A Message From Mayor Chris Riley

LETTER TO LEON VALLEY CITIZENS 

From Mayor Chris Riley  

May 22, 2026 

MEMORIAL DAY – May 25, 2026

       Memorial Day is a federal holiday honoring the U.S. military personnel who died in the service of their country.  From 1868 to 1970, it was observed on May 30^th.  Since 1971, it has been an official federal holiday observed on the last Monday in May. Unofficially, it marks the beginning of the summer season. 

                                 FOREST OAKS COMMUNITY POOL OPENS

                                                  6620 Evers Rd.

      The Forest Oaks Pool will open Memorial Day weekend, Saturday, May 23^rd through August 9^th  for the 2026 season. The pool will be closed on Wednesdays for maintenance and cleaning.  Hours: 10 am to 8 pm (10 am to noon dedicated to senior swim, lap swimmers and water aerobics).  The pool will then re-open on weekends only, August 15^th through September 27^th, with the same hours. There is a daily gate fee of $5.00.  Season passes are available for adult/child residents ($40/$30) and adult/child non-residents ($100/$60), as well as an affordability rate, if a family qualifies. Passes can be purchased online, at the gate of the pool or at the Kiosk at city hall. For more information on pool hours and rates, please visit our website: https://www.leonvalleytexas.gov/parksrec/page/leon-valley-pools. The pool is available to book for pool parties.  Contact San Antonio Pool Management for more information on pool parties. They also manage the pool for the season (www.sanantonio-pmg.com). If you have any issues with reservations, please contact Public Works at (210) 681-1232.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING –May 19^th,  2026 

The following are highlights of council actions from the May 19^th council meeting which began at 6:31 p.m. and adjourned at 9:44 p.m. 

                                         PRESENTATIONS 

The Honorable County Judge Peter Sakai swore in Chris Riley as Mayor, and Betty Heyl, Place 2 and Rey Orozco, Place 4, who were re-elected for a two-year term, as a result of the May 2, 2026 municipal election.  Judge Sakai recognized our city for partnering with the County on various infrastructure projects, as well as the pilot program with Haven for Hope to address the homeless issue in Leon Valley.

Mayor Chris Riley and the Leon Valley City Council presented Judge Peter Sakai a Proclamation honoring him for his distinguished service.

Discussion on establishing the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee (CPAC) to assist in updating the City’s Comprehensive Master Plan– Council discussed the Mayor appointing three members and each Councilor appointing two members each to establish a diverse advisory committee representing varied neighborhoods in the city.  The CPAC’s  work includes creating a vision of the community’s’ wants and desires; preparing a plan to achieve the vision; formulating strategies to make the plan happen; and monitoring the implementation phase to evaluate results. This committee will be appointed at the June 2^nd council meeting.  They will meet 4-5 times and will be integral in developing the vision and substance of this document. 

Discussion and Action on Costs for SAWS Recycled Water Irrigation for Huebner Creek Hike and Bike Trail – The area under consideration is a .9 mile trail from Shadow Mist entrance to Bandera Road, along the Huebner Creek Greenway Hike and Bike Trail.  Currently there is a drip irrigation system provided for watering 250 trees using Leon Valley potable water. SAWS confirmed there were multiple locations to connect with recycled water along the trail. Using recycled water costs ½ of potable water. The estimated cost for engineering/design and construction is $366,691. There is $107,000 in the trial irrigation budget, leaving a balance needed of $259,691.  Council had questions about current costs of potable water, where other monies could be found, including grants and using the tree mitigation fund.  Council requested staff to do further research in order to make a better evaluation. Some Councilors opined that this was a lot of money and wanted to determine how this expense fit into the overall budget priorities.  This item will be brought back to Council at a later date with updated information for possible action.

                                      REGULAR AGENDA 

Presentation and Discussion on an Ordinance to Amend Zoning from a Planned Development District with B-3 Multiple Family Dwelling Base Zoning and a Planned Development District with R-6 Garden House Base Zoning at 6612 and 6618 Sawyer Road –Mr. Chehade, developer of Seneca West and Trilogy, was approved by the city council in April, 2025 to build 166 condominium units on 6.8 acres of land on Sawyer Road. He is requesting an amendment to add another option to develop 76 garden homes with 6 variances reducing lot size and two variances for private street minimum right of way reduced from 50 ft. to 32 ft., and pavement width reduced from 30 feet to 26 feet. Staff and Council had many concerns following his presentation on May 5^th .  At this meeting, Mr. Chehade brought back a third plan for council’s consideration, but staff did not have time to fully review. Council consulted with the city attorney on legal questions in executive session. Council unanimously voted to table this agenda item until the June 2^nd council meeting.

Presentation, Discussion and Action on a Request for a Variance to the Leon Valley Tree Ordinance – At the April 24^th meeting, the Council tabled this agenda item to encourage the developer to revise his development plan on Wurzbach Road (building a mosque) to save more heritage trees. The developer re-filed a revised tree preservation plan whereby he moved the buildings and was able to save 5 of 6 heritage trees from removal.  Due to this significant change, there were no tree mitigation fees due.  Council appreciated the developer’s willingness to work within our tree ordinance and unanimously approved his request.

City-Wide Garage Sales – Council considered amending the ordinance to add an additional free garage sale per year for a total of two (one in spring and one in fall).  Council added a $5.00 permit fee for each additional garage sale permit up to four per year. There is no permit fee when participating in the city-wide garage sale.  This ordinance will take effect on October 1, 2026. This item will be placed on the Consent Agenda at the June 2^nd meeting as per Council consensus.

Election of Mayor Pro Tem – Councilor Beth Mursch volunteered to be Mayor Pro Tem for the upcoming year (May 2026 – May 2027). Council agreed.

       JUST A REMINDER…. 

June 1, 2026 – is the DEADLINE to submit the Budget Survey on-line as to what your priorities for funding are in the upcoming FY 26-27 Budget cycle. The survey is ONLINE  - visit ENEWS or the City’s website, www.leonvalleytexas.org to fill out the survey.  There is a maximum of 2 surveys per household. A valid home address must be included for your survey to be counted. There are paper copies available at city hall. Thank you for your participation!

June 2, 2026 – Leon Valley City Council meeting beginning at 6:30 pm, but if we have an executive session, the meeting will start at 6 pm. This will be our last meeting until July 21^st due to a summer break for council and staff to “recharge their batteries”.

June 6, 2026 – Annual City Council Board Retreat, 9 am in the Leon Valley city hall large conference room.  Citizens are invited to attend and observe; but the discussions will be limited to the council members.

Hasn’t the rain been delicious?  We need more but are so grateful for the rain we have received in the last six weeks. Overall, our rain gauge has registered over 10 inches of rain!

Please do not hesitate to call me or any of the councilors if we can assist you. Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend and please stay safe!

Sincerely, Chris  

(210) 618-2092 (cell);  

mayorriley@leonvalleytexas.gov