New Proactive Apartment Inspections Program to Bring Safer Living Conditions to San Antonio Renters
On March 23, City Council approved a new proactive apartment inspections program to ensure that apartment complexes are meeting living standards for local renters. Beginning April 2, the City of San Antonio’s Development Services Department will proactively inspect apartment complexes with multiple code citations to provide safer housing conditions for local renters. The inspections will ensure the apartments are providing proper living standards.

“This program helps ensure safer living conditions for San Antonio renters. The ability to proactively inspect apartments also gives the City the tools needed to hold property owners responsible for maintenance,” said City Manager Erik Walsh. “I want to thank the Development Services Department and our community stakeholders for developing and bringing this program to fruition.”

HOW PROGRAM WILL WORK

The City of San Antonio will maintain a registry of apartment complexes that have been cited for code violations. Apartment complexes with five or more units within San Antonio city limits could be required to be listed on the registry if they:

• Receive three designated citations within a six-month period,
• Are not maintaining property to minimum code standards,
• Or have allowed property to develop health, safety, life, and welfare problems.

Properties registered will be subject to monthly inspections while in the program. Registered apartment complexes will remain on the registry for a minimum of six months.

“Apartment complexes present unique challenges, affecting many tenants and families at once. The key is to incentivize good property management, and to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of our residents” said Michael Shannon, Development Services Department Director. “Holding property owners accountable for having too many violations of basic housing safety standards will help us achieve this.”

The program includes property owner incentives to improve overall compliance. Properties may be removed from the registry if they improve and meet certain requirements. Properties must have less than three citations in a six-month period and correct all violations to be removed from the registry and will remain in probation for a period of four years. If the property falls back into the program, they will remain in the registry for a full year. The registration fee is $100 per unit, per year.

Thank you to the members of the stakeholder group for their tireless work over 12 meetings reviewing more than 100 code sections and creating a well balance ordinance. This new program will hold apartment owners more accountable and proactively verify compliance in apartment complexes needing it the most.

For more information about the program, visit the Proactive Apartment Inspections web page. 

Legislative Process Now in Session
The deadline for state legislators to file proposed legislation was Friday, March 10. Next steps include committee assignments and review of proposed bills. The Development Services Department is currently reviewing about 100 pieces of legislation and coordinating with the City’s Government Affairs department to advocate for protecting local control over land use and development related activity. The regular session of the 88th Texas Legislative cycle formally closes on May 29, 2023.

Sign Code Community Meetings 
This past month, the last of the committee meetings was held for the proposed amendments to the current sign code. In total the committee reviewed:

• 32 submitted amendments
• 22 were recommended for approval
• 2 amendments were withdrawn by applicants
• 4 were not recommended for approval
• 4 no action taken

A total of 11 committee meetings and 8 community meetings were held.

The Building-Related and Fire Codes Appeals and Advisory Board met on March 15 and approved all recommended changes. A briefing for the Planning and Development City Council Committee was held on March 20, in which the committee approved this item to move forward to Council for consideration and approval by May. A grace period will be granted before becoming effective.

Check out the new training calendar!
It’s back! The department monthly training calendar. The calendar will be available in the Inside DSD Employee monthly newsletter and on the department’s intranet to better inform you of upcoming training. Note there are new training opportunities available monthly through the ICC Preferred Provider Program (PPP). The PPP provides training by staff for Continuing Education Units (CEUs). To register for PPP training, please email the instructor directly. Other training opportunities will be sent through email surveys. Be sure to get your supervisor’s approval prior to attending any of the sessions.

The training information will be provided in the department’s SharePoint site that is currently under development. The training calendar is a living document since training dates, times, and even instructors can change; as such information on the calendar is subject to change.

Defensive Driving In-house Trainers
DSD employees Ramiro Carrillo, Development Services Manager, Building Inspections, and Megan Haas, Sr. Code Enforcement Officer, Code Enforcement Neighborhood Enhancement Team (NET), were recently authorized to teach the National Safety Council’s (NSC) Defensive Driving Course (DDC). Both Ramiro and Megan completed an extensive on-line NSC course to become certified to train the 4-hour course to be offered to DSD employees at 1901 South Alamo in Training Rooms A & B.

DSD field staff must drive City vehicles to complete their daily responsibilities. Due to the recent hiring of new staff and the City’s requirement by the Office of Risk Management to complete Defensive Driving every three years, having our own staff available to provide the DDC as soon as possible after hiring allows employees to be productive in the field more quickly.

Information on future Defensive Driving training will be provided once details are confirmed. Please contact Charlotte Barrett, charlotte.barrett@sanantonio.gov, or Amanda Quijano, amanda.quijano@sanantonio.gov for more details.

Code Enforcement Association of Texas 38th Conference 2023
DSD participated in this year’s Code Enforcement Association of Texas (CEAT) 38th Annual Education and Business Conference, held in Beaumont, Texas, from February 16 – 18, 2023.

“I was able to receive 12 hours of CEU's for my license and learned so much. I learned new strategies to handle cases, legislative updates, how to deal with mental health, different ways to be safe when conducting an inspection and so much more,” said Brittany Evans. “These classes really opened my eyes on how important safety is.”

Lupe Guerrero, Code Enforcement Officer, CEAT Ex-Officio (former president), spoke at the conference and was a big part in making the CEAT conference happen. Denise Hastings, Code Enforcement Supervisor, also taught a class on the San Antonio Property Maintenance Code and Building Standards Board. Additionally, Joseph Martinez, Neighborhood Enhancement Team Code Enforcement Officer, was on the education committee this year and helped Ms. Denise Hastings with her class as well as others.

Congratulations to our Code employees who represented DSD and the City of San Antonio. We are so proud of you!

Celebrating National Women's History Month!
Check out the video the city presented at council on March 23 to celebrate National Women's History Month. You may recognize our very own Denise Hastings, Code Enforcement Supervisor, who just completed 45 years of service with the City of San Antonio!  

Employee Appreciation Celebrations
We hope you got to enjoy some breakfast at the March celebrations. This was a small token of our appreciation - we know our department would not be the same without you. Cheers to you and your contributions, and thank you for all you do!
 

Graffiti Volunteer Event for COSA Employees
Who wants a Graffiti Fiesta medal? All volunteers who participate at the annual Graffiti Wipeout will leave with this awesome medal. This year’s Graffiti Wipeout Volunteer Event is scheduled for April 15, from 8 a.m. to noon at Olmos Basin Dam. Congratulations to Zemia Zavala, 10 years old. Zemia designed this medal as a Parks & Recreation Summer Youth Camp attendee.

Fiesta Royalty in our DSD Family
Melissa Ramirez’s daughter, Jazzlyn Grace Ramirez, was crowned Miss Fiesta San Antonio 2023 on Feb. 1, 2023, during the Fiesta poster unveiling celebration at The Witte Museum. As Miss Fiesta 2023, Jazzlyn will serve as an ambassador of goodwill and attend official Fiesta and local, regional, and statewide charitable events to promote the party with a purpose!

A member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Alamo Couriers Chapter, Jazzlyn also volunteers unselfishly with numerous organizations including Jammin Jams with the City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department, the San Antonio Food Bank, and Habitat for Humanity.

The 21-year-old native San Antonian has a great support system with her parents (Gilbert Ramirez), brother (Blazze) and sister (Zada), grandparents, and extended family. She is a senior at The University of the Incarnate Word, pursuing a degree in Business Administration and expected to graduate in 2023.

To read more about Miss Fiesta 2023, Jazzlyn, visit Miss Fiesta San Antonio 2023 – Jazzlyn Grace Ramirez.

April is Stress Awareness Month
April is National Stress Awareness Month. This annual observance raises awareness of the negative impacts caused by stress. While there is no single definition for stress, learning what triggers or causes your stress and what coping techniques work for you can help improve your daily life. Some activities to help with physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension include:

• Establish healthy boundaries and stick to them
• Practice relaxation strategies like deep breathing and meditation
• Get regular physical activity
• Make to-do lists and set goals
• Get a good night sleep

One thing for sure, it is important to manage your stress! Healthy coping skills can help protect you from distress and face problems before they become more serious. Deer Oaks offers Wellness Services to help with anxiety and stress. Check them out to learn how their services can benefit you - the service is free of charge, and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. All sessions are confidential.  

Have questions about the EAP benefit? Contact the Employee Wellness group at 207-WELL (9355) or wellness@sanantonio.gov.

Help Spread the Word: DSD is Hiring! 
Please check the City Career Center website for upcoming job opportunities. If you know someone who might be a great addition to our department, encourage them to check out our available career opportunities at sanantonio.gov/careers.     

For an easy submittal when completing an EnCORE card, please use Internet Explorer. 

In line with the city holiday schedule, DSD will be closed on April 28, 2023, in observance of San Jacinto Day.