A:  As the seventh-largest city in the United States, San Antonio is a diverse, progressive, and globally competitive city.  According to the 2010 Census, the city consists of 1.3 million residents in 467 square miles.  San Antonio is experiencing solid economic growth in 21^st century industries such as bioscience, healthcare, and IT.  San Antonio's economy has remained steady and prosperous by successfully attracting new businesses and helping existing companies grow. 

Q: What value does the IHN Local Government Membership bring to your city?  

A:  Being a part of the International Hispanic Network (IHN) is a great experience for employees within our City and allows everyone to get involved in the Hispanic community.  As a part of our commitment to the organization, the City of San Antonio hosted the 2012 International Hispanic Network Conference.  This allowed members to enhance their professional development and learn about what issues face Hispanics within the community.  And for over 30 years, the City of San Antonio has served as a partner in the development and growth of the IHN organization.

Q:  How does being a Local Government Member of IHN help with your commitment to diversity?

A:  I have always been a strong advocate for attracting and developing a diverse workforce.  It's critical that our organization reflects the make-up for our community.  Being a part of IHN allows employees within our organization to become part of a network that is committed to diversity and to become well- rounded individuals involved in an organization dedicated to the Hispanic community. 

Q:  What kinds of leadership efforts does IHN provide that benefit your employees and your organization?  

A:  Being a part of IHN gives our employees the chance to enhance their professional development and provide them with the opportunity to network.  These key aspects of IHN will allow members of IHN to continue their professional growth in the field of public service within our community, as well as become an asset to the organization as a whole.   

Benefit From Frequently Overlooked Tax Breaks

You may be able to take advantage of the following tax breaks when filing your 2013 return this spring.

Tax breaks for college. If you're paying for your children's college education, the American Opportunity Credit can cut your tax bill by up to $2,500 per student for each of their first four years of college. To qualify, your adjusted gross income must be less than $90,000 if single or filing as head of household, or $180,000 if married filing jointly. The credit is worth 100 percent of the first $2,000 you pay for tuition, fees, and books (not room and board) and 25 percent of the next $2,000. See Publication 970 Tax Benefits for Education at www.irs.gov. 

Credit for childcare.You can get the dependent-care credit if you pay for a babysitter, nanny, daycare, preschool, before- or after-school care, or day camp for a child who is younger than 13 so you can work or look for work. Both spouses must have earnings from a job or self-employment. The credit is worth 20 to 35 percent of the cost of care, depending on your income. Up to $3,000 in care costs count for one child or $6,000 for two or more children. There's no income limit - if you earn $43,000 or more, you can still cut your tax bill by up to $1,200 if you have $6,000 in care costs for two or more kids. See Publication 503 Child and Dependent Care Expenses at www.irs.gov. 

Breaks for home improvements.You could cut your tax bill by up to $500 if you made certain energy-efficient home improvements in 2013. The break applies to 10 percent of the purchase price (not installation costs) of certain insulation materials, energy-efficient windows ($200 limit for windows), external doors and skylights and certain roofing materials. You can count both materials and labor costs for certain central air conditioners, electric heat pumps and water heaters, up to $300 for each item (with a limit of $500 for the total credit). These breaks only apply if you haven't taken $500 in tax credits for home improvements since 2006 (although you can get extra breaks for larger purchases, such as installing solar panels). For more information, see www.energystar.gov.  

Help your spouse save. You usually need to have earned income to contribute to an IRA, but if your spouse has very little earned income or doesn't earn an income but you do, you can contribute up to $5,500 to an IRA on his or her behalf (or $6,500 if 50 or older). You still have until April 15, 2014, to contribute to an IRA for 2013. This can pay off if one spouse is retired, unemployed or staying home with the kids while the other is working. The IRA can be a Roth if your joint income is less than $188,000 (the contribution amount phases out if your joint income is more than $178,000). See Publication 590 Individual Retirement Arrangements at www.irs.gov. 

Get more money in your paychecks. It may feel good to get a tax refund, but wouldn't you rather get more money in your paycheck every month? Adjust your tax withholding and send less money to the IRS throughout the year - the more allowances you claim on the W-4 form filed with your employer, the less tax will be withheld. For help figuring how many allowances to claim, see IRS Publication 919 How Do I Adjust My Tax Withholding? or use the withholding calculator at www.irs.gov. Then fill out a new W-4 form and submit it to your employer. You should see higher take-home pay as soon as your next payday. 

- Establishing partnerships with universities to address issues of importance to Latino communities 

- Hispanic Local Government Data Base 

- Discussion Theme: Increasing IHN membership by providing enhanced benefits and services

- Fundraising Update

- Hispanic City Manager Database
- Individual Committee Presentations

- Committees Role and Purpose and Proposed Priorities and Strategies for 2014  

- Strategies for Expanding Committee Membership 

-  Proposed ICMA task force to be appointed by incoming President Jim Bennett for 2014-15 address the short- and long-term challenges of being more inclusive and the challenge of how to groom leaders of tomorrow.