The City of San Antonio is updating it's Master Plan for the North Sector of San Antonio. The North Sector encompasses all the area from south to north between 410 and the Bexar County boundary and from east to west from IH35 to Culebra/471. The North Sector Plan is the long-range guide to the preferred growth, conservation, and redevelopment of this area in a comprehensive manner.
If you would like to review the plan and make comments and suggestions on it there are two Public Meetings scheduled for this purpose. The first is meeting is Tuesday, June 15, from 6 - 8 pm at Semmes Library (15060 Judson Rd.) and the second is scheduled for Saturday, June 26, from 10 am - 1 pm at Igo Library (13330 Kyle Seale Pkwy.)
See you there.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Where do Your Property Taxes Go? City of San Antonio
There's a lot going on at the City of San Antonio so I'm going to break it down into smaller pieces.
Just a reminder, everything printed in bold, orange lettering is a link, just click on it.
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 $1,074.42 of your property taxes goes to the City of San Antonio.
The City of San Antonio receives revenues from several sources: Property taxes (25%), Charges and fees (20%), Revenues from Utilities (17%), Grants (usually federal) (15%), Sales Tax (14%), Hotel/Motel Tax (4%), Other Taxes (Short Term Rental Tax, Bingo Tax, etc) (2%), Fines (Library Fines, Traffic Tickets) (1%), Miscellaneous (1%), Intergovernment (0.6%), Permits/Licenses (0.4%)
The 2010 Budget for the City divides general fund expenditures in the following ways: Police (36%), Fire/EMS (26%), other services (Aviation, Community Initiatives, Historic Preservation, Solid Waste Management, Military Affairs, etc) (11%), Convention, Tourism and Culture (9%), Streets and Infrastructure (7%), Environmental (5%), Parks & Recreation (6%), Agencies (4%), Library (3%), Health (1%), Municipal Courts (1%), Neighborhood Services (1%), Economic Development (0.5%), Animal Care (0.5%), . I will take you through each of these items in separate posts. If you feel that you have a better way to spend the money you can post your suggestions on the online Budget suggestion box for the 2011 budget.
The largest slice of the City's budget goes to Public Safety, the Fire Department and EMS, the Office of Emergency Management and the Police Department. These departments have large staffs, many stations and building facilities and large fleets of police cars, fire trucks and ambulances. When the first governments were formed way back in the caveman days, it was the responsibility of the headman to protect his community and that is still the primary responsibility of governments today.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
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.
$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.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Where do Your Property Taxes Go? University Health System
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 North Side ISD)
About 39% of the University Health System budget comes from property taxes. Other sources of revenue are Patient Payments (45%), Disproportionate Share Hospital program (paid by the state to cover costs not covered by Medicaid and for indigent patients) (12%), other revenue, such as Donations to the UHS foundation (3.9%) and money from the Tobacco Settlement (.1 %)
The System uses your $505.66 to offer the full range of medical services to anyone needing their services, including: trauma care (the only other trauma facility is BAMC), health education, and CARELINK (a financial assistance program for people who do not qualify for Chip or Medicaid).
The State of Texas ranks the lowest in per capita state health spending, so we tax payers really aren't paying that much for indigent patients. Also the vast majority of public employees in Texas are either teachers or hospital workers.
$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)
About 39% of the University Health System budget comes from property taxes. Other sources of revenue are Patient Payments (45%), Disproportionate Share Hospital program (paid by the state to cover costs not covered by Medicaid and for indigent patients) (12%), other revenue, such as Donations to the UHS foundation (3.9%) and money from the Tobacco Settlement (.1 %)
The System uses your $505.66 to offer the full range of medical services to anyone needing their services, including: trauma care (the only other trauma facility is BAMC), health education, and CARELINK (a financial assistance program for people who do not qualify for Chip or Medicaid).
The State of Texas ranks the lowest in per capita state health spending, so we tax payers really aren't paying that much for indigent patients. Also the vast majority of public employees in Texas are either teachers or hospital workers.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
The Move Toward Zero Waste
The City of San Antonio hopes to eventually recycle 90 percent of it's waste. It takes a lot of time and education to reach this goal so the city is doing it in smaller bites. The first goal is to recycle 40% of our waste by 2020. SA reached an 18% recycling rate this year (up from 5% in 2006) after automated recycling was established in all the residential neighborhoods. The next step is to require multi-family and commercial properties to recycle as well.
Check out the Solid Waste Management website to see which items can be recycled at curbside.
Check out the Solid Waste Management website to see which items can be recycled at curbside.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Where Do Your Property Taxes Go? Alamo Community College District
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 North Side ISD)
The $258.03 that goes to the Alamo Community College District is used to help support the Community Colleges in San Antonio: Northeast Lakeview College, Northwest Vista College, San Antonio College, St. Phillips College and Palo Alto College. The Alamo Community College District is a special government with taxing authority and the ability to issue bonds. The bond issues are used to borrow money and are approved by the voters before they can be issued. The district also has an elected board, and right now there is a heavilly contested race in District 7 between Blakely Latham Fernandez and David A. Whitley.
Your $258.03 helps to pay for college operations and to pay off bond issue debt. Operating expenses include, instruction, public service, academic support, student services, institutional services, operation and maintenance of plant, and scholarships and fellowships. Now this is only a drop in the bucket to cover the college's expenses so the rest is covered by state allocations (sales tax revenue), tuition and fees paid by the students, federal (income tax revenue) and state grants and contracts and investments in that order with the majority of funds coming from the state, tuition and the federal government.
$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)
The $258.03 that goes to the Alamo Community College District is used to help support the Community Colleges in San Antonio: Northeast Lakeview College, Northwest Vista College, San Antonio College, St. Phillips College and Palo Alto College. The Alamo Community College District is a special government with taxing authority and the ability to issue bonds. The bond issues are used to borrow money and are approved by the voters before they can be issued. The district also has an elected board, and right now there is a heavilly contested race in District 7 between Blakely Latham Fernandez and David A. Whitley.
Your $258.03 helps to pay for college operations and to pay off bond issue debt. Operating expenses include, instruction, public service, academic support, student services, institutional services, operation and maintenance of plant, and scholarships and fellowships. Now this is only a drop in the bucket to cover the college's expenses so the rest is covered by state allocations (sales tax revenue), tuition and fees paid by the students, federal (income tax revenue) and state grants and contracts and investments in that order with the majority of funds coming from the state, tuition and the federal government.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Where do Your Property Taxes Go? San Antonio River Authority
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 North Side ISD)
The San Antonio River Authority or SARA gets $30.30 of your tax bill. So what is SARA?
SARA is a regional government entity that includes Bexar, Goliad and Karnes counties. It has a publicly elected board of directors. It's responsible for:
Now luckily the property tax isn't the only place SARA gets money. They also recieve some money from the federal government (income taxes), fund balances (from investments) and grants and donations.
The money from property taxes is used directly for flood control and water quality protection. SARA gets $0.02 for every $100 that your house is valued at. Now as I said before, Bexar County and the city of San Antonio also have some flood control responsibilities. So the next time you have flooding on your property report it to all three of these entities.
So now when you see a SARA board member on your voting ballot, you'll know what that person does.
$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)
The San Antonio River Authority or SARA gets $30.30 of your tax bill. So what is SARA?
SARA is a regional government entity that includes Bexar, Goliad and Karnes counties. It has a publicly elected board of directors. It's responsible for:
- Water Resources
- Water Quality
- Flood Control
- Parks
- Utilities (Water and Wastewater)
- Economic Development
Now luckily the property tax isn't the only place SARA gets money. They also recieve some money from the federal government (income taxes), fund balances (from investments) and grants and donations.
The money from property taxes is used directly for flood control and water quality protection. SARA gets $0.02 for every $100 that your house is valued at. Now as I said before, Bexar County and the city of San Antonio also have some flood control responsibilities. So the next time you have flooding on your property report it to all three of these entities.
So now when you see a SARA board member on your voting ballot, you'll know what that person does.
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