San Marcos In Focus

This month on San Marcos In Focus, Shawn Condor, the Director of Engineering and Capital Improvements joins in the KZSM studio to talk about the 10th anniversary of the catastrophic 2015 memorial Day and Halloween floods in San Marcos. He answers what has been done by the city, and what still remains in the future, to make sure the city is ready for the next major disaster.

Interim San Marcos City Marshall Tiffany Williams joins us to talk about enjoying the river, and our parks, safely, over the summer.

This month we interview city Budget Manager Trisha Patek and Community Resource and Engagement Coordinator Grisell Perez-Carey.

The City of San Marcos is introducing a new way for residents to help shape the Fiscal Year 2026 budget with Polco’s Balancing Act, a suite of interactive tools that allow the community to explore budget allocations, adjust spending priorities, and provide direct input on financial decisions.

“One of our primary responsibilities is to build a balanced budget that truly reflects the evolving priorities of our community and its diverse needs," said City Manager Stephanie Reyes. "We take financial stewardship seriously, and we're embracing innovative solutions to foster greater community inclusion in our budgeting process. This tool was sought as part of our commitment to transparency and collaborative decision-making, allowing residents to directly contribute their insights and ensure that our spending decisions are aligned with their needs, creating a more responsive and inclusive government.”

Residents will be invited to provide feedback online through Balancing Act in two phases:

• Strategic Plan Priorities: Beginning February 27 through March 17, residents will rank their top priorities from the 2025 Strategic Plan, which was approved by City Council on February 18, 2025. This phase will use Balancing Act’s prioritization platform.
• Budget Simulation: Beginning in May 2025, residents will be invited to propose budgetary allocations. Using the budget simulation platform, residents will weigh in on real financial scenarios and navigate trade-offs to balance their own version of the FY2026 budget.

The results from community members’ engagement with the Balancing Act tool will be shared with members of City staff and City Council. Results will also be made available to the public on the City of San Marcos website.

The Balancing Act tool is available online in English and Spanish at www.sanmarcostx.gov/budgetengagement. In addition to the Balancing Act tool, community members may provide feedback on the budget at public meetings, including during public hearings scheduled for September 2 and September 16. The San Marcos City Council is expected to adopt the budget at their September 16 meeting.

This month Josie Faletta, Downtown Manager for the City of San Marcos, talks with us about the downtown landscaping project, and upcoming downtown events.

Guest Allison Brake, City of San Marcos Historical preservation officer, discusses the work on the Historical preservation Plan, the Legacy business program, and the recent additions in the Dunbar neighborhood to the National Historic Registry.

This month we speak with La Ray Taylor of the San Marcos Police Blue Santa program. Learn how you can get involved.

Grisell Perez-Carey, San Marcos City Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator is our guest in the KZSM studio this month. We discuss the upcoming city wide Dream Sessions that will be focused on critical incidents involving police. The city wants to hear from all of it's citizens at these sessions.

On the August edition of San Marcos in Focus, we welcome to the KZSM studio San Marcos Assistant City Managers Lonzo Anderson and Rodney Gonzales. They share their experience prior to coming to San Marcos, the challenges ahead in the next year for the departments under them, and how you can best interact and provide feedback.