In a thirty minute lone State of the City address dubbed 'A City With Heart,' Mayor Ivy Taylor this afternoon stressed the city's strong growth, especially in the tech sector, at a time when other major cities nationwide are shedding jobs, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
The mayor cited specific companies in place in San Antonio, like locally based Xenex Technologies, and it's germ zapping robots.
'"In less than five minutes, using pulse xenon gas, their device can reduce infections by fifty to 100 percent," the mayor said. "It even works against Ebola, anthrax, and drug resistant superbugs."
The mayor pointed to accomplishments like working with the San Antonio Police Officers Association to come up with a new contract after two years of stalemates.
She said there have been many initiatives during her term, including a new cooperation with Austin and the cities up and down the I-35 corridor to work on transportation issues which are important to the entire region.
"I am convinced that our area, one of the fastest growing in the nation, will be the next great metropolitan corridor."Taylor said she will establish a Mayor's Commission, possibly headed by retiring north side Councilman Joe Krier, to make a final determination on the future of the city's airport.
The current airport is landlocked between neighborhoods and cannot grow to accommodate the new level of flights required to support the nation's seventh largest city. It is because of that that many popular new airlines, like Virgin, are flying out of Austin Bergstrom and not San Antonio International.
There has been talk of building a new airport outside the built up part of the city, developing either Stinson Field or Port San Antonio as a second major passenger airport, like Love Field in Dallas or Houston Hobby, or even partnering with Austin on a major regional international airport, like D/FW.
The mayor also called on the city to take action regarding immigrants.
"We must come together, with one voice, to affirm the positive historical impact of immigrants from all over the globe to San Antonio," she said.
While not mentioning President Trump or the border wall, Taylor said it is critical for the city to continue to maintain good relations with Mexico and to protect the North American Free Trade Agreement.