Bexar County borders

Here's a fun fact from the San Antonio Remembers blog

January 5 in San Antonio history...

1837

Bexar County is created by order of the Republic of Texas Congress. It was originally much, much larger. By 1850, it went all the way to the panhandle! 128 Texas counties have been created from Bexar County.

City County Merger? Would it Make Sense?

Lyle Larson, State Representative Elect, R-San Antonio, is proposing a consolidation of city and county government functions.  This is not a new idea, The late State Senator Frank Madla was a proponent of consolidation, but always faced huge opposition. 

So why consolidate?

According to the Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington

The proponents of consolidation argue that fewer and larger local governments will be more efficient and effective than many small governments.  Costs can be held down and perhaps reduced through the elimination of duplicative services, personnel, and equipment. Larger governments may also be able to take advantage of “economies of scale” or lower per-unit costs for government services. Further, a single unified government will be better able to coordinate policies and decisions for activities, such as regional planning and economic development, than several independent governments.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Policy Research Institute did a study that looked at consolidations in seven metro areas in order to determine if consolidation would work for Milwaukee.

Each consolidation is different.

• In Nashville-Davidson County, Tennessee, the governments are completely merged, except for a few smaller municipalities within the county that remained separate.  However there are two taxing districts, one for the urban areas and one for the less populated areas and services are divided accordingly.  
• The Jacksonville-Duval County, Florida governments are partially merged with several independent authorities and boards, such as the Electric Authority and the Public Beaches Hospital Board.  
• Indianapolis-Marion County, Indiana, has multiple tiers and layers, with some services consolidated and some run independently by the county or the city. 
• Lexington-Fayette County, Kentucky has a true consolidation of all city and county services, and all services are provided for all citizens across the county.  
• In Louisville-Jefferson County, Kentucky, the Board of Aldermen and the County Fiscal Court were replaced by a Mayor-Council form of government, but 85 incorporated cities (22% of the county population) within the county remain independent.  Also some county officials still maintain their offices, such as the sheriff and the county attorney.  
• Miami-Dade County, Florida is not a formal consolidation, but more of a federation, although the governments are independent of each other, they are closely linked.  The merger links activities such as transportation, airport facilities, and sewer and water facilities while leaving policing and fire protection up to individual municipalities.  
• Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina, which is more similar to San Antonio in that it was not in crisis, like several of the other cities that consolidated, and the idea had been batted around for several years before it was implemented.  The city and county governments still exist but they are highly linked in service functions, with like services merged, such as Public Works. 

But does Consolidation truly promote efficiency?? According to Chris Pineda of the Government Innovators Network at the Harvard Kennedy School

In theory, consolidation should produce economies of scale which allows cost savings to be achieved – average costs are reduced when spread out over a wider set of users. The reality is that this may not always occur—but why? Why do city-county consolidations not always produce cost savings and, in some case, actually lead to higher costs? To help local and state officials grappling with this issue, we have summarized recent literature on the causes of diseconomies of scale in city-county consolidations and listed useful online resources.

What Causes Diseconomies of Scale in a City-County Consolidation?

• Labor intensive services. Consolidated city services that are labor intensive and require replication from one neighborhood to the next cannot always achieve economies of scale and may in fact result in diseconomies of scale. Labor intensive services can include: police, general fire protection, public works, and parks and recreation services. [based on studies by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington]

• Bureaucracy growth. According to some economists, diseconomies of scale in consolidated local governments occur because bureaucrats and politicians become removed from day-to-day contact with residents. When these officials are “out-of-touch” with citizen concerns, there may be no incentive to cut costs, or to stop increased spending. [based on a study by the Cato Institute]

• Merging personnel-related costs. In city-county consolidations, personnel-related costs may actually rise as two pre-existing personnel systems and benefits packages merge. One explanation is that the wages and benefits of employees are equalized to the highest level of comparable employees. Similarly, existing employees may have job security as part of the merge agreement. [based on a study of Athens-Clarke County by Campbell and Selden, University of Georgia]

• Merging service quality costs. When pre-existing delivery systems are merged in a city-county consolidation, an “averaging up” effect may occur with service levels and standards for equipment and facilities. These increased service quality costs then become ongoing expenditures. [Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington]                                                                                                              

• One-time transition costs. Consolidating city services may require one-time operating and capital expenses that can quickly add up. One-time transition costs can include: merging and upgrading computer systems and consulting fees to resolve conflicting rules and regulations. [Campbell and Selden, University of Georgia]

But it would still be nice to make our local governments more efficient, so here are some alternatives, proposed by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, study that could work for San Antonio.

• Increased Citizen Responsibility for Themselves and Others
• Functional Consolidation Among Governments
• Efficiency Gains Within City and County Government
• Regional Government
• Regional Cooperation On Selected Services

Increased Citizen Responsibility, basically means we act in a volunteer capacity to improve our neighborhoods, for example, through neighborhood watches and/or organizations.  Functional Consolidations could include mergers of police and sheriff departments, public works and procurement (to name a few).  Efficiency gains would include internal audits of government agencies to find ways to lower costs.  A regional government, that say included all the counties that contain the Edwards Aquifer and recharge zone, could more easily implement environmental and water policies.  Regional cooperation however may be more palitable, leaving local authority for local issues, while addressing regional issues in a more coordinated manor.  We could even implement more than one of these recommendations, such as more citizen involvement, greater efficiency within government, some functional mergers and regional cooperation. 

I'm all for efficiency in government, but before we rush off into something, we need to take a closer look.

Bexar County Gov 2.0

Bexar County has joined the 21st Century by launching the YourGOV application on it website. Similar to the City of San Antonio 311 reporting page, the YourGov site allows citizens of the county to report nonemergency  issues.

YourGOV can be used via the Web or your mobile phone.  By using YourGOV, the Citizen will be able to submit an issue and track its progress from submittal to completion via the Web. Issues are brought directly into the County’s Work Management solution where they can be forwarded on to the responsible department. By entering in an address or selecting a location on the map, the Citizen will be able to view where in Bexar County their issue is located. In addition, the Citizen will be able to view issues that have been submitted by other Citizens and track their status.

All you have to do is download the Microsoft Silverlight plug-in to your computer (available free at the YourGOV site) or the YourGov Iphone App to your smartphone.  To track your request, submit your email address and a password.  So if you see something that the county needs to address, such as graffitti, pot holes, missing or damaged signs, animal removal, dumping, etc, try out this new service today!

C'mon People, Get Out and Vote!

Voter turnout for local races in Bexar County is always dismally low.  That's why I like to vote in those elections because my vote really counts.

This November the elections are statewide, with the Governor's race, several state official spots and some congressional seats up for grabs.  This is an important election, but county election officials are predicting only 30 percent of registered voters will show up, and that's with 27,000 fewer registered voters than in 2006.

So what's holding YOU back?

Do you need to register, or find out if you are registered?   Then check here.
You have until October 6, 2010 to register.

Want to know who represents you now and what districts you're in?  Click here for statewide offices and here for.  For Bexar County and City of San Antonio click here.

Are you not sure who's running?  Then check here.

Do you need more information about the candidates?  Then check here.
Also, check out Texas Public Radio 89.1 FM about a week before the election (November 2, 2010) for interviews with the candidates.

Not sure when voting starts?  Check here.

Are you living abroad, but still want to vote?  Check here.
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Not sure which precinct you're in?  Check here.

Do you want to vote early?  Here are the locations and dates.

Don't know where you're supposed to go vote on election day?  Click here.

So now you have NO EXCUSES!!!

Responsible Government

It's nice to know that in the middle of a recession, with many cities on the brink of bankruptcy, that the city of San Antonio and Bexar County are in such great financial shape.  San Antonio recently received the best rating for bond issues and now Bexar County has just received a AAA bond rating for the $155 million in bonds it's getting ready to sell.  Top bond ratings mean much lower interest rates for repayment, which lowers government costs considerably when dealing with millions of dollars in debt service.

According to the San Antonio Business Journal the county is planning on using the bonds to finance

public safety, park, parking and street improvements. In addition, the county is planning to issue up to $680 million in certificates of obligation over a 10-year period for drainage improvements planned in conjunction with the City of San Antonio, the San Antonio River Authority and other regional partners.

I also just discovered that the city recently approved a Green Events Certification Ordinance that requires medium and large scale events (1000+ participants) or events that have city contracts, like right of way privileges such as parades, or that take place on city property (La Villita, the convention center, the River Walk, etc) to complete a  Green Events Checklist.  The checklist would include provisions made for recycling at the event for workers and participants, the use of recycleble untensils, containers and plates at food booths, and using the VIA park and ride system for large events.  They haven't started talking about carbon foot prints and carbon trading yet, but some forward thinking events, like Earth Day will probably start doing that on their own.

Where do Your Property Taxes Go? Bexar County

A recap of the 2010 property tax bill of $5,029.23 for a $189,930 house.

$58.27 goes to Bexar County Road Maintenance and Flood Control
$30.30 goes to San Antonio River Authority
$258.03 goes to Alamo Community College District (NW Vista, SAC, St. Phillips, etc)
$505.66 goes to the University Health System (University Hospital)
$552.65 goes to Bexar County
$1,074.42 goes to the City of San Antonio
$2,540.31 goes to the School District you are in (In this case Northside ISD)

So $552.66 of your property taxes goes to Bexar County.  The property tax represents 52% of the county's revenue.  Other revenue sources are Grants and Contributions (25%), Charges for Service (14%), Motor Vehicle taxes (3%), Other taxes (a portion the sales tax, hotel & motel tax, bingo tax and short term rental taxes) (3%), Investment income (1%) and Miscellaneous income (2%).

Bexar County spends its revenue in the following ways:  Public Safety (36%), Judicial (16%), General Government (15%), Public Works(15%), Health and Public Welfare (6%), Community Venue (5%), Debt (4%),  Education and Recreation (2%), Commissary (1%).

Bexar County is the only government for people who live outside of cities but within the county.  It also provides services to anyone living within the county.  The county provides similar services to county residents that cities provide, but they cover a much wider territory with a lot less money.  Debt being paid by the county refers to bond issue debt and the commissary is in the Sheriff's office.

The county provides public safety through the Sheriff's office, the Bexar County Constables office and the Bexar County Jail.  The County also has a medical examiner and a forensics toxicology lab. It also provides fire and emergency services in the county.  The county is also responsible for a number of different types of courts, Justice of the Peace Courts, the County Court, District Courts and some Appellate Courts.  If you ever find yourself in Probate Court constesting a will, it will be a county court.

General government activities for Bexar County include, issuing marriage licenses, voter's registration, the appraissal district, the Metropolitan Planning Organization, and issuing land deeds.

As I mentioned before, the county pays a portion of all public works projects (road and flood) throughout the county.  They are also responsible for bridges and storm water quality in the county.


The county's involvement in health and public welfare includes a $6 million donation to Haven for Hope, participation in the University Health System, and the Center for Health Care Services which helps people with mental and developmental disabilities and substance abuse challenges.

Community venues in the county include the River Walk, youth and amateur sports facilities, Freeman Colleseum and AT&T Sports Arena, and Cultural Arts centers like the Museo Alameda.  These venues are mostly covered by Hotel and Motel Taxes and Short Term Rental Taxes.

The Metropolitan Planning Organization educates neighborhoods on how to use their infrastructure to encourage walking and biking to area restaurants, schools, businesses and parks. It also offers bicycle safety classes and sets up Bike Rodeos.

Where do Your Property Taxes Go?

Let's say that your house is valued at $189,930 which is pretty close to the average home price in San Antonio. Your total property tax bill for 2010 without any exemptions would be $5,029.23. So where does this money go?

Well, according to the Bexar Appraisal District this is the breakdown:

$58.27 goes to Bexar County Road Maintenance and Flood Control
$30.30 goes to San Antonio River Authority
$258.03 goes to Alamo Community College District (NW Vista, SAC, St. Phillips, etc)
$505.66 goes to the University Health System (University Hospital)
$552.65 goes to Bexar County
$1,074.42 goes to the City of San Antonio
$2,540.31 goes to the School District you are in (In this case North Side ISD)

This tax bill would vary depending on which school district you lived in because each school district has it's own taxing rate.

The first category, Bexar County Road and Flood Maintenance is pretty self explanatory. Bexar County pays a portion of every road and flood project done in the City of San Antonio, and every other town within the county. The city of San Antonio also pays a portion of road and flood maintenance, and the San Antonio River Authority pays a portion of the flood maintenance, which I will talk about in a future post. But if you live outside the city limits, the only money going for road maintenance would be $58.27 from your taxes. You would pay less taxes but it will probably take a lot longer to have any work done on problem areas near your home.

In my following posts I will give a break down of how each of these taxing districts uses your money.