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Bexar County commissioners on Tuesday approved a proclamation of support for Israel following the Oct. 7 attack from Hamas.
Precinct 3 County Commissioner Grant Moody sponsored the proclamation, which was welcomed by local Jewish Federation President Nammie Ichilov.
"May we all pray for a speedy and unconditional release of the 220 hostages [and] a complete and utter eradication of the terrorist organization who has only brought terror and pain to the region and to a true and just and everlasting peace," Ichilov told commissioners.
He also called the deaths of Palestinians living in Gaza under Hamas "deplorable."
Ichilov called on commissioners to help lower levels of public hate, antisemitism, and microaggression against the Jewish community in Bexar County.
In other action, unanimously approved $5.4 million in funding to continue the expansion of digital access across the county.
American Rescue Plan Act funds for digital connectivity by Spectrum brings the total amount that will be spent on the program over the next three years to more than $31 million. Spectrum will be responsible for $26 million, according to a news release from the office of Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai.
“We are identifying strategies to get everyone in Bexar County connected to the internet,” Sakai said. “It’s important that everyone — from startups and small business owners to families and students — has the same level of access as everyone else, regardless of where they live.”
The funding will target 10 census tracks in historically underserved south and east Bexar County.
Phase 1 on the project will connect about 8,700 households. Access will be available starting in the second quarter of 2024 and completed by 2025.
Phase 2 would add another 1,400 homes at a cost to the county of $6.1 million. Commissioners court is expected to consider that phase and a proposal to extend service to suburban cities in about 30 days.
In other action, commissioners:
- Approved a professional services agreement between the county and the Center for Health Care Services for the county to contributed $4.8 million in general funds to provide mental health and support services to mentally ill persons, to divert persons from incarceration, and to facilitate their entry into treatment.
- Approved more than $5 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds for land acquisition and legal services for Bexar County's Community Supervision & Corrections Department's Dual Diagnosis Residential facility.
- Listened to voter rights activists call for the elections administrator to be pressed on her retirement by commissioners and for her post to be publicly posted. Jacque Callanen has publicly said she would not oversee another presidential election, but the groups have called for her retirement now to have a qualified person replace her long before November 2024. Callanen has yet to announce her retirement plans formally.
