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OM THE PRESIDENT GOVERNMENT RELATIONS UPDATE:

A LOOK AHEAD!
FR who were involved with our government affairs initiatives on the local, state, and
Happy New Year! I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the members
EXECUTIVE VICE KRISTI SUTTERFIELD national levels this past year. Thanks to the leadership and membership of the

Greater San Antonio Builders Association’s (GSABA), we have made a difference
in City Halls across our 22-county jurisdiction as well as being active on the state
and national levels.
We continue to have a strong relationship with the City of San Antonio (COSA)
Executive Vice President
and the Development Services Department (DSD). We meet with COSA every
other month and work on developing solutions for permit and inspection turn-
around times, how we can partner together with our education initiatives, and
how to address critical issues that affect the residential construction community. We have also been part of the new
sign ordinance and Atlas 14 task forces this past year and have provided input on the revisions, the Contractor Connect
Builder Registration program, and many more. Our next joint meeting with DSD will be held Tuesday, February 18th at
1:00 pm at the Association immediately following the February Board of Directors meeting luncheon. Because our board
meetings are open to members, please make plans to join us.
It was refreshing to have Michael Shannon reach out to GSABA when House Bill (HB) 852 was passed this last session
and was signed into law by Governor Abbott. HB 852 confirmed that cities in Texas must link all permitting fees to the
effort and time of city inspectors rather than linking fees to the value of construction projects. We had the opportunity to
sit down with Mr. Shannon, the director of the COSA’s Development Services Department, to review the city’s action plan
and revised fee structure. We were able to provide feedback and share their proposed plan with our government affairs
leaders and our attorneys at the Texas Association of Builders (TAB). The plan was fair and equitable, and there were no
delays in issuing building permits. However, we did have a few cities temporarily suspend issuing single-family building
permits until they could conduct internal audits.
We have had a few challenges this past year that required our immediate action. The City of Cibolo proposed a
moratorium on single-family permits in the first quarter of 2019. In response, our Government Affairs leaders came
together with seventeen building companies to meet with city staff, attend Council meetings, make public remarks and
stayed involved. While this issue was tabled, it is our understanding that the moratorium will be proposed again at
a Cibolo City Council meeting in January. We may also see drastic changes proposed to the City of Cibolo’s Uniform
Development Code (UDC) that could negatively impact builders. We will keep you informed of any future developments.
The leadership and membership also met with the City of Boerne regarding proposed changes to their UDC and critical
issues facing our builder members on the city’s implementation of a 25-foot garage set-back. Over thirty members
attended a meeting at Boerne city hall. We are staying on top of the proposed changes to the UDC that will affect our
builders and working to resolve the set-back issue, if possible.
On the state level, State Representative Miller, a Republican from Sugar Land, has resigned. Democrats hope to flip the
Texas House of Representatives this year, partly due to special elections in House Districts (HD) 28 in Ft. Bend County, HD
100 in Denton County, and HD 148 in Harris County. The special election is set for January 28th, 2020.
Also, most of you are aware that Speaker Bonnen came under scrutiny this past year, and there was speculation that
he might resign. The Speaker has announced that he will serve out his term until January 2021 and has released his
interim charges.
Governor Abbott has been elected the Chair of the Republican Governors Association for 2020. He has ordered state
agencies to review and overhaul their licensing requirements. We will keep you informed of any changes that could

8 JANUARY 2020 | GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION