Last Thursday, the Chamber’s 2022 Board of Directors met for the first time under the leadership of our new Chair Phil Green, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. Phil kicked off the meeting by welcoming both new and returning board members and thanking them for their service to the organization. Following approval of the December meeting minutes, Santos Alarcon, VP of Finance for the Chamber, presented the end of year (2021) financials, highlighting the Chamber’s healthy financial position. He mentioned that the financial health of a non-profit organization can be determined by calculating the number of days the organization could operate if all revenue ceased. The acceptable range is 180 – 240 days, and as of the end of December 2021, the Chamber could continue to operate for 357 days if revenue stopped.
Next, the Chamber’s VP of Image and Communications Julie Ring reviewed the results of the recent Chamber Member Survey. In an effort to ensure the Chamber is serving our members most effectively, addressing members’ most pressing challenges, and functioning as effectively as possible, the Chamber distributed a quick, six minutes survey four times between November 29 and January 6. The survey results showed:
- Members’ top challenges right now are inflation and expenses, education and workforce development, and political uncertainty.
- 95% of respondents said the Chamber should play a role in addressing these challenges and concerns.
- Members ranked advocating in public on behalf of the business community as the number one step the Chamber can take to be most effective in addressing member challenges, followed by forming public/private partnerships to address specific topics.
- When asked about other steps the Chamber can take to be most effective in addressing concerns for 2022, some members indicated that the Chamber should make big noise, increase our presence and be more visible in the community, be more vocal in the media, and recruit CEO level business leaders to serve on the Board and be public spokespersons for the Chamber.
- 90% of respondents answered that they believe the Chamber should be a more vocal advocate on business-related issues.
- When asked to rank what steps the Chamber’s Board of Directors should take to be most effective, form an advisory board of local business leaders was the number one choice, followed by increase interaction with political leadership, and explore ways to become more efficient.
- Finally, when asked if they feel a smaller, fiduciary-focused Board of Directors and a larger advisory board would be a more effective structure, 78% of respondents said yes.
While this is a quick snapshot of what our members said was important to them this year, Julie assured the Board that it will be extremely useful information as the Chamber team plots our plan forward for 2022 and continues to find ways to add value for our members and for the business community.
Following Julie’s presentation, San Antonio City Manager Erik Walsh joined the meeting to discuss the record $1.2 billion 2022 bond package, which will be split into six different bond propositions: streets, bridges, and sidewalks; parks and recreation; drainage and flood control; housing; municipal facilities; and public safety and health facilities. The City had a robust engagement process in the fall, when City Councilmembers appointed 163 citizens to sit on five different groups to review every suggested project and make recommendations on a final project list. In all, a proposed 182 projects will be part of the bond package, with the following proposed allocation:
- Streets, Bridges, and Sidewalks: $477 million
- Parks and Recreation: $274 million
- Drainage and Flood Control: $165 million
- Housing: $150 million
- Municipal and Public Safety Facilities: $134 million
On February 10, City Council will vote on the list of projects that will be on the May ballot.
The City Manager also briefly discussed the American Rescue Plan Act dollars and indicated San Antonio is going to adopt a four-year spending plan and adjust if necessary. According to the plan, out of the $200 million left in the ARPA allocation, $50 million will be spent on pandemic response, including testing, vaccinations, and personal protective equipment. The remaining relief funds could be spent on mental health programs, small businesses, economic development, and infrastructure. City Manager Walsh said that Council Committees will decide what they need to be most impactful and bring suggestions back to City Council for discussion.
Next, Phil Green led a discussion on the Chamber’s governance structure and shared that he believes San Antonio is special because of our core competency of service, which means that we are a community of organizations that understand how to extend grace to others and that we use business as a force for good. To that end, the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce is the voice of the force for good, and we need to look inwardly and honestly at ourselves as a Chamber to ensure we are doing the best job we can. The Chamber Member Survey revealed that members believe to be more effective, the Chamber should take a took at our governance structure and engage more senior leadership. As a result, Phil recommended that we establish a small group to take a look at governance to determine if there are any changes we can make to make us more effective. The small committee will include:
- President and CEO of the Chamber Richard Perez
- The Chamber’s Tri-Chairs Phil Green, Katie Harvey, and Hope Andrade
- 2022 Vice Chairs: Brad Barron, Darryl Byrd, Corinna Holt Richter, Bobby Perez, and Ed Rice
- The Chamber’s legal consultant Mario Barrera
- Former Chamber Chair Sam Dawson
The board unanimously approved the creation of the governance review committee.
Finally, Richard Perez gave his President’s Update and touched on the recent City Council approval of the CPS rate increase. Rudy Garza, Interim President and CEO of CPS Energy, encouraged the business community to stay involved in rate discussions and weigh in on what is happening at the utility. Richard also discussed that while the Chamber postponed our SA to DC trip because of the surge in COVID cases, it is important for us to travel to the nation’s capital and advocate for infrastructure dollars and other community needs. The Chamber team is exploring a reschedule of our SA to DC fly-in during the late March timeframe. Richard concluded his update by informing the Board that the Chamber has been asked to get involved in the search for the new San Antonio Independent School District Superintendent. The Chamber will reach out to the business community to elicit thoughts and feedback on the qualities, traits, and qualifications for the ideal candidate.
