09-23-2025 Special Session MinutesMINUTES
SPECIAL MEETING
September 23, 2025
A Special Meeting was held by the Schertz City Council of the City of Schertz, Texas, on
September 23, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. in the Hal Baldwin Municipal Complex Council Chambers,
1400 Schertz Parkway, Building #4, Schertz, Texas. The following members present to -wit:
Present: Mayor Ralph Gutierrez; Mayor Pro Tern Tim Brown; Councilmember Mark Davis;
Councilmember Michelle Watson; Councilmember Paul Macaluso; Councilmember
Ben Guerrero; Councilmember Robert Westbrook; Councilmember Allison Heyward
Staff City Manager Steve Williams; Deputy City Manager Brian James; City Attorney
present: Daniel Santee; Assistant City Manager Sarah Gonzalez; City Secretary Sheila
Edmondson; Deputy City Secretary Sheree Courney
Call to Order
Mayor Gutierrez called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m.
Hearing of Residents
This time is set aside for any person who wishes to address the City Council. Each person should
fill out the speaker's register prior to the meeting. Presentations should be limited to no more than
3 minutes.
All remarks shall be addressed to the Council as a body, and not to any individual member
thereof. Any person making personal, impertinent, or slanderous remarks while addressing the
Council may be requested to leave the meeting.
All handouts and/or USB devices must be submitted to the City Secretary no later than noon on
the Monday preceding the meeting. Handouts will be provided to each Councilmember prior to
the start of the meeting by the City Secretary. All USB devices will be vetted by City IT staff to
ensure City property is protected from malware.
No residents signed up to be heard.
Discussion and Action Items
1. Discussion on the Schertz Young Leaders Program's application process (Mayor Gutierrez)
Mayor Gutierrez opened the discussion by stating that the Schertz Young Leaders Program
is one of the most valuable ways of preparing our next generation of leaders and was not
being canceled. The success of this program has been extraordinary. The discussion slated
for this meeting was to identify who the program should primarily serve and to ensure it
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fulfills its primary purpose. This program not only carries our city's name, it reflects our
city's values and is designed to give young people the tools and experiences to become
tomorrow's leaders. There are a total of 12 seats available for this program. This year there
are 24 applications, 9 of which are for students who do not live in Schertz. The question for
council is, do we ensure the investment continues to prioritize Schertz students, giving them
the opportunity they deserve, or do we open more seats to other communities at their
expense? I believe Schertz youth should come first.
After brief discussion, everyone recognized the importance of, and need for, leadership
training. Council consensus was not to make any changes to the application and/or
selection process for the current year. Changes to the program should be considered prior
to opening the application process in future years. Most councilmembers agreed that
students residing in Schertz should have priority since the program is funded by Schertz
taxpayers.
Councilmember Heyward reminded Council that this program was created as a partnership
with SCUCISD, so all students within SCUCISD should have the same consideration. She
stated that although the funding comes from Schertz taxpayers, the tax impact to fund the
program is only 75 cents per resident.
Councilmember Macaluso clarified that although SCUCISD is a partner, there is not a
requirement that students be from an SCUCISD school to participate.
According to Parks and Recreation Director Lauren Shrum, who stated she couldn't speak
for the school district, but in 2022, when the program was presented, SCUCISD agreed
they would provide curricular excused absences and transportation for students in their
schools. That is their contribution to the program. Ms. Shrum stated that historically, the
city of Schertz has had an "open to all" mindset for its programs, citing the Senior Center
as one example. She added that students from Davenport High School (Comal ISD) can
participate, but they have to work with their principal for curricular excused absences
and/or transportation. Ms. Shrum closed her comments with a suggestion of adding
percentage points based on Schertz residency to the Rubik for selection of participants to
give them an edge.
Mayor Gutierrez closed the discussion by indicating that staff had been given direction by
Council on proceeding as scheduled and bringing it back to council.
Adjournment
Mayor Gutierrez adjourned the meeting at 6:56 p.m.
errez, Mayor
ATTEST:
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Sheree Courney, Deputy City Secret
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