City council set to review, discuss youth program standards

The San Marcos City Council will hold a public hearing on adopting Youth Programs Standards of Care for 2022 during Tuesday’s regular meeting. 

Standards of Care include basic child care regulations such as minimum facility, health and safety standards and staff ratios and qualifications. 

These regulations are required by the Texas Human Resources Code and will serve as  standard for day camp activities operated by the San Marcos Parks and Recreation Department. 

The councilmembers will also consider approving the extension of the current Meet and Confer Agreement between the San Marcos Professional Firefighters Association and the City of San Marcos for one year. 

The agenda item also calls to provide a 2% base pay salary increase for firefighters beginning Oct. 1, 2022. 

Council is also set to discuss and approve the updated Arts Master Plan. Previously, the Arts Commission approved of a resolution to update the master plan during its meeting in December 2021. Council also received a presentation regarding the plan during their Feb. 15 work session. 

Recommendations as part of the plan include centralizing San Marcos arts and cultural resources and revising the city’s Art in Public Places Policy. 

Council will also receive a presentation on the approval of amendments to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (“LIHTC”) Policy section of the Affordable/Workforce Housing Policy.

The amendments within the policy include clarifying the process for consideration, adjusting the unit mix for tax-exempt projects and providing additional considerations for review of LIHTC projects. 

The Workforce Housing City Council Committee recommended approval of the updated policy at their Sept. 29, 2021 meeting.

The councilmembers will consider adopting a revised template for the standard bylaws for city boards and commissions. In relation to the previous item, council will also consider annual appointments to various boards and commissions. 

While councilmembers last appointed individuals to boards and commissions on Feb. 1, there were still positions with no applicants or no qualifying applicants for specific roles. 

The council will seek to appoint applicants to;  the Citizen Utility Advisory Board, the Convention and Visitors Bureau Board, the Economic Development San Marcos Board, the Human Services Advisory Board, the Neighborhood Commission, the San Marcos Industrial Development Corporation and the Zoning Board of Adjustment. 

During the meeting, council plans to hold a discussion about the use of Robert’s Rules of Order during council meetings. Robert’s Rules of Order serves as a guide when conducting meetings. 

Council will take time to focus on meeting etiquette and rules as they plan to hold a discussion about current city council rules of decorum and have a discussion regarding all Council Members being at the dais during meetings. 

Those looking to participate in the meeting can send comments via email to citizencomment@sanmarcostx.gov prior to 12 p.m. on Tuesday.

Residents looking to watch Tuesday’s regular meeting can do so online beginning at 6 p.m. at http://sanmarcostx.gov/421/City-Council-Videos-Archives or on Grande channel 16 or Spectrum channel 10.