DEPARTMENT: Government and Public Affairs & Office of Military and Veterans Affairs
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Jeff Coyle, Director; Juan Ayala, Director
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
The City of San Antonio’s efforts to protect and grow its military missions and installations, support military veterans and their families, and add military value to Joint Base San Antonio’s and the Texas National Guard’s bases.
SUMMARY:
This item is a briefing by the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs (OMVA) to inform City leadership on the current actions, strategy, and community forums in place to protect and grow the military footprint in the region.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
In response to the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), the City of San Antonio established an Office of Military Affairs to mitigate the impacts of the closure actions and monitor its recommendations. Since then, the Office of Military Affairs has been re-designated as the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs (OMVA). OMVA’s mission has evolved from its original charter to meet the current challenges to military missions conducted in the region.
The briefing will focus on the cultural, historical and economic importance of the military to the San Antonio region. It will share the OMVA programs and activities designed to add military value to JBSA installations within four primary areas:
• Infrastructure to support installations
• Compatible land uses through development policies that prevent encroachment
• Partnerships (P4s) that create efficiencies and cost-savings for both the City and JBSA
• Advocacy for state and federal policies and funding that support the military
The briefing will also discuss support for the 250,000 veterans and their families living in the region. We will talk about the importance and resurgence of the City’s Commission on Veterans Affairs, and OMVA’s efforts to leverage the existing 200+ Veteran Support Organizations in the region. We will also discuss the City’s efforts to identify and recognize the military veterans who are now employees of the City. Finally, the briefing will highlight OMVA’s internal support to City Departments, and recent successes, to include the increase of military missions at JBSA.
ISSUE:
Should another BRAC round occur - Pentagon officials’ best predictions are that a BRAC round may be announced in 2021 - the military value of each installation will be an important metric that the Department of Defense considers. Therefore, tangible community support through infrastructure, compatible land use, partnerships and advocacy are critically important for San Antonio to maintain an advantageous position. The protection and growth of the military in San Antonio has been City of San Antonio priority for decades.
ALTERNATIVES:
This item is for briefing purposes only
FISCAL IMPACT:
This item is for briefing purposes only
RECOMMENDATION:
This item is for briefing purposes only