Wednesday, December 21, 2011

City of San Antonio Winter Holiday Closures

From Saturday, December 24, 2011 through Sunday, January 1, 2012 the City will observe a Winter Holiday schedule. During that week, the City will formally observe five holidays, Christmas, New Year’s Day, and three designated Winter Holidays.

While most City Staff will not work during the holiday closures, several departments will be open to ensure ongoing provision of key services to the residents of San Antonio.
Animal Care, Aviation, Alamodome, Convention center, CVB, 311 Operators, Parks, Libraries, Metro health, Solid waste, and development services all have adjusted schedules.

Public safety and emergency services will remain in operation.

For more information regarding the Winter Holiday Schedule visit the City Website.

Wishing you and your family a safe and happy holiday season.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

2012-2017 Proposed Bond Program

After two months, an important portion of the 2012-2017 Proposed Bond Program’s public input process has been concluded, with the completion of 20 public meetings consisting of 16 Community Bond Meetings and four Community Bond Tours. During the public process, over 800 residents were in attendance at the meetings, and 165 resident comments were made. Overall, the Committee Members found the public process to be well organized, successful and transparent.

Overall, the Community Bond Committee Members recommended 135 projects for the proposed $596 Million 2012-2017 Bond Program. A detailed list of the recommended projects can be found at http://www.sanantonio.gov/2012Bond/.

The next steps in the development of the proposed Bond Program will be the presentation and discussion of the Community Bond Committee Recommendations on January 11, 2012 within a City Council “B” Session. Following this presentation, the City Council will consider the recommendations made by the committees. Upon approval of the projects, City Council will call a special election for the proposed bond program for Saturday, May 12, 2012.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

$30 Million Excess Bond Projects

On February 19, 2009, City Council approved the $30 Million Excess Bond Balance Program with a total of 97 projects. Funding for these projects are the result of the identification of remaining balances in various bonds and certificate of obligation funds that required disposition and could be reprogrammed. These projects are grouped into three categories:

2007 Bond Program Augmentation – This category includes projects that 1) achieve the initial intended scope, or 2) further enhance improvements, for projects within the 2007 Bond Program. The budget for this category totals $12.1 million and consists of 11 projects. An example of this type of project is the Mission Branch Library Project in Council District 3.

Public Works’ Managed Projects – This category includes local street improvements, curbs, sidewalks, traffic system improvements, and drainage improvements. The budget for this category totals $8.9 million and consists of 66 projects. An example of this type of project is the Mainland Road Improvements Project in Council District 7.

Other Projects – This category includes improvements such as BRAC-related enhancements, Haven for Hope improvements, and park improvements. The budget for this category totals $7.2 million and consists of 20 projects.

As of today 95% of the projects are complete with 80% of the total program’s budget spent

- 91 projects have been completed
- 4 projects are under construction or under contract for construction
- 2 projects are under design
- For a Total of 97

The projects under design or construction are estimated to be completed in 2012.

Monday, December 12, 2011

FY2012 Budget Highlights Brochure

The FY 2012 Annual Adopted Operating and Capital Budget document along with the Adopted Budget Highlight Brochure is now available.

The FY 2012 Budget is balanced and invests additional resources in City Council priorities including Police, Fire, Streets, Libraries, Animal Care and Economic Development. The FY 2012 Budget includes no City property tax rate increase and maintains the budgeted financial reserves at 9 percent of General Fund Expenditures.


The FY 2011 Operating and Capital Budget is available online and copies are available at the Central Library, each Branch Library, and Community Link Centers for public reference. Copies of the City's Budget document have been submitted to the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) to be considered for the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. This award recognizes budget documents of the very highest quality that reflect GFOA's recommended best practices.

The FY 2012 Budget Highlights brochure provides a high level summary of the Adopted Budget and the program changes that will impact the community. This brochure is in both English and Spanish.

Copies of this brochure are available at all Libraries and City Offices.