Northeast Neighborhood Alliance

Northeast Neighborhood Alliance general meeting minutes

August 19, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. at the Northeast Senior Center

The meeting was called to order at 6:32 p.m. by President Mike Gallagher.

Boy Scout Troop 398 presented the U.S. and Texas flags.

Presentations

Emergency preparedness: Janell Garcia and Ashley Carter with the City of

San Antonio Office of Emergency Management, and Stephen Reston of the

San Antonio Fire Department spoke about dealing with the current intense

heat and humidity in our area. It is one of three emergencies that the office

handles. The other two are winter storms and flooding. Ms. Garcia urged

attendees to pick up the city’s Beat the Heat guide, which was available at the

meeting and can be found at city branch libraries. She urged people to

remember to drink plenty of water and to pay special attention to children,

who can overheat faster than adults. More information is available at the

Office of Emergency Management website at www.SAOEMprepare.com.

Bexar County budget update: Bexar County Precinct 3 Commissioner Grant

Moody and County Judge Peter Sakai gave an update on the 2024-25 county

budget. Judge Sakai noted that, for the first time, the county is holding budget

town hall meetings, one in each of the four county precincts. Commissioner

Moody listed three budget priorities:

1. Public safety. More funds are being requested for the Sheriff’s Office and

the county constables.

2. Fiscal responsibility. “We want to reduce the tax burden on

homeowners,” he said. The county already has a 20 percent homestead

exemption. Now officials are working to reduce redundancies between

county and city departments to save more money.

3. Infrastructure. More funds need to be invested in the improvement of

county roads, sidewalks and drainage, he said.

After three weeks of budget sessions, the budget is expected to be approved

by Bexar County Commissioners on September 10. It will total $3 billion,

including $2.7 billion for the general budget, about $650 million for the

operating budget, and $1.75 million for reserves. Over the next five years, the

reserves are expected to disappear, Commissioner Moody said. The county is

developing a “transparency tool” online that will allow residents to examine

the budget at any time.

Your estate probate actions: Bexar County Probate Court No. 3 Barbie

Scharf-Zeldes discussed the county probate courts and what they do for

residents. Her court was created at the 2023 state legislative session to deal

with the growing population and caseload in the area. There are 24 probate

courts in Texas, in counties with large populations. The courts deal with

probating wills, mental health matters, guardianships, and eminent domain

cases. Scharf-Zeldes said she and her court staff can visit neighborhoods to

talk about the probate process and what documents to prepare to make the

process easier for families. Those include a will and financial and health care

powers of attorney. For more information, visit

https://www.bexar.org/3765/Probate-Court-3.

AACOG long-term care ombudsman program: Sherri Smith, outreach

specialist for the Alamo Area Council of Governments ombudsman program,

said the program advocates for people in assisted living and nursing facilities.

Every facility in the area has an advocate via “an army of volunteers.” They

work with facility residents and their families to explain the residents’rights.

“We’re not regulatory, but we can address people’s wishes,” she said. “We

only work with the consent of the resident’s family. They have the right to see

visitors, to participate in activities on and off the facility premises, and to

receive their mail unopened. We look to see that residents are clean and well

cared for.” Volunteers are always needed, and there is an online training

program. For more information, go to www. alamo.ombudsman@aacog.org.

District 10 update: District 10 City Councilman Marc Whyte told attendees

that the council has just approved the zero-based budgeting method that he

proposed after he was elected. Now, each city department must justify their

expenses each year. This is a way to prevent redundancy between

departments. An outside consultant will be retained to help the city organize

the process.

Councilman Whyte also discussed city charter amendments that will be on

the Nov. 5 ballot: lengthening council term limits from two to four years and

raising council pay. He said he advocated for keeping the Northeast Senior

Center hours the same, instead of closing earlier as has been proposed to

save money.

In the proposed FY 2025 budget, District 10 would have an additional $8

million for infrastructure over this year’s total. More money has been set aside

for Animal Care Services, to add 65 more police positions and15 new

firefighters, and to continue homeless encampment cleanups, he said.

There will be a city budget town hall meeting on August 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the

Northeast Senior Center, 4135 Thousand Oaks Drive.

Announcements:

District 10 will hold a general meeting on September 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the

Northeast Senior Center.

The Northeast Neighborhood Alliance will hold a candidates’ introduction at

their April 21 meeting, at 6:30 p.m. at the Northeast Senior Center.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:32 p.m.