State workforce officials briefed county commissioners on Tuesday on their modified plans through 2024 to keep San Antonio gainfully employed.
Adrian Lopez, the CEO of Alamo Workforce Solutions, told commissioners that one of its goals is to place skilled workers in good-paying jobs that are in high demand in 17 industries across 13 counties.
Those industries include aerospace, manufacturing, health care, cyber security, and construction. He also said they have set a goal to get industries to increase the hourly wage.
"We are actually increasing our $15 to $17 target wage," he said. "That is again to keep up with the market ... to also hopefully address the demands associated with high inflation and increased costs with products and services."
Lopez said the local unemployment rate is 3.9%.
He said the state agency could also focus on getting more 16 to 24-year-olds into the labor market.
In other action on Tuesday, commissioners voted to proceed with plans to expand the Leon Creek Trail by eight miles at a maximum cost of $25 million.
The expansion of the Leon Creek Trail will include connections to Rodriguez County Park on the West Side and the city’s Spicewood Park on the Southwest Side.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores, who represents the Southwest Side, said it's important to connect the South Side trails with those on the North Side. She also said the trails come with benefits.
"This is also about preventative health for me,” she said. “People need to exercise more in Bexar County. Obviously, we have a huge amount of diabetes and obesity, so this is also about getting fresh air and having a safe place to walk, especially the South Side, where there's so many stray dogs."
The Leon Creek Trail expansion should take three years to complete. The trails are jointly developed by the county, city, and San Antonio River Authority. The goal is for all the trails to connect in a ring around the entire city, according to a river authority official.
Also on Tuesday, commissioners:
- Arts funding: Approved a $3.8-million budget transfer to support 39 local museums and arts organizations. The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, Witte Museum, San Antonio Museum of Art, McNay Museum, the DoSeum, and Briscoe Western Art Museum were the biggest recipients, each receiving $300,000.
- Boerne Stage Road: Approved the creation of the Boerne Stage Road Special Improvement District, west of I-10 near the Boerne Air Field. The developer, Chesmar Holdings LLC, agreed to complete the infrastructure within the district by levying taxes. The county reaps property taxes from what could have been left rustic property. In this case, there is $9.7 million in infrastructure the county does not have to build, such as roads, and nearly $104.8 million in taxable value to come. The developer plans 131 homes, all starting at $800,000. The district deal between the county and developer is good for 30 years.
- Public works director: Launched the process to hire a new public works director to replace the retiring Renee Green. The process resumes at a work session on May 9, 2023.
