming to further protect our older adults. Thank you. Okay, that's all the individuals that have signed up to speak. We'll move on to item the action items. Madam Clerk, please read the caption for item two. Item number two is a council consideration request from Councilmember Terry Castillo, District 5 on enhancing senior protection. Okay, great. Councilmember Castillo is not here, but there is a letter that she provided to the committee which essentially supports the recommendation being made. Okay, over to staff for the presentation. Great. So good morning, Mayor Jones and Governance Committee members. I'm Melody Woosley, Human Services Director, and I'm presenting on the enhancing senior protection from abuse and exploitation CCR. And I look forward to your questions after the presentation. So this City Council consideration request was submitted on December the 3rd, 2025 by Councilwoman Castillo, and also signed by Council members core, Via Gran, Galvan, and Mesa Gonzalez.
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