Supporters of a proposed San Antonio Trades Advisory Board told the Governance Committee on Wednesday that a worker-centered advisory body would give city laborers a formal voice on construction and other publicly funded projects. Staff recommended no further action citing legal and budget constraints; the committee voted to continue the item and asked for a redlined version of the CCR attachment and an estimate of staff costs before sending it to committee.

The proposal, filed by Council members Terry Castillo and Jalen McKee Rodriguez, asks the city to create a trades advisory board (TAB) that would provide “formal input and recommendations on city projects, workforce policies, and economic development initiatives” and to launch a one-year pilot focused on city-funded construction projects and infrastructure. "The Trades Advisory Board is not a regulatory burden. It is a safeguard for workers who power this industry," read a letter cited during the discussion.

Labor speakers who signed up for public comment described on-the-job risks and urged the council to approve the advisory board. Dale Hansen of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 60 said, “I believe that even with HB 21 27 on the books at the state level, I think if the council were to implement this, I think it would be a net positive because it would at least give workers a voice on city projects.” A representative identifying themself as the president of the San Antonio AFL-CIO Central Labor Council said, “We respectfully urge council members to support the creation of the San Antonio Trades Advisory Board.” James May of the San Antonio Building Trades Council said, "We just respectfully ask that you listen to the voice that does build what you stand [on]."

City staff said the charter prevents delegating council oversight to another body, limiting any TAB to purely advisory functions, and that the duties described in the CCR read like enforcement authority in places. Staff also noted the city currently has personnel overseeing prevailing wage requirements but would need additional staff and monitoring to implement the dashboard and broader compliance work requested in the CCR.

Council members said they support the intent but want legal language that clearly frames the TAB as advisory and want a fuller sense of the budget and staffing needed. City attorneys agreed they could prepare a redline of the attachment to align it with charter constraints. Councilwoman Kerri Clark moved that staff return with a redlined Attachment A and a financial staffing estimate; the motion to continue passed.

The committee did not adopt the TAB as proposed at Wednesday's meeting. Members who support the idea said the next step is a detailed committee review of a legally compliant, advisory-only version that includes clear scope and a budget for administration.

Votes and formal direction: the Governance Committee continued the CCR with instructions that staff produce an edited (redlined) Attachment A that removes any language implying delegation or enforcement authority and that staff provide a cost estimate for the proposed monitoring and dashboard functions.

Provenance: Public comments about item 12 began in the hearing’s public-comment period and the formal CCR discussion occurred near the end of the agenda; the committee’s request for a redline and cost estimate closed the discussion.