March 8, 2024
Friends and Neighbors –
The past several months have been very busy in the Precinct 3 office. We’ve been attending HOA meetings, working on Commissioners Court agenda items, answering emails and calls, making site visits to areas of concern, and on the political side I’ve been campaigning for re-election (and as you may have heard, we won!).
In January, I attended a solidarity mission to Israel to view first-hand the carnage caused by the Hamas terrorists and had the solemn opportunity to meet with family members of the victims and hostages to hear their stories. It was an impactful trip, not just from my perspective being a Marine combat veteran and an elected official who understands Israel’s right and duty to defend its borders from these terrorists, but also as a husband and father who would fight to keep my family safe from harm.
In February, I took a trip down to the border in Eagle Pass to see all of the good work that our Border Patrol and Texas National Guard are doing to protect our borders. I’ve mentioned this before, and I’ll say it again – our federal government has failed us on the border, and we need them to do more to get this under control. This crisis at the border directly impacts us here in Bexar County, and not just the financial burden it puts on our courts, jail, schools, and hospitals. It puts our safety at risk as well. It’s imperative that we keep pressure on the federal government to act effectively and decisively to secure our border.
Here’s an update on what’s occurred recently in our Precinct and what’s coming up soon.
Recently at Commissioners Court, I led an effort to fix a decade old sewage issue at Timberwood Villas using federal ARPA dollars (as opposed to local tax dollars). The issue had already been to mediation several times before, and its final mediation occurred in late 2023, leaving a funding gap that needed to be closed in order to finally fix a sewage issue that has plagued the homeowners, threatened the greater Timberwood Park residents, and was also deemed to be an environmental hazard to the Edwards Aquifer by the County’s Environmental Services Department. This process was tedious and started in January 2023 when the neighbors came to my office and asked for help. My team and I worked hard to resolve this terrible situation not just for the Timberwood Villas, but for all of Bexar County. I’m proud to say we got it done.
There are many projects that my team and I are currently working on, and fighting for our neighbors and taxpayers is something we consider a badge of honor. As your Commissioner, I pledge to continue to do my best to serve Precinct 3, and my team will always provide you with the highest level of customer service.
To that end, we have heard from our neighbors in Cibolo Canyons who are concerned about a potential land swap to be decided by US Fish and Wildlife. After hearing the neighbors concerns and attending meetings with them, we submitted our comments to US Fish and Wildlife asking them to carefully consider all of the concerns and comments provided by the numerous neighbors and to not allow any further development of land designated for conservation in their neighborhood. We have also been working with several of our suburban cities on projects and issues that are important to them, including Grey Forest, Helotes, Castle Hills, and Fair Oaks Ranch. As the County continues to experience rapid growth, there will be many issues that we will need to work through together. I pride myself on being a problem solver, and bringing folks together to work through issues is something I fully put into practice. Our team looks forward to working on these and any other important issues in the year ahead.
Speaking of Growing Pains —
Recently, neighbors in Timberwood Park brought forward concerns they had with rampant apartment development along the 281 corridor. All it takes is a drive along any major corridor in Precinct 3 to see that we are literally bursting at the seams with new developments and apartments along 1604, 281 and I10. Unfortunately, the County doesn’t have a lot of tools or authority when it comes to managing development as our powers are granted by the Texas Constitution and the State Legislature. When projects are within the city of San Antonio city limits, they have the ability to affect zoning and could slow down or even stop some developments. We do our best to weigh in on projects that we feel could be problematic to our existing neighborhoods, negatively impact our schools, and cause rampant traffic issues. We may not always win these arguments with City Council, but nevertheless, it is important that they know where we stand on these important issues.
Here is an example letter I sent to Councilman John Courage to express my concerns, and the concerns of our neighbors with a project that he was supporting along 281:
Please stay engaged with our office and let us know of your concerns. We love to serve you!
Commissioners Court
How I View Court items
Every Commissioners Court meeting provides me an opportunity to weigh in on a variety of issues that are important to Precinct 3. Sometimes these issues are topics that I fundamentally oppose, such as legacy funding for programs that have received County funding year over year but have failed to provide concrete metrics to prove a return on investment. I also scour the agendas for programs that are inefficient or should be funded by means other than tax dollars. I invite all of you to read the Commissioners Court agendas and let me know if there are items that you support or have concerns with so that I can ensure that we take those points into consideration.
About Commissioners Court
Commissioners Court is on Tuesdays, generally twice a month at the Double Height Courtroom in the historic Bexar County Courthouse located at 100 Dolorosa. You can see a calendar of when we will meet or hold work sessions here: Work Session Calendar
Commissioners Court meetings begin at 9am and are open to the public. If you are unable to make it to the meeting, you can watch it online at Commissioners Court Live Broadcast or on the local public access channel. I encourage all of you to tune in or come to Court to see your County government in action.
I will use this part of the newsletter to continue highlighting Commissioners Court wins and will provide you updates on important issues coming before us. You can also see current Court agendas here: Court Agenda
Again, if you ever see an item on a Commissioners Court agenda that you have concerns about, please contact my office and let me know.
As you will see, the overwhelming majority of items on our agendas are not political and are items that the County has to address due to state statutes, or items that are related to important capital improvements across the county. When an item comes up that I believe is wasteful spending of your tax dollars or is contrary to our conservative values, I will challenge it. You can count on me to raise my concerns, argue valid and reasonable points, garner the support of my colleagues, and, if unsuccessful, vote “No”.
Recent Events
I had a great meeting recently with Texas Transportation Commissioner, Alex Meade, to discuss important projects in and around Precinct 3.
Building and maintaining relationships with the leaders at TXDoT will help us achieve our infrastructure goals, which is why I created this quarterly meeting with leaders at TXDoT, Comal County, Bexar County Public Works, Mayor and Council members of Fair Oaks Ranch, and County Commissioners from Kendall County.
In January, I met with Emergency Services District leadership at Leon Springs Station in ESD 4.
We had a productive discussion about the needs of Emergency Services Districts in the near and long term. The County is committed to continually providing excellent emergency response services to our constituents, and these meetings help make it possible.
It was great to speak with the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Council and for the members to ask thoughtful questions during the extended Q&A.
The courtroom was filled on January 23rd with homeowners from the Villas at Timberwood.
Retirees, single mothers, and other hard-working families took hours out of their days to attend this Court session and learn whether or not funding would be approved for their catastrophic septic system issue.
There were several moving stories about the trying situation these homeowners were left to deal with, and many tears were shed.
I brought this issue before the other Commissioners with high hopes that funding to help fix the overburdened septic system would be approved. When it was voted on and passed, you could see more tears flowing, this time accompanied by sighs of relief.
THIS is the kind of lasting impact my team and I work tirelessly to make for our constituents in Pct 3, and we’ve only just begun.
At the Jewish Federation of San Antonio, I recapped my solidarity mission to Israel with a room full of attendees.
We had a great turn out and highlighted the importance of keeping the hostages lives and maintaining truth at the forefront.
Bexar County stands with Israel!
This month, I visited ESD 8 President Mario Hune and Fire Chief Shane Reddout to learn about their plans for their future additional fire station and more.
I had a fun time at the Cowboy Breakfast at the Walker Ranch Senior Center!
Before leaving Israel, I met with and presented Matan Kahana, a member of the Knesset, with the Bexar County proclamation, “Stand with Israel”.
In Bexar County we stand with our friends and allies. Hamas, a terrorist organization, must be defeated or the bloodshed, hostages, and murders will continue.
In The News
My Team’s Efforts on Cibolo Canyons and the Golden-Cheeked Warbler Habitat
My Thoughts on the DA’s Use of Outside Political Group for Cases in Bexar County
A Huge Win and a Sigh of Relief for Our Neighbors in Timberwood Villas
My Solidarity Trip to Israel and My Perspective as a Retired Marine
My Concerns About a HUGE Local Investment for EV Infrastructure
What Constituents Are Saying…
For Bexar County,
Bexar County Commissioner, Grant Moody
