San Antonio, Texas
 B
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Contents |
Evaluating The Website
Last rated on Jan. 17, 2012
The good
- The names and contact information of all city council members, as well as the Mayor and his staff, are available. [1][2]*The city council meeting agendas[3], minutes[4], and meeting schedule[5] are published.
- Administrators are listed with phone numbers and physical addresses; email addresses are not always provided on the department pages.[6][7]
- Open Records Request procedures, as well as a way of checking the status of record requests, are provided.[8]
- The current budget is published.[9]
- Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports are posted.[9]
- Monthly City Check Registers are posted.[9]
- Information about obtaining building permits is provided, as well as city zoning ordinances.[10][11]
- Local tax information is provided.[12]
- Bidding and contracting opportunities are posted.[13] Awarded contracts and contract documents are not available.[14][15]
The bad
- Email addresses are not provided for administrative officials.
- Lobbying information is not disclosed.
Elected officials
City Council
| Name | District |
|---|---|
| Diego M. Bernal | District 1 |
| Ivy R. Taylor | District 2 |
| Jennifer V. Ramos | District 3 |
| Rey Saldaña | District 4 |
| David Medina, Jr. | District 5 |
| Ray Lopez | District 6 |
| Cris Medina | District 7 |
| W. Reed Williams | District 8 |
| Elisa Chan | District 9 |
| Carlton Soules | District 10 |
Mayor
The current mayor of San Antonio is Julián Castro. [2]
Stimulus funds
Rose Jackson, head of the Weatherization Assistance Program for the Alamo Area Council of Governments, was recently forced to step down from her position. Gloria Arriaga, executive director, said that she suspected administrative mismanagement asked the state to perform an audit.[16] The program is funded by $15 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.[16]
Public employee salaries
- Main article: Texas state employee salaries
Even though public utilities traditionally do not release salary information, CPS Energy in San Antonio, recently released its top salaries.[17] The report revealed the top 18 executives earn more than $4.2 million collectively, with the CEO Doyle Beneby earning a base salary of $360,000.[18]
Controversy over Citizen Activists
John Foddrill and Michael Cuellar, two San Antonio citizens and former employees of the city, claimed they found inaccuracies with city contracts and filed multiple FOIA requests and made repeated efforts to contact city officials. According to Texas Public Radio the two men did not receive the information they wanted and were both banned from attending city council meetings and were banned from city hall. The city attorney told TPR if the police department determines someone is a threat, that is sufficient to prevent individuals coming onto city property. No information was provided as to the specifics of the restraining order. [19]
Taxpayer-funded lobbying
- Main article: Texas Municipal League members list
San Antonio paid $98,500 in lobbying for 2011. [20]
San Antonio pays membership dues to the Texas Municipal League, a government sector lobbying association.
External links
References
- ↑ City Council
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mayor
- ↑ Agendas
- ↑ Minutes
- ↑ Meetings
- ↑ Departments
- ↑ City Manager
- ↑ Open Government
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Budget and Finance
- ↑ Permits & License Division
- ↑ Zoning
- ↑ Tax Assessor-Collector
- ↑ Bidding & Contracting Opportunities
- ↑ Intent to Award
- ↑ Bid Tabulation
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Texas Watchdog, San Antonio stimulus program investigated; one of 5 in TX fraught with problems, Aug. 5, 2010
- ↑ Texas Watchdog, CPS Energy discloses top salaries, promises openness, Sept 7, 2010
- ↑ My San Antonio, CPS pays 18 execs average of $233,000, Sept. 1, 2010
- ↑ Texas Public Radio, Banned From City Hall: The City Responds And The ACLU Reacts, Jan. 18, 2013
- ↑ 2011 Lobbying - Open Secrets
