A lot has changed since the city’s Neighborhood Commission was created in 2010, but the commission and its list of duties has largely remained the same. The San Marcos City Council and the Neighborhood Commission are both considering changes to its composition to better reflect the city’s growth and changing population, and the commission’s charge is likely to undergo a revision to clarify the body’s role.
At its meeting Tuesday night, the city council held a discussion about the Neighborhood Commission and ways to update its composition and its charge. Currently, the commission consists of seven members who are residents of Sectors 1,2, 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9; two members from Sector 5; two members — one of whom is an alternate voting member — from Sector 6; one member representing Texas State University’s Department of Student Affairs; and one alternate voting member representing the university’s Association of Student Government. The commission’s duties include advising the council, city manager and other boards and commissions on “issues of importance to the overall quality of neighborhoods,” fostering better relations between the university and the city, and advising on code enforcement activities and on maintaining and enhancing the visual attractiveness of the city.
“One thing that I think we might want to consider is that right now, representatives come from sectors,” Mayor Jane Hughson pointed out. “... Sectors are not being used anymore by anybody other than the neighborhood commission. Therefore, as we add Trace and La Cima and all these different places, I don’t know if the sectors are necessarily equal in population anymore.”
