A Message From Mayor Chris Riley

LETTER TO LEON VALLEY CITIZENS

From Mayor Chris Riley

December 20, 2024

MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANUKKAH, HAPPY KWANZAA

and

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

          On behalf of myself and the City Council, we extend our warm wishes for a happy holiday season.  We are grateful for our citizens, businesses and staff who support the city in so many ways.  Thank you!

We continue to give back to our community to those in need:

Saturday, December 21^st from 10 am to 2 pm, Leon Valley’s Blue Santa, at the police department will be giving out over 150 gifts to Leon Valley children whose Christmas will be made brighter! A special thank you to the many dedicated staff who put in many hours to make this event possible, as well as everyone who donated gifts, money and purchased a Blue Santa cup.

Monday, December 23^rd from 9 am to 2 pm – Blood Drive at Leon Valley City Hall through South Texas Blood & Tissue.  Any donor who gives blood will have a chance to draw an H-E-B gift card valued between $10-$150.  Additionally, every donor receives a coupon (1) for a free Café Ole from HEB. Thank you for saving lives with your donation!

Tuesday, December 23 through 26^th – the Leon Valley Library will be CLOSED. On December 27^th and December 28^th the library will be open their regular hours (9-6 pm and 11am to 3 pm).  On Tuesday, December 31^st the library hours will be 9 am to 4 pm.  The library is especially important for those in our community who need WIFI/computers to meet their personal needs.

      Just a reminder, all other city hall offices will be CLOSED from December 24 through January 1^st, reopening on January 2^nd, with the exception of our dedicated police, fire and EMS, who will continue to work 24/7 to keep us safe. The January 7^th regularly scheduled city council meeting is cancelled due to the holidays. Happy New Year!

CITY COUNCIL MEETING –December 17, 2024

      The following are highlights of council actions from the December 17^th    council meeting:

PRESENTATION

Presentation by District 125 State Representative Ray Lopez’s Chief of Staff, Donovon Rodriguez on the upcoming 89^th Legislative Session: Representative Lopez is beginning his 4^th term, joining 32 new house members convening on January 14, 2025. Donovon Rodriguez presented their offices’ 4 top legislative priorities out of 19 bills filed for the upcoming session:

1. House Bill (HB) 225 – filing of a state-wide Pre-K early childhood education initiative through grants, overseen by the Texas Education Agency;
2. HB1842 – TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) will notify the legislator in the area of any private business who is in violation of any environmental concern (like a spillover) and what corrective action needs to take place. This provides better accountability from the private sector;
3. HB 535 will require that we give 3 feet of passageway to a cyclist on a roadway – this would be a statewide requirement.  Right now, it is a courtesy;
4. HB 1300 – to provide data on how many veterans have died by suicide.  It is not being published.  It directs state health and human services to give to the Texas Veterans Commission.  When this information is made available, the hope is the state can allocate resources to help reduce the number of suicides among veterans.

Representative Lopez’s District represents all of Leon Valley, except a

portion of homes to the east of Evers Road, represented by State Representative Trey Martinez Fischer.  Rep. Lopez’s office is located in Leon Valley at 5309 Wurzbach Road. Phone number (210) 684-5419.  To stay in touch with the bills Rep. Lopez has filed and other bills of interest, go to: www.capitol.texas.gov.

REGULAR AGENDA

Discussion on Amending an Ordinance for Bulk Water Permit, including increasing water permit deposit fee and to add the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) Fee – Bulk water meters are used by construction companies for site work and building construction.  They provide much more water at a lower price than regular meters. The proposed revision by staff:  Keep the permit fee ($65) and water fee ($3.70 per 1,000 gallons), but increase the deposit from $1,000 to $2,500 and add the EAA fee of $.62 cents per 1,000 gallons. During the discussion, it was noted that SAWS has a water sales fee and a water supply fee, plus a daily meter availability fee for bulk water permits.  Staff will research and compare our rates with SAWS, make any additional recommendations, and bring back for discussion and a final vote at the January 21^st council meeting.

Council Approved a Tree Variance at 7408 Linkwood to remove 14 trees and plant (27) 3 inch caliper trees. The calculation for fee in lieu of remaining caliper is $4,400.  The applicant was also granted an additional reduction of $2,900 for a payment into the tree mitigation fund of $1,500.

Council Discussion on Finalizing the 15^th Annual Town Hall Meeting Agenda for January 25, 2025, 8:30 a.m. -  At the December 3^rd meeting, council finalized the town hall meeting agenda.  The city manager requested this item be placed back on the agenda since a Councilman’s request to discuss holding an election to remove the 20% tax exemption and 65 and over property tax freeze was erroneously left off.  Council agreed to add this topic at the end of the agenda to the existing approved agenda items:
1) Water and Sewer Infrastructure Rates; 2) Prioritizing the City’s Priorities and Future Needs (excluding water and sewer) and suggestions for how to pay for these needs; 3) Develop Goals and Objectives based on the City’s Mission and Vision Statements; and 4) Leon Valley Housing Development Updates.  The meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. and will conclude with Citizens to Be Heard.  Please bring your cell phones so you can participate in survey questions via Mentimeter. We usually finish around 12:30 p.m. Refreshments and coffee will be served.  Please mark your calendar. Every household in our city will receive a postcard inviting them to this annual event in January, 2025. Hope to see you there!

       Our next city council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 21, 2025  at 6:30 pm. If there is an executive session, that portion of the meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m.

    See you next year! The Council and I are here to serve you.  Don’t hesitate to call or email.  Take care and stay safe and healthy!

Sincerely, Chris

mayorriley@leonvalleytexas.gov

(210) 618-2092