Axios San Antonio

September 26, 2024
🪜 It's Thursday! Time to climb down the ladder.
🌞 Today's weather: Clear skies. High of 90, low in the mid 60s.
🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios San Antonio member Chelle Honiker!
🏞️ Situational awareness: Enjoy free entry to national parks on Saturday as part of National Public Lands Day. Maybe it's finally time for that road trip to Big Bend?
Today's newsletter is 804 words — a 3-minute read.
1 big thing: Texas company's tech glitches
A Texas-based technology firm has built a multibillion-dollar business out of helping local governments break up with their archaic systems, but it's caused issues in San Antonio and elsewhere.
Why it matters: Tyler Technologies doesn't have major competitors, giving it a near-monopoly on the public sector nationwide, per Bloomberg.
Zoom in: Bexar County rolled out a new Odyssey system from Tyler in early June to manage its criminal case system. Problems arose immediately, multiple local news outlets reported.
- Some people couldn't get out of Bexar County Jail for days, despite paying bond, per KENS.
- The system incorrectly listed innocent people as guilty, NEWS 4 reported.
- Nearly two months after its rollout, in July, issues remained, per KSAT.
What they're saying: State District Court Judge Velia Meza told KSAT that victims and defendants weren't seeing their cases resolved.
- "Before I could hear 60 to 70 cases on a Monday, and now we're doing about half of that," Meza said in July.
The latest: Bexar County spokesperson Isaac Neri tells Axios the county has not received reports of more glitches.
The big picture: Tyler's products span construction permitting, police dispatching, jail booking, property appraising, campground reservations, restaurant inspecting, cannabis licensing and school bus tracking, per Bloomberg.
North Carolina used Tyler software to manage its court system, and counties also encountered glitches that led to problems — including inaccurate speeding tickets and wrongful arrests, per Bloomberg.
The other side: Tyler tells Bloomberg it has a 98% client retention rate and that the vast majority of its implementations are fine.
- "When you start changing processes, all it takes is one or two users to not get it or to not want to do it differently," chief operating officer Jeff Puckett told Bloomberg.
What's next: Tyler will host its Tyler Connect conference for product training in San Antonio in May 2025.
2. America's fastest-growing job is here

Want a career in America's fastest-growing field? Look right here in Texas for jobs in wind energy.
Why it matters: Wind turbine service technician is the hottest job in the country, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with 60% growth projected from 2023 to 2033.
Driving the news: Texas has the highest number of wind energy jobs overall, at nearly 27,400, per the 2024 U.S. Energy & Employment Jobs Report, an annual U.S. Department of Energy analysis.
- That's almost triple that of the next-highest state, Illinois, which has about 9,400.
Context: Texas has led the U.S. in wind energy production for the past 17 years, per the Texas comptroller's office.
Zoom in: Wind companies in Texas are expected to need about 700 more wind service turbine technicians by the end of next year, per the Texas Tribune.
- Most technician salaries range from $47,000 to $93,000, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Yes, but: If you land a wind turbine technician job, expect to burn a lot of miles on the road — they're generally located in flat, rural areas, where the wind blows most earnestly.
What we're reading: This Texas Monthly Q&A with a wind turbine technician.
- This book (co-written by our Axios Austin colleague Asher Price), about the politics of the Texas wind industry, is obviously hands-down the best book ever written on the topic.
3. Inside the Loop
🍖 Another H-E-B in the San Antonio area is expected to get a True Texas BBQ in Schertz. (SA Current)
📄 San Antonio-based financial services giant USAA has confirmed a second round of layoffs this year, five months after the company cut 220 employees. (San Antonio Report)
🪗 Tejano band Grupo Siggno is seeking the public's assistance after approximately $200,000 in equipment and merchandise was stolen from their U-Haul in San Antonio. (My SA)
4. Texas Book Festival highlights McConaughey
The Texas Book Festival recently announced its lineup, and some events will be worth the trek to Austin.
Why it matters: It's a weekend in November when writers get to feel like rock stars, and readers get to show out their fandom.
Circle the date: The big headliner this year is film star Matthew McConaughey, in conversation with director Richard Linklater, at 4pm Nov. 17 at First Baptist Church.
- Tickets for that session, which include a copy of McConaughey's book "Greenlights," are $35, but nearly all the other sessions at the fest are free.
What we're eyeing: The festival will feature 275 authors. We're looking forward to:
- San Antonio's Jenny Browne on the new book "Texas, Being: A State of Poems."
- Marcela Fuentes on her new book "Malas," which follows a family living on the Texas-Mexico border and a curse across generations.
- San Antonio's Susan Toomey Frost on her book "Witness to War," a visual account of the 1914 U.S. invasion of Mexico.
- Hanif Abdurraqib talking about "There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension."
What they're saying: "This year's festival weekend will feature a diverse ensemble of literary voices to engage readers of all ages," TBF literary director Hannah Gabel said in a statement.
Thanks to our editors Chloe Gonzales and Bob Gee.
🎃 Madalyn is excited for all of the Halloween-themed fun she has planned throughout October.
📚 Megan wants to go to the Texas Book Festival again this year.
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