A Message From Mayor Chris Riley

LETTER TO LEON VALLEY CITIZENS

From Mayor Chris Riley

March 6, 2026

Saturday, March 7^th – 36^th Annual Earthwise Living Day at the Leon Valley Community Center from 9am to 1 pm. Free Admission.

There will be approximately 40 booths to visit and learn eco-friendly tips to incorporate into your daily life.  Musical entertainment, food booths, and you can receive a free re-useable bag or water bottle if you visit 8 booths. Fantastic door prizes, including Missions baseball tickets. Free seeds (while supply lasts) sponsored by David’s Garden Seeds will also be given away. At 11:25 am a composter and rain barrel giveaway will occur. At 12:45 pm, the Grand Prizes of (2) Spurs basketball tickets with parking, and a $500 HEB gift card will be drawn. 300 Free trees provided by CPS Energy and the City of Leon Valley will be given away while supply lasts.  Drop off stations to recycle your corks and envelopes for expired medications.  This event will go on – RAIN or SHINE!.  The majority of the vendors are inside the center or on the porch.  Vendors who are scheduled to be on the lawn will be moved under the awning of the Conference Center. There is a huge Dignity Memorial tent on the lawn that other activities will be held at.  We look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

PLEASE NOTE: Special thanks to the 11 member Earthwise Living Committee, led by Chairman Anna Campos, who have been working tirelessly since last August on this event. Additional shout outs to: Crystal Miranda, staff liaison, for supporting the committee’s efforts and the Public Works department who have been instrumental in setting up and  tearing down the booths and other key functions. 

CITY COUNCIL MEETING –March 3, 2026

          The following are highlights of council actions from the March 3^rd   council meeting which began at 6:00 p.m. and ended at 7:57 p.m.

        EXECUTIVE SESSION

      At the February 23 meeting, City Council considered the value of the .552 acres of land the city owns, known as the Silo Property on Huebner Road, with the developer of the townhomes being developed next to the silos and the discussion at tonight’s continued at this meeting. The council considered a new proposal from the developer and moved in open session to direct the city manager to draft a development agreement for council consideration, which includes incorporating the silos into the city property and saving the silos from demolition.  The agreement will be discussed in a public hearing and then voted on by council at the April council meetings.  

                                        PRESENTATIONS

Presentation of a Proclamation to Bexar County Commissioner Rebeca Clay Flores declaring March as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month – After being diagnosed with colon cancer in late 2024, Commissioner Flores has committed to educating and building awareness about colon cancer. Colon cancer is the second leading cause of deaths among cancers and is being diagnosed in younger people.  It is now recommended that a colonoscopy be done at age 45 because it is the most preventable and treatable cancer when caught early. Commissioner Flores has coordinated events throughout the county in March to continue this education effort. The color blue is the color associated with this movement.  Some of our city lights will be changed to blue to signify support for this initiative during the month of March.

REGULAR AGENDA

Public Hearing to Consider Recommendation on a Specific Use Permit (SUP) request to allow a drive thru coffee shop at the corner of Huebner and Bandera Roads – There are three lots on this property that share on-site parking and allow site drainage across the lots.  Due to the lots sharing the parking lot, an SUP is required because overall the property abuts a residential community (The Leon Villas). The proposed structure must comply with all code requirements and a building permit is required prior to construction.  A public hearing was held and there was no objection.  This item will be placed on the Consent Agenda at the March 17^th council meeting as per Council consensus.

Action on the Approval of Extending the Contractual Services with My Government Online (MGO) – The City has contracted with MGO, which provides software for permitting services, since April, 2019.  The cost has remained the same since implementation ($6,600 annual fee and covers up to 1,000 permits annually). The Planning & Zoning Department has used this software to issue all permits and licenses online, submit PDF plans and print permits.  Additionally, this software is used by General contractors and staff to schedule all inspections, request inspections online, and view completed inspection reports in real time.  MGO is used by other department staff and the city engineer and health inspector.  MGO also provides unlimited storage capacity and has a support team on call. Staff recommended a three year extension for the MGO software, which Council approved unanimously.

Action by Council to Award the City Council Chamber Technology Upgrade Capital Improvement Project – In 2024, the City issued Request for Proposals to upgrade the existing AV equipment in council chambers. Staff determined that none met the city needs or budget considerations.  Updated quotes were requested from vendors after discussions were held to refine the project scope. This resulted in receiving three quotes based on the refined scope of work.  Staff recommended the bid of the vendor San Antonio Sound & Light for $81,634. This quote will enable a split screen, so citizens can see the power point, as well as the council/speaker, and will provide better control over the individual microphones and the ability to Zoom in when needed. The funding for this council chamber improvement will be allocated from the PEG – Public, Educational and Government funds.  We have had this PEG fund for over 30 years.  Money paid into the PEG fund comes from a fee paid by cable companies for public access. This fee runs between $1,000-$3,000 per year.  The current balance in this fund is approximately $275,000.   Council unanimously accepted the quote from San Antonio Sound and Light for $81,634 for the upgrading of council chambers.

The next City Council meeting is on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 and will start at 6:00 pm, due to an executive session.

                                     SEVERAL REMINDERS

March 8, 2026 – Daylight Savings begins!  Remember to move your clocks forward one hour at 2 am on  Sunday.

March 9 – 16, 2026 – NISD Spring Break.  Relax & Enjoy!

March 28, 2026 – City Wide Garage Sale. If you’d like to host a garage sale at your home on this day, please contact Saundra Passailague, City Secretary, at (210) 684-1391, Ext. 216 or s.pass@leonvalleytexas.gov.  Permit fees are waived for this city wide garage sale.

 Hope to see you at Earthwise Living on Saturday. Have a great weekend!

Sincerely, Chris

(210) 618-2092 (cell)

mayorriley@leonvalleytexas.gov