San Antonio: 1/8th Cent Sales Tax Ballot Initiative- Workforce Development And Higher Education

Press release from the City of San Antonio:

August 13, 2020

SAN ANTONIO — Today, City Council moved forward with a special election to be held on November 3, 2020 to utilize 1/8th of a cent sales and use tax funds to provide for workforce development and higher education initiatives, in accordance with Chapter 379A of the Texas Local Government Code. District 3 Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran provided the following statement:

“We as a council have been doing everything we can to not only support those who have suffered job loss, but also look into revitalizing those businesses that have shuttered and suffered economic devastation. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, an estimated 160,000 residents have applied for unemployment assistance.

I was appointed by the Mayor to serve on the Workforce and Education Leadership Taskforce comprised of City leaders in key fields, along with my Council Colleague, District 4 Councilwoman Rocha-Garcia to reassess community workforce development priorities and identify ways to help improve employee readiness.

It’s imperative that we understand the importance of investing in our city’s workforce, and I believe we have come up with an economic strategy that would provide quality programming that would offer training, education, along with upskilling opportunities, and wraparound services for our city’s workers.

This is an investment for our people, our future, and for ourselves, and we can change the narrative of the past and build on a stronger tomorrow.”

By placing this on the November ballot, it allows the community to decide by giving voters the opportunity to change the trajectory of our city.”

This press release was produced by the City of San Antonio. The views expressed here are the author’s own.