Cibolo council approves $72M budget, tax rate increase for 2025-26 fiscal year
The city of Cibolo now has an approved $72.07 million budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year. At the Sept. 18 Cibolo city council meeting, council approved the budget 5-2, with council members Joel Hicks and Norma Sanchez-Stephens dissenting.
What you need to know: The city’s FY 2025-26 general fund has $24.56 million in revenues and $24.89 million in expenses, with the majority of revenue coming from property taxes.
At the meeting, council also approved the city tax rate of $0.5226 per $100 valuation, which is a 4.72% increase from the FY 2024-25 rate of $0.4490 per $100 valuation. According to Director of Finance Anna Miranda, the average homeowner will pay $13.78 more on an annual tax bill from the prior fiscal year.
Local Filipino restaurant and market to expand in Universal City
A local hotspot for international grocery items and authentic Filipino cuisine is set to receive a new addition soon.
In case you missed it: M.Y. Chockdee Oriental Market & Restaurant, located at 119 E. Lindbergh Blvd. in Universal City, will soon have a new dessert shop inside the store.
Owner Merle Ramirez said she expects it to open sometime in October.
What’s on the menu: The new section of the establishment will primarily offer up Halo-halo, a traditional Filipino dessert.
It’s made from shaved ice and milk, filled with various tropical fruits, nuts, syrups and more, Ramirez said.
Thousands of Texas businesses barred from selling THC to customers under 21
Many Texas retailers can no longer sell consumable THC products to customers under 21 years old after the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission approved two emergency rules Sept. 23.
The overview: The new rules, which were drafted after Gov. Greg Abbott issued a Sept. 10 executive order requesting tighter THC regulations, apply only to retailers that sell alcohol. The rules state that businesses may not sell, serve or deliver consumable hemp products to minors and must check all customers' IDs before selling them THC products.
Zooming in: About 60,000 Texas businesses hold TABC licenses and will be prohibited from selling THC products to minors. Those businesses include bars, restaurants, liquor stores, grocery stores and some convenience stores.
However, the rule does not apply to THC retailers that do not sell alcohol or have a TABC license, such as smoke shops, gas stations or online sellers. The TABC and the Texas Department of State Health Services are working to determine how to best enforce age restrictions for THC retailers that do not sell alcohol, agency spokespeople said.
FOODIE FRIDAY Check out these new restaurants and bars opening across the San Antonio area.
A local crêperie and coffee shop has opened its second restaurant in Northeast San Antonio.
Crepeccino opened on Sept. 13 at 857 Cibolo Valley Drive, Ste. 208. This is the coffee shop's second location in the region, with another located at 5500 Babcock Road, Ste. 104 in San Antonio proper.
Owner Bara Ekhlayel said their goal from the beginning was to expand.
"When searching for a new brick-and-mortar, we fell in love with the community of Cibolo,” Ekhlayel said in an email to Community Impact.
😋 Local Filipino restaurant and market to expand in Universal City (Read more)
☕️ Gruene Coffee Haus to expand with new roasting facility (Read more)
🥩 Texas Roadhouse celebrates 25 years in Live Oak (Read more)
After leaving Manchester, England, for a work trip to Texas, Robb Kelly said he never looked back.
That was almost two decades ago—now, he’s a local practicing recovery specialist and owner of The Olde English Tea Shoppe & Cafe, an authentic British cafe and restaurant in North San Antonio.
Classic British dishes are served at every meal, from the full English breakfast ($19.95) in the morning to entrees like Bangers and Mash ($18.95) in the afternoon, according to the menu.
The most popular item, Kelly said, is the traditional Fish and Chips, hand-breaded and complete with fries and mashed peas.
Bentley Motors to open first retail showroom in San Antonio area
A luxury car manufacturer is expanding its presence in North America, planning to add a new showroom near the Alamo City.
What’s happening? Bentley Motors is currently building a new showroom at 27605 I-10, north of San Antonio, dealership staff told Community Impact.
Currently, there’s no timeline on when it could open to the public.
It’s situated beside the Lamborghini San Antonio dealership and will be operated by the same ownership and staff.
The full story: The UK-based automaker also has showrooms in Austin, Dallas and Houston, with a total of 62 locations across the United States, according to their showroom locator.
Earlier this summer, Bentley Motors announced the opening of two more showrooms in addition to San Antonio—one in Santa Barbara, California and another in the Toronto, Canada area.
“These new retail points allow us to meet growing demand in key markets while delivering the bespoke, customer-centric experience that defines Bentley,” Jun Watanabe, the senior director of sales and operations for Bentley, said in a news release.
