OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

San Antonio Governance Committee Meeting - May 20, 2026: Nine CCRs Reviewed

Council Committees — Wednesday, May 20, 2026
BodySan Antonio, Texas
SessionCouncil Committees
DateWednesday, May 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:03:32
Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

Good morning, everyone.

0:07

The time is now 10 03 a.m.

0:09

on May 20th, 2026, and we will call this meeting of the governance committee to order.

0:13

Uh Madam Herky, please please call roll.

0:16

Councilmember Viegran.

0:18

Councilmember Mugia.

0:20

Councilmember Spears.

0:23

Pro Tem McKee Rodriguez.

0:25

Present.

0:26

Pro Tem.

0:26

We have quorum.

0:28

Wonderful, wonderful.

0:28

The first item on the agenda is approval of minutes from the April 15th meeting.

0:32

I entertain a motion for approval.

0:34

Motion to approve.

0:35

Second.

0:36

We have a motion and second.

0:37

All in favor.

0:38

Aye.

0:40

Motion carries.

0:41

So we're going to do this a little bit differently this time because we have 376 items on the agenda.

0:47

We have nine CCRs.

0:49

And so we're going to do all of the presentations back to back.

0:52

And then we'll, if we have any members of the public summit to speak, they'll speak then.

0:55

And we'll also have members, the council members who authored the CCR speak at that time if they are present.

1:01

And then we'll get into council discussion and action.

1:04

Thank you, Chair.

1:05

Amin will start and like you said, we'll go back to back.

1:08

We'll be as efficient as we can, and we'll remain for questions when we're done.

1:12

Thank you so much.

1:13

The floor is yours.

1:14

Good morning, Council.

1:16

My name is Amin Tomaz, Development Services Director.

1:20

Let me move this a little around.

1:22

Here we go.

1:25

All right.

1:26

I'm here to talk about Cesar Chavez street name change.

1:30

So we receive.

1:31

Oh, let's wait for the.

1:32

Here we go.

1:34

So we received a council consideration request on April 13, 2026 by District 5.

1:41

And the request is being submitted following citywide survey and series of listening sessions from the community.

1:49

And the majority preference is to change the name.

1:53

This proposal seeks the change, change the name of Caesar Chavez Boulevard to Durango Boulevard.

2:00

And this section or segment runs between Southwest 36th Street and South Hackbury Street.

2:08

Development Services Department recommendation is to start that process.

2:12

The process includes technical review, consideration by historic design and review commission, consideration by planning commission, and then final consideration by city council.

2:24

That's my presentation for this one.

2:27

So we'll move on to the next item.

2:31

Splash Town.

2:33

Splash Town Drive Street name change as soon as the presentation is up.

2:38

Item number three.

3:02

Okay, here we go.

3:05

So similar to the previous one, we received the council consideration request April 8th, 2026, by Council District 2.

3:12

And the name change request is being submitted to honor an important member of the community, and for the street name to better reflect the area and its history.

3:22

This segment of this street uh goes uh I'm sorry, the proposed the proposal seeks to change the splashdown drive to Willie Mitchell Drive, and the proposed street segment goes between Interstate Highway 35 and Co-Plan Drive.

3:40

Similar to the previous one, our recommendation is to start that process.

3:44

The process uh includes technical review, consideration by planning commission, and final consideration by council.

3:51

Thank you.

3:54

Thank you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Miscellaneous██████████████████████████████████████████42%
Zoning and Land Use█████████████████17%
Procedural█████████9%
Workforce Development████████8%
Public Engagement████████8%
Transportation Safety██████6%
Environmental Protection██████6%
Parks and Recreation██2%
Legislative Advocacy██2%
Summary of Proceedings

San Antonio Governance Committee Meeting - May 20, 2026

The Governance Committee met on May 20, 2026, at 10:03 a.m. to consider nine Council Consideration Requests (CCRs) covering a wide range of topics, including street name changes, board review cycles, quick-build transportation projects, floodplain tree planting, senior transportation, CAFE College review, annexation policy, and protections for transgender and non-binary residents. All items were presented back-to-back by city staff, followed by public comment and council discussion. The meeting adjourned at 11:06 a.m.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 1: Approval of minutes from the April 15, 2026 meeting was approved unanimously by voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Yamani Karandika (District 1 resident, Strongtown San Antonio chapter lead): Expressed support for the interdepartmental quick-build team for street safety, urging the city to embrace incremental improvements and faster safety solutions.
  • Austin Kelm (District 1 resident, Strongtown San Antonio Safe and Productive Streets Initiative lead): Expressed strong support for the quick-build CCR, describing personal experiences with unsafe infrastructure and the delay in building a single crosswalk (expected to take nearly two years). He cited examples from other cities where quick-build projects reduced speeding and improved safety.
  • Joey Polic (Executive Director, ActivateSA): Expressed support for the quick-build CCR, noting their organization completed one of the first quick-build projects in San Antonio and highlighting the need for clearer city processes to speed implementation.
  • Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez (author of CCR on CAFE College and Annexation policy): Stated that CAFE College helps thousands but should be aligned with new career pathways. Noted that roughly one in three SAISD graduates did not enroll in higher education in fall 2023, and that the CCR seeks to expand CAFE College to meet current needs, aligning with partners like SA Works and Alamo Colleges. She also requested a review of special district standards for the ETJ to improve environmental and fiscal safeguards.
  • Councilmember White (via Councilmember Spears, reading a statement): Expressed support for CCR on board/commission review cycle, noting the need for a consistent evaluation mechanism. Also expressed support for the floodplain tree planting program, stating the mitigation funds exist but a coordinated program with clear targets and maintenance is needed.
  • Councilmember Alderate Gavito (via letter read by Chair): Expressed support for expanding senior center transportation, noting that residents living just outside the 5-mile pickup zone are turned away from programs. The CCR asks staff to explore partnerships and funding to expand access without relying solely on the general fund.
  • Councilmember McKee Rodriguez (author of CCR on protections for transgender/non-binary residents): Thanked community organizations (Equality Texas, Thrive Youth Center, former councilmember Leo Castillo Anguano) for their work and requested the CCR be sent to Public Safety Committee instead of Community Health.

Discussion Items

  • Item 2 (Cesar Chavez Boulevard name change to Durango Boulevard): Staff presented a CCR from District 5 based on a citywide survey and listening sessions showing majority preference for the change. The segment runs between Southwest 36th Street and South Hackbury Street. Staff recommended beginning the process including technical review, Historic Design and Review Commission, Planning Commission, and final City Council consideration.
  • Item 3 (Splash Town Drive name change to Willie Mitchell Drive): Staff presented a CCR from District 2 to honor an important community member and reflect area history. The segment runs between IH-35 and Co-Plan Drive. Staff recommended starting the process.
  • Item 4 (Defined review cycle for boards and commissions): Staff presented a CCR from Councilmember White to amend Chapter 2 of the city code. The City Clerk maintains a list of boards, collects annual reports, and manages vacancies. Section 2-541 already requires a review cycle. No funding required. Staff recommended returning in 60 days.
  • Item 5 (Quick-build team for transportation safety): Staff presented a CCR from District 1 to establish an interdepartmental quick-build team within Public Works and Transportation, including a dedicated traffic engineer. The goal is faster implementation of temporary safety measures (pop-up bike lanes, traffic calming, crosswalk enhancements). Staff noted vacancies in traffic engineering and a grant to study the issue. Staff recommended referral to the Transportation Committee.
  • Item 6 (Floodplain tree planting program): Staff (Parks and Recreation Director) presented a CCR from District 10 to authorize use of the tree mitigation fund for planting native floodplain-tolerant species in floodplains and riparian areas. Since fiscal year 2024, over 60% of planted trees on public property are within 500 feet of the floodplain. The tree preservation ordinance requires 80% preservation in floodplains. Staff recommended referral to Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
  • Item 7 (Expanding senior center transportation): Staff (Human Services Director) presented a CCR filed May 5 by Councilmember Alderate Gavito to explore expanding transportation at city-operated senior centers through grants, bond funding, partnerships with VIA and Bear County, and collaboration with organizations like the City-County Joint Commission on Elderly Affairs. Currently, curb-to-curb service is provided at 12 comprehensive centers and 4 part-time nutrition sites within a 5-mile radius, with average ride times of 1-1.5 hours each way. Staff recommended referral to Community Health Committee.
  • Item 8 (Reimagining CAFE College): Staff presented a CCR filed March 17 by Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez to review CAFE College's effectiveness and alignment with other education services. CAFE College was launched in 2010 and is operated by the San Antonio Education Partnership. The FY 2026 budget includes nearly $1 million from the general fund. In FY 2025, it served over 5,700 unduplicated clients. The Commission on Education has issued recommendations for improvement. Staff recommended referral to Educational Opportunities Committee.
  • Item 9 (Annexation growth management policy review): Staff (Planning Department) presented a CCR from District 8 to review and possibly amend the city's annexation growth management policy, including minimum standards for consent to special districts (e.g., MUDs, PIDs). To date, the city has consented to 31 districts in the ETJ. The CCR asks for stronger environmental accountability, alignment with city goals, and fiscal responsibility. Staff recommended referral to Planning, Community and Development Committee. Councilmember Viagran moved to send to a B session first, but after no second, the motion was to send to IGR. Councilmember Mungia noted the IGR committee had not yet met. The motion to send to IGR passed 2-1.
  • Item 10 (Protections for transgender, non-binary, and intersex residents): Staff (Director of Compliance, Opportunity and Access) presented a CCR filed April 9 by Councilmember McKee Rodriguez. The CCR seeks to ensure access to public facilities, strengthen protections for personal health and identity information, expand single-user restrooms, and explore self-selected name/gender markers on city IDs. Current protections include the Non-Discrimination Ordinance and AD 7.12 and AD 4.67. Staff noted state laws (HB 229, SB 8) and evolving federal law that may impact implementation. Costs may include facility assessment, restroom conversions, and staff training. Staff recommended referral to Community Health Committee. Councilmember McKee Rodriguez successfully moved to send to Public Safety Committee instead; motion carried.

Key Outcomes

  • Item 2: Approved unanimously to begin the name change process.
  • Item 3: Approved unanimously to begin the name change process.
  • Item 4: Approved unanimously to return in 60 days.
  • Item 5: Approved with a vote of 3-1 (Councilmember Viagran opposed) to send to Transportation Committee.
  • Item 6: Approved unanimously to send to Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
  • Item 7: Approved unanimously to send to Community Health Committee.
  • Item 8: Approved unanimously to send to Educational Opportunities Committee.
  • Item 9: Motion to send to IGR passed 2-1 (Councilmember Viagran opposed; Councilmember Viagran had moved to send to B session, but that motion died for lack of a second). The item will go to IGR for discussion.
  • Item 10: Approved unanimously to send to Public Safety Committee.

All items moved forward in the process as determined by the committee.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning, everyone. The time is now 10 03 a.m. on May 20th, 2026, and we will call this meeting of the governance committee to order. Uh Madam Herky, please please call roll. Councilmember Viegran. Councilmember Mugia. Councilmember Spears. Pro Tem McKee Rodriguez. Present. Pro Tem. We have quorum. Wonderful, wonderful. The first item on the agenda is approval of minutes from the April 15th meeting. I entertain a motion for approval. Motion to approve. Second. We have a motion and second. All in favor. Aye. Motion carries. So we're going to do this a little bit differently this time because we have 376 items on the agenda. We have nine CCRs. And so we're going to do all of the presentations back to back. And then we'll, if we have any members of the public summit to speak, they'll speak then. And we'll also have members, the council members who authored the CCR speak at that time if they are present. And then we'll get into council discussion and action. Thank you, Chair. Amin will start and like you said, we'll go back to back. We'll be as efficient as we can, and we'll remain for questions when we're done. Thank you so much. The floor is yours. Good morning, Council. My name is Amin Tomaz, Development Services Director. Let me move this a little around. Here we go. All right. I'm here to talk about Cesar Chavez street name change. So we receive. Oh, let's wait for the. Here we go. So we received a council consideration request on April 13, 2026 by District 5. And the request is being submitted following citywide survey and series of listening sessions from the community. And the majority preference is to change the name. This proposal seeks the change, change the name of Caesar Chavez Boulevard to Durango Boulevard. And this section or segment runs between Southwest 36th Street and South Hackbury Street. Development Services Department recommendation is to start that process. The process includes technical review, consideration by historic design and review commission, consideration by planning commission, and then final consideration by city council. That's my presentation for this one. So we'll move on to the next item. Splash Town.

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