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Axios
3 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Candidates' stances in San Antonio mayoral election
As San Antonio's June 7 mayoral runoff election approaches, candidates Gina Ortiz Jones and Rolando Pablos have been facing off in debates, and we're parsing out where they stand on top issues. Why it matters: For the first time in decades, someone without City Hall experience will lead San Antonio — and for a longer four-year term. After breaking through a crowded 27-candidate field in the initial election, both have used the last few weeks to introduce themselves to voters who might have sat out the first round. The big picture: The new mayor's tenure will come at a critical juncture. The city is facing a budget deficit at the same time as local institutions have faced cutbacks under the Trump administration. Catch up quick: Ortiz Jones, a former Air Force undersecretary under the Biden administration, won about 27% of the vote in the May 3 election. Pablos, a former Texas secretary of state appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott, won nearly 17%. How it works: Early voting is underway now through June 3. Find polling times and locations online. Here are some key stances the candidates have taken at recent debates. CPS Energy Pablos said the city-owned CPS Energy has infrastructure challenges and needs more transmission. He highlighted his time on the Texas Public Utility Commission, adding he supported renewable energy growth in West Texas. Ortiz Jones said CPS needs more energy to help bring businesses to San Antonio and keep costs competitive, while also keeping utility prices low for residents. Both said renewable energy and sustainability measures are critical for CPS Energy. City budget Ortiz Jones said she would look to cut "pet projects," such as the city's helping to incentivize the launch of Condor's nonstop Frankfurt flight (later dropped), and paying for city councilmembers to attend the men's Final Four. Pablos said that spending on the city's bike lane plans doesn't seem appropriate. Yes, but: Both candidates have regularly said they want more information before committing to cuts to address a budget deficit. Education and workforce development Pablos said employers turn down coming to San Antonio because they don't see an available pipeline of qualified workers, and that the fix is education. "The No. 1 focus of eradicating poverty is aggressive economic development, and that is based on workforce development." Ortiz Jones focused on the Texas Legislature's actions, saying the recently passed school vouchers hurt public education and the state's pipeline of talent. "We should not be subsidizing private school." Downtown Spurs arena Ortiz Jones floated whether a deal for a new arena and entertainment district could help fund Pre-K 4 SA. Pablos said the city needs to consider the Spurs' economic impact and whether or not San Antonio wants to keep the NBA team. Neither has committed, one way or the other, on using taxpayer money for a new arena, and neither has guaranteed to move forward with a November vote on using public funds. Go deeper Catch the full
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Nueces County may join opposition to potential property tax exemptions
Nueces County may join other taxing entities in publicly opposing potential property tax exemptions related to a workforce housing program and a large electric provider — which, if granted, would likely impact property tax revenue collected for the public coffers. Among items on the Nueces County Commissioners Court's May 21 agenda is a closed-door discussion with attorneys on the Corpus Christi Housing Authority's and CPS Energy's 'tax-exempt issue, and all related matters.' The court could take action after that discussion, potentially echoing the objections of Del Mar College and the city of Corpus Christi. The court hadn't received preliminary projections of how much the potential property tax exemptions could affect the budget, but officials are 'doing everything we can as fast as we can to figure out how to put a stop to this,' said Nueces County Commissioner Brent Chesney on May 16, describing the implications as 'far-reaching.' No one wants to take legal action in the matter, he added, but that may be necessary to protect the interest of the county and residents. 'It's just too big a deal; you can't just lay down on it,' Chesney said. 'You have to go fight and figure this out because it's millions of dollars out of taxpayers' pockets.' Both the Corpus Christi City Council and Del Mar College Board of Regents made formal overtures May 13 to potential legal action related to a new workforce housing program spearheaded by the housing authority. The college's board additionally took a position of opposition against possible property tax exemptions related to the purchase of two power plants by CPS Energy, a San Antonio-based utilities provider. As part of a new workforce housing program, the housing authority acquired at least 13 apartment complex properties, according to officials, with others potentially pending acquisition. It amounts to at least $330 million taken off the tax rolls, according to preliminary appraisal values. Appraised values as of mid-May are not yet certified and are subject to change. Acquiring the properties makes them tax-exempt, Corpus Christi Housing Authority CEO Gary Allsup told the Caller-Times on May 14. As part of an agreement between the apartment complex owners and the governmental agency, the participating apartment complexes must make about half of their unit inventory available for workforce housing, he said. It's a mechanism that will fill a crucial gap in housing options for a segment of the population that is 'caught in the middle,' Allsup has said. In the case of housing, 'workforce' means individuals and families whose income is moderate — too high for low-income housing eligibility but not high enough to make market-rate housing affordable. The federal government's definition of what qualifies as affordable is a household spending no more than 30% of its income on utilities, combined with either rent or mortgage. The program, as crafted, is not directed toward low-income housing. The acquisitions, in part, involve the housing authority becoming an owner of the property's grounds, as well as a 'small-portion owner in the actual improvements to the property,' Allsup said. Of the workforce units, 40% are intended for households bringing in 80% or less of the area median income, and 10% are set aside for households earning 60% or less of the area median income, he said. Rent for units reserved for workforce housing are then adjusted to a price that is considered affordable for those income levels, he said. Critics have questioned whether the program meets legal and propriety standards and whether it meets the mission of the housing authority. They have also raised concerns about the impacts on the property tax revenue. Opponents have asserted that property tax exemptions would take off the tax rolls properties appraised in the millions of dollars, subsequently pulling millions of dollars of otherwise expected property tax revenue. Del Mar College officials have estimated that should properties be found tax-exempt, it would mean about $1.1 million in lost property tax value, while city representatives have put that number at about $3.5 million. The city, which had previously cited a projected deficit of about $7 million in its 2026 budget, has said if the housing authority's acquisitions were taken off the tax rolls, the deficit would reach about $10.5 million. May 13, the Del Mar College Board of Regents approved college representatives and legal experts to take the 'necessary and appropriate action, including the engagement of outside counsel, to protect and pursue the college's legal status and potential claims' related to the potential property tax exemptions for the housing authority's acquired apartment complex properties. The City Council took similar action the same day, producing a resolution approving city management to 'to use all administrative, legal, and legislative means to prevent the improper and/or illegal use of property tax exemptions by the Corpus Christi Housing Authority, affiliates, and entities connected thereto.' Allsup said May 14 that 'there continues to be a misunderstanding of what the law is and under what programs that this is done for.' 'There's certainly not anything that's improper, and nothing illegal, in the way that these deals have been done,' he told the Caller-Times. 'It's been very transparent.' Although an official analysis was not immediately available as of May 19, a Caller-Times review of preliminary appraisal district records suggests the amount in lost property tax revenue for the county may be more than $800,000. Chesney told the Caller-Times that the acquisitions and contemplated property tax exemptions would 'damage people everywhere under this disguise of calling it 'low-income housing.'' 'All we're trying to do is stop the bleeding since the issue has been brought to our attention,' Chesney said. With an anticipated parallel effect, the purchase of two power plants — the Barney M. Davis and Nueces Bay generation plants — may take millions of dollars off the tax rolls, officials have said. The two power plants combined are appraised at about $151 million, according to preliminary assessments. Because CPS Energy is considered a governmental entity — it is municipally owned by the city of San Antonio — those two properties, previously on tax rolls, may be accepted as tax-exempt, local officials said. Addressing the Board of Regents May 13, Del Mar College Chief Financial Officer Raul Garcia estimated removal of the plants from the tax rolls would translate to about $500,000 in lost property tax revenue. CPS Energy's 'vision for delivering modern, affordable, reliable and sustainable energy services may have been the key factors behind this acquisition,' he said. The board mirrored its action related to property tax exemptions on the housing authority's acquired properties, approving the enlistment of outside legal counsel to look into potential property tax exemptions for CPS Energy's two power plants. In a news release issued May 2024, CPS Energy had announced the closing of the sale of the natural gas power plants, previously owned by Talen Energy Corp. The document shows CPS Energy also closing a sale of a natural gas plant in Laredo. 'This action supports CPS Energy's generation plan, approved in 2023 by its Board of Trustees, to power the greater San Antonio community into the future by securing an additional 1,710 MWs that are available immediately,' the news release states. 'The addition of these units aligns with the generation plan, which includes the retirement of older coal and gas units and the addition of a blend of more efficient gas generation along with solar, wind, and energy storage.' Rudy D. Garza, president and CEO of CPS Energy, is quoted in the news release as saying the acquisitions represent a step in the entity's 'growing role as a regional energy utility, providing additional resiliency and reliability for our customers.' "This acquisition adds critical capacity to our generation portfolio to continue to reliably serve one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation,' he stated. 'Our customers will benefit from these investments for decades to come." In addition to San Antonio, CPS Energy also provides services to 'portions of seven adjoining counties,' according to the news release. Chesney contended that should property tax exemptions be awarded, it would prove to benefit only San Antonio. 'If someone's going to try to take money out of the Nueces County taxpayers' pockets and give it to the city of San Antonio, in the case of CPS, or give it to developers who are developing apartment complexes — that's not right,' he said. In a message to the Caller-Times on May 20, CPS spokeswoman Dana Sotoodeh wrote that 'CPS Energy is a municipally owned utility, owned by the City of San Antonio, and is a tax-exempt entity.' 'When the plants in Corpus Christi were acquired last year, those facilities were no longer subject to property taxes,' she wrote. 'We are collaborative partners with the communities in which we operate. We look forward to continuing our conversations with local leaders and working together productively.' It was not immediately clear as of the morning of May 20 whether city officials intended to take a position on the purchases of the power plants, or if money would be allocated for legal counsel. It was not addressed in the May 13 meeting. Early, non-certified appraisal records indicate the city's portion of taxes, if the plants are found tax-exempt, would be at least $400,000. For the county, the unofficial number would likely be at least $396,000, according to district documents. More: City, Del Mar College say Corpus Christi Housing Authority plan may cost them tax revenue More: Two years after tax dispute budget crisis, Texas law aims to protect local governments More: City of Corpus Christi may need to make $7 million in cuts this year. What will it mean? More: New apartments for the workforce class are coming to two defunct hotels. Here's how. This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Nueces County may join opposition to potential property tax exemptions
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
CPS Energy cooperates with South Korea's OCI, LG
SEOUL, May 27 (UPI) -- Texas-based CPS Energy plans to team up with two South Korean companies to collaborate on a large-sized energy storage system project. OCI Holdings announced Tuesday that its U.S. subsidiary, OCI Energy, signed a three-party memorandum of understanding with CPS Energy and LG Energy Solution. Under the agreement, OCI Energy is set to secure ESS batteries from LG Energy Solution. With them, it will store solar energy generated during the day and sell the electricity to CPS Energy. As one of the largest municipally owned electric and natural gas utilities in the United States, CPS Energy serves around 1.28 million customers in Texas. LG Energy Solution is a global battery maker. OCI expects that the first task for the three sides will be the "Alamo City ESS LLC" project, which is scheduled for completion by the end of next year. To enable the project, a solar power plant is under construction on a 35-acre site in southeastern Bexar County, Texas. OCI strives to integrate a 120MW solar photovoltaic system with a 480MWh ESS, which would be enough to meet power demand for roughly 41,000 households for a day. As a separate investment aimed at expanding its U.S. business, OCI disclosed in March its plan to invest $265 million in building a solar cell manufacturing plant in San Antonio, Texas. Texas faces mounting power demand from various customers like data centers. The state is a key location for data centers, including those run by OpenAI and Oracle. OCI Energy's head office is also located in Texas. The Center for Strategic and International Studies predicted that power demand from U.S. AI data centers would surge 21 times between 2024 and 2030. "Going forward, we will further strengthen our collaboration with LG Energy Solution and CPS Energy to ensure sustainable electricity supply through our North American ESS projects and address the intermittency of solar energy," OCI said in a statement. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
UPI
4 days ago
- Business
- UPI
CPS Energy cooperates with South Korea's OCI, LG
The Texas-based CPS Energy announced plans to cooperate with South Korea's LG and OCI Energy. File Photo by James Atoa/UPI | License Photo SEOUL, May 27 (UPI) -- Texas-based CPS Energy plans to team up with two South Korean companies to collaborate on a large-sized energy storage system project. OCI Holdings announced Tuesday that its U.S. subsidiary, OCI Energy, signed a three-party memorandum of understanding with CPS Energy and LG Energy Solution. Under the agreement, OCI Energy is set to secure ESS batteries from LG Energy Solution. With them, it will store solar energy generated during the day and sell the electricity to CPS Energy. As one of the largest municipally owned electric and natural gas utilities in the United States, CPS Energy serves around 1.28 million customers in Texas. LG Energy Solution is a global battery maker. OCI expects that the first task for the three sides will be the "Alamo City ESS LLC" project, which is scheduled for completion by the end of next year. To enable the project, a solar power plant is under construction on a 35-acre site in southeastern Bexar County, Texas. OCI strives to integrate a 120MW solar photovoltaic system with a 480MWh ESS, which would be enough to meet power demand for roughly 41,000 households for a day. As a separate investment aimed at expanding its U.S. business, OCI disclosed in March its plan to invest $265 million in building a solar cell manufacturing plant in San Antonio, Texas. Texas faces mounting power demand from various customers like data centers. The state is a key location for data centers, including those run by OpenAI and Oracle. OCI Energy's head office is also located in Texas. The Center for Strategic and International Studies predicted that power demand from U.S. AI data centers would surge 21 times between 2024 and 2030. "Going forward, we will further strengthen our collaboration with LG Energy Solution and CPS Energy to ensure sustainable electricity supply through our North American ESS projects and address the intermittency of solar energy," OCI said in a statement.
