A Message From Mayor Chris Riley

LETTER TO LEON VALLEY CITIZENS

From Mayor Chris Riley

May 9, 2025

       ON BEHALF OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND STAFF, HAPPY MOTHERS’ DAY TO ALL OUR LEON VALLEY MOTHERS AND HAPPY GRADUATION TO ALL HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS!

CITY COUNCIL MEETING –May 6, 2025

      The following are highlights of council actions from the May 6, 2025    council meeting which began at 6:30 p.m. Mayor Pro Tem Campos was out of town, but there was a quorum present with 4 Councilors.

PRESENTATIONS

Presentation and Direction to Staff on the Repurposing of the Leon Valley Community Pool Facility - Council has previously voted to demolish the pool and concession stand and reuse pool pumps and equipment at the Forest Oaks Community Pool facility. This cost was $34,125.  Melinda Moritz, Public Works Director presented two options for repurposing this approximate 1 acre of land at the corner of Poss and Strawflower.  Option 1:  Dog Park – purchase of benches, dog waste stations and any other amenities requested by Council.  Estimated cost:  $15,000.  A local developer has donated $20,000 towards a dog park facility in Leon Valley, which would cover these initial costs.  Council heard from several people who expressed concerns about dogs being dumped at the dog park, people not picking up after their dog, and dogs not being vaccinated. Option 2:  Pickleball Courts on this site, or at Raymond Rimkus tennis courts (making it a dual use for tennis courts and pickleball courts), or at the Forest Oaks tennis court. The estimated cost for preparing a 60 X 60 court was $62,500. 

       There were some citizens who said we should do nothing to the property, but rather use the money for needed personnel and infrastructure improvements.  Council’s consensus was to discuss options at the annual retreat on May 31^st, including whether to send out a survey to the adjoining neighbors.

  ITEM REMOVED FROM CONSENT AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION BEFORE VOTING

Discussion on an Ordinance Increasing Water and Sewer Rates and Revising Tier Structures (same as SAWS) - At the April 15^th meeting, a motion was made to increase water and sewer rates for the next two years and then to revisit rates to assess the impact which the new homes’ additional revenue will add to the water/sewer fund. The vote was 3 ayes and 2 nays.

      At this May 6^th meeting, Councilor Bradshaw expressed concern about not being able to compare Leon Valley water rates with SAWS rates. He stated that SAWS has a calculator on their website and he plugged in his home’s water numbers and SAWS rates were lower than the city’s. He was opposed to raising rates for the next two years for necessary repairs to 50 year old water and sewer pipes in the Seneca West (water) and Forest Oaks subdivision (sewer).

      Staff stated again they would apply for grants from the state, which is considering legislation to allow grant money from the Texas Water Development Board to be used for maintenance items. The burden of the sewer rate increase will be shared by all Leon Valley residents, including those on SAWS water, since SAWS bills all residents for sewer costs.

       This was the second read which required a final vote.  A motion was made to approve the rate increase as presented, including re-visiting the rates in two years. The Council voted 2-2 with I as Mayor breaking the tie in support of the motion. Clean water is a health, safety and welfare issue, which we as a city council must provide to protect our citizens.

REGULAR AGENDA

Consider Approval of an Appeal from a Leon Valley Water Customer to Reduce the Amount of their February/March water bill – During spring break, the homeowner’s children had been playing outside and turned on the water. The water was allowed to run for a long period of time until two neighbors called Public Works to say their back yards were flooded. The consumption over this time period was 146,000 gallons resulting in a bill of $2,880.13.  This included a surcharge of $1,306.62. The Public Works Director recommended waving the surcharge and allow the balance of $1,573.51 be paid over 12 months, which Council unanimously approved.

Public Hearing to Consider Approval of an Ordinance to Establish the Definition of “Bail Bond Facility” as Being Allowed in the B-2 Retail Zoning District with a Specific Use Permit (SUP), and in the B-3 Commercial and I-1 Industrial Zoning Districts by Right. A bail bond facility wants to locate in a B-2 zoning district on Wurzbach road in the Sari Sari Restaurant shopping center. When asked why he wanted to locate in Leon Valley and not downtown next to the Jail facility, the owner stated the rents are very high and it is very crowded. When asked about the long hours bail bond facilities usually keep (24/7, 365 days), he said he would not be open that long, rather he would do business on the phone.  To date, the City does not have this type of business in our permitted use tables.  This agenda item is to consider allowing Bail Bonds business in a B-2 retail zoning district with a specific use permit (SUP) or B-3 Commercial and I-1 Industrial Zoning District without an SUP. A Bail Bond facility would not be allowed in O-1 or B-1 zoning districts. The Zoning Commission approved the proposed change 4-1.  The dissenter on the Zoning Commission said he was looking for a business which is located in B-2 (retail) to actually generate sales tax revenue, which this business does not. The Council will vote on the proposal at the May 20^th council meeting.

Consider Request for a Variance to the Tree Preservation Ordinance to allow removal of Three Heritage Trees and One Large Tree at 5305 Wurzbach, and Pay a Reduced Fee in Lieu of from $10,600 to $1,500 in Tree Mitigation fees located. After discussion of what the applicant’s expansion plans were, as well as what a fair and equitable fee should be, a motion was made to reduce the fee to $5,300 into the tree mitigation fund, which passed unanimously.

Consider Approval of an Amendment to the Leon Valley Parks and Recreation Ordinance, adding a Subsection (i) Special Events –

This item was to include regulation for special events at the city’s parks in an amended ordinance.  Our current code currently prohibits renting the entire park out to one organization, but staff has learned that one such group circumvented the regulation by renting it out under different names, so that the entire park was rented for the event. This causes problems with lack of security and parking issues. Staff is recommending requiring the applicant to fill out an application and an approved variance by the Park Commission and City Council. A special events fee of $500 would be charged to recover the costs of staff time.  The cost of security would be at the requestor’s expense. This item is scheduled to be formally approved at the May 6^th council meeting on the consent agenda.

Council Unanimously Approved the 2025 Revisions to the City of Leon Valley Personnel Policy Manuel - Lisa Hernandez, Human Resources Director, summarized the significant administrative changes recommended to this manual. The last revision made to the personnel policy manual was in January, 2020. Generally the changes made were intended to educate and provide guidance on most employee situations that may arise. The one change which had a fiscal impact was the extension of Bereavement Leave to regular part-time employees (3), (not to exceed 19 hours; approximately $293.50 per occurrence).

Approval of a Resolution and Order of the City Council Canvassing the Returns and Declaring the Official Results of the May 3^rd General Election for Council Places 1, 3 and 5.  623 persons voted out of a total  7,536 eligible registered voters for the May 3^rd city election for a turnout of 8%. In Place 1, Danielle Bolton garnered 374 votes to Benny Martinez (I) 227 votes; In Place 3, Philip Campos, unopposed, received 461 votes. In Place 5, Beth Mursch,  unopposed, earned 448 votes.  Thank you to those who came out to vote.  It is a right, a privilege, and an obligation we have in this democracy. Congratulations to the newly elected council members.  We thank Benny Martinez and Will Bradshaw for their 9 and 6 years respectively of skilled and devoted volunteer service to our community. 

Our next city council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 20, 2025 beginning at 6:00 pm at city hall. Bexar County’s 438^th Civil District Court Judge Rosie Alvarado will swear in the newly elected councilors, with a short reception following the oath of offices.  Please join us.

The rain we received recently has been a blessing.  We need more – the aquifer is still 37 feet below our historical average.

Please do not hesitate to contact me or any councilmember if we can assist you in any way. We are here to serve you.

Sincerely, Chris

(210) 618-2092