Council to decide on Rec Hall renaming

The San Marcos City Council will consider approving the renaming of the City Recreation Hall to the Pauline Espinosa Community Hall during its Tuesday evening meeting. 

Previously, the council agreed to move forward with the renaming process with Mayor Jane Hughson asking for clarification of the facility name to assist in any further confusion that the community may have in the future. 

During the meeting, the council will have a discussion regarding a legislative trip to Washington D.C.

According to the regular meeting work packet, the trip is related to the city’s participation in the  Intergovernmental Relations Program that would call for elected officials and key members of City staff to participate in a fly-in to Washington, D.C. 

The purpose of the trip would include those representing San Marcos to visit with members of the delegation and advocate for the city’s priorities before Congress and federal agencies. 

There will also be discussion related to the Ethics Commission’s recommendation to amend the San Marcos City Code to define the term “fair market value” to report the value of the real property on financial disclosure statements filed by the city officials and council appointees. 

Discussion will also take place regarding future flooding mitigation and watershed protection from the Blanco and San Marcos rivers. 

Council plans to also talk about the Disaster Declaration, including but not limited to the eviction delay ordinance. 

An emergency disaster declaration was first issued by Mayor Hughson on March 15, 2020, in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, the declaration was approved and extended by the council on March 17, 2020. 

In April of 2020, council adopted an ordinance that requires landlords to provide tenants with a 90-day notice to cure before filing for eviction if the tenant’s inability to pay rent is related to the impacts of COVID-19. 

The discussion during Tuesday’s meeting will revolve around reevaluating the need for continuing the declaration and to discuss the impact of rescinding it on the eviction delay ordinance.

Councilmembers are also set to hold a discussion regarding ways to help lower-income populations find affordable housing by increasing the number of unrelated people per household.

Following that, the council will consider the Historic Preservation Commission’s recommendation to support alternative designation options, such as Neighborhood Conservation Districts and Cultural Heritage Districts as recommended in My Historic SMTX. 

In executive session, councilmembers will receive a briefing on the lawsuit related to the Biden Bus incident which first occurred in October of 2020, the United States District Court; Western District of Texas; Eric Cervini, Wendy Davis, David Gins, and Timothy Holloway v. Chase Stapp, Brandon Winkenwerder, Matthew Daenzer, and City of San Marcos. 

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.

To view the full meeting and agenda, visit http://san-marcos-tx.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=9