T1NC Letter to Culture & Neighborhood Services Council Committee re: Neighborhood Engagement Team

Neighborhoods are the Answer

Tier One Neighborhood Coalition (T1NC) is a group of San Antonio downtown (inside Loop 410) neighborhoods organized to promote communication, cooperation, education, and support among neighborhoods as well as advocate for thoughtful policies. Contact t1nc.sat@gmail.com or visit T1nc.org

January 4, 2021

Good Afternoon Council Members,

We often hear from city staff, particularly in Planning and DSD and sometimes from elected officials that neighborhoods are the problem, but we believe that neighborhoods are the answer.

The place where we live is the heart of our communities. Passion, love, dedication, loyalty and identity are what root us in our neighborhoods and why we work so hard for their betterment. Our neighborhoods are places that support elders, local school children, those who are vulnerable to displacement, and those who are experiencing food or housing insecurities. We act as a conduit between the city staff, elected officials, and our residents. “We are in this together” has been a neighborhood mantra throughout 2020 and we found ways to make that sentiment felt.

Neighborhoods are the places where people live, work (particularly now), worship, and learn. We believe the City should make supporting and nurturing San Antonio’s neighborhoods a priority. As with early education, it behooves us as a city to invest in neighborhoods. We have learned that investment in early education results in a better future for our students; we believe that investment in neighborhoods would also provide a better future for San Antonio residents.

In Tier One Neighborhood Coalitions’ early days, we lobbied then Mayor Ivy Taylor and City Manager Sherryl Scully for a Neighborhood Commission in order to address the disenfranchisement that neighborhoods were feeling under the pressure of the SA Tomorrow Plan implementation. We also asked for an additional four city staff positions that would look at planning and development with a neighborhood lens and act as ombudsman or liaisons between neighborhoods and city staff and departments. The letter of request, which was submitted during a meeting with Taylor and Scully, was signed by representatives from 18 Neighborhood Associations and two Community Organizations representing Council Districts 1, 2, 3, 5 & 7.

Although we did not succeed in getting the Neighborhood Commission, City Manager Sculley did create four new positions within the Neighborhood Housing and Services Dept. During the 8-10-2017 “A” Session presentation of the proposed FY 2018 Budget, CM Sculley introduced the four new Neighborhood Engagement Team positions with a budget of $255,000. Tier One was pleased by this announcement and proud of the achievement that we felt would help neighborhoods gain a more even footing, improve relations between the city’s planning and development departments and neighborhoods overall and provide a vital resource to neighborhood associations and community organizations.

Neighborhood leaders were gratified that the City was making a monetary commitment to neighborhood engagement, capacity building and access to an advocate within the city structure. Improved working partnership would lead to less controversy, less staff time spent on citizen discontent at commissions and council meetings, and a better outcome for everyone involved.

We need the promise of the Neighborhood Engagement Team to be honored by the city.

Thank you.

Tier One Neighborhood Coalition

Tier One Neighborhood Coalition Steering Committee

Teri Castillo Monica Savino

Cosima Colvin Cynthia Spielman

Mary Johnson Steve Versteeg

Ricki Kushner Taylor Watson

Margaret Leeds