Marc Whyte, the San Antonio City Council member for District 10, announced Aug. 4 he had met with Mayor Ron Nirenberg to discuss how to enhance the process for City Council consideration requests, also known as CCRs.

Background

City officials said CCRs allow individual council members with backing from some fellow members to submit a specific proposal for vetting by city staff and consideration by a full council.

What they're saying

Whyte said while he campaigned for the District 10 council seat ahead of the May city elections, many constituents said they did not understand the CCR process.



“During my first two months in office, my team and I analyzed the current process in place, and our analysis made clear that there was room for improvement,” Whyte said in a statement. “At that point I approached the mayor about how we can tweak the process to make things easier to understand for both council members and the general public.”

Nirenberg said the CCR process has largely remained unchanged for the last 15 years. He added he, Whyte and the rest of the council will work with City Manager Erik Walsh and City Attorney Andy Segovia to refine the CCR process so it is clearer to residents as a proposal moves through the committee process.

“I’m always going to prioritize transparency and accountability in our policymaking process and welcome any attempt to improve our efforts,” Nirenberg said in a statement.

What's next


City officials said these efforts to revise the CCR process are taking place as city staff received a new round of CCRs:

  • District 5 Council Member Teri Castillo proposed to develop a green alleyways pilot program to improve nonservice alleys with sustainable designs, effective drainage and urban heat island relief. Such green alleyways, Castillo said, would be friendly to cyclists and pedestrians and foster opportunities for collaboration among area residents to enhance neighborhood identity through naming, signage, art and other amenities.
  • Whyte and District 2 Council Member Jalen McKee-Rodriguez proposed the creation of a permanent construction grant fund to mitigate the effects of major city-initiated construction projects on small local businesses.
  • McKee-Rodriguez proposed to establish a teacher homebuyer assistance program to make homeownership more accessible and affordable for local dedicated teachers and school personnel.

  • District 8 Council Member Manny Pelaez and District 4 Council Member Adriana Rocha Garcia proposed an “Innocence Reclaimed Project” to provide legal assistance to residents eligible to receive criminal history expungements as set out by the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. If approved, expungement would be eligible for criminal records covering such actions as an arrest for a crime that was never charged, a criminal charge that was ultimately dismissed certain qualifying misdemeanor juvenile offenses.