During the Jan. 7 meeting, Council member Bridal raised concerns about a rise in the city's municipal water consumption between 2021 and 2022 and asked staff to examine policies encouraging or requiring drought-tolerant landscaping (referred to in the meeting as "zero-scape" or xeriscaping).

Bridal cited municipal energy and water-use data for Universal City from 2020 to 2023 and said an average comparison around 2021'22 shows roughly a 45% increase in water consumption. He asked the council to consider requiring a minimum percentage of xeriscaping for new developments, with the possibility of ramping requirements upward if water scarcity worsens.

Council members expressed caution about mandatory requirements. Several members preferred studying incentive programs first'for example, utility-bill credits or grants for property owners who choose xeriscaping'rather than imposing requirements that could raise development costs in a near-built-out city. One council member suggested targeting incentives to sites with higher water use; another suggested seeking corporate or external grants through the Economic Development Corporation for business retrofits.

City staff said they would research the request, including looking at historical water-use data for a five- or six-year period to identify where usage rose, and they agreed to invite a water expert such as a representative from SAWS (San Antonio Water System) or a water-conservation organization to brief the council. Staff also noted earlier resident outreach on the issue and credited a resident, Jan Hughes, for previously raising the topic.

Next steps: staff will prepare options and bring back findings, including a historical water-use audit and possible incentive models, and will schedule a presentation with an external water-conservation expert.