TOMMY CALVERT

Commissioner, Precinct 4
Bexar County
101 W. Nueva, Suite 1029
San Antonio, Texas 78205
210-335-2614/phone number
210-335-2629/fax number

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

January 09, 2017

Contact: Amy Putney

210.335.2615/o
210.854.3314/c

Northeast Side Annexation Plan Brings Neighborhood Stability

Unincorporated areas of Bexar County to benefit in increased public safety, code enforcement,
and services as City of Converse grows revenue.
(SAN ANTONIO, TX) Unincorporated Precinct 4 residents in the Northeast side are set to see an
increase in law enforcement, trash collection, and other essential public services as City of
Converse pursues annexation plans to increase their city tax base with an agreement being
announced with the City of San Antonio, Today, January 9, 2017.
County Commissioner Tommy Calvert, Precinct 4, is pleased with the negotiation efforts and
sees the proposed annexation plan with optimism. I want to thank Mayor Taylor, Mayor
Suarez, Lanny Lambert, and Peter Zanoni for their creativity and spirit of doing the right thing to
stabilize unincorporated areas in northeast Bexar County. Everybody recognizes that the trash,
code issues, crime, and lack of tools for Bexar County created a third-world environment for a
community that I'm working to make the best place in the world. Now that we will have closer
law enforcement, trash collection, and code compliance measures, we will be able to crack
down on delinquent property owners and restore these neighborhoods to the way they were
30 years ago. Already, the trash collection program, the first of its kind in the state, has
brought renewed interest in restoring homes in these northeast side neighborhoods. Now, we'll
have a more complete army of tools to turn neighborhoods around, states Commissioner
Calvert.
Concluding negotiations are underway as City Officials enter into an agreement that will be
presented to City of San Antonio and City of Converse City Councils in which Converse is set to
acquire important economic corridors along IH-10 and Loop 1604, currently an Extra Territorial
Jurisdiction Area for the City of San Antonio. This commercial area will increase the City of
Converses tax revenue base by allowing for incremental incorporation of surrounding areas
such as the Glen, Camelot, and Windsor Oaks neighborhoods; which are among the most
difficult for Bexar County to deal with because of lack of legislation in the Texas Legislature for

urban counties. This tentative 7-year incremental annexation plan will allow the City of
Converse to adjust for increased public services demands and growth. The agreement comes
about after nearly a decade of efforts to find a sustainable incorporation of this area under
inadequate state statutes.
Converse saw spillover of negative activity and sees the annexation as gaining better control of
the northeast side issues and providing prime 1604 real estate to expand commercial activity
and by extension greater tax revenue to fix infrastructure and provide services. The City of
Converse will see a 5 mile increase to their City Boundaries as the City of San Antonio will
relinquish 2 miles of Extra Territorial Jurisdiction area as part of this ongoing negotiation
between both municipalities. I want to thank the City of San Antonio for giving the commercial
properties around 10 and 1604 to the City of Converse so that they can utilize tax revenue to
bring stability to areas all around San Antonio's northeast side, states Commissioner Calvert.
Currently, under outdated and limited state statutes, county government has limited resources
and jurisdiction to address important public issues, code enforcement, and trash collection for
unincorporated areas of counties. This has placed substantial burden on residents of rapidly
growing and urban unincorporated areas of the county such as the Glen and Camelot whom
have struggled with waste management and public services issues without any state
government support. The people of unincorporated Bexar County were let down by the
previous governor, who did not sign legislation the Texas Legislature passed to help Bexar
County. In the meantime, they have created problems for communities like Converse, the
Army Retirement Center, and Windcrest for their lack of action. I call on the Texas Legislature
and the Governor to end the dragging of feet and to give local counties control over the
positive improvement of their communities. I salute our local leadership for acting where state
leadership hasn't. exclaimed Commissioner Calvert.
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