San Juan adopts 2025–26 budget after extended public comments on taxes, water and services

The San Juan City Commission approved an ordinance adopting the city budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2025 and ending Sept. 30, 2026 after a second and final public hearing and public comment period.

City staff presented the budget at the second and final hearing and recommended adoption. After public commenters raised multiple questions and commissioners discussed the item, a motion to approve was seconded by Commissioner Gatson and carried by voice vote.

The hearing drew lengthy public comment about how the budget will affect residents. One resident who spoke during the hearing objected to language in the budget documents that said keeping the same tax rate would reduce taxes. The resident said, "keeping the same tax rate would decrease taxes" is inaccurate and warned that most taxpayers will see increases because property values rose. The speaker cited figures in the budget documents that, in the speaker's reading, showed the city collected about $8.2 million last year and expected about $8.9 million this year.

Public commenters also pressed the city on a police budget line labeled in the document as "immigration custom enforcement," which a speaker said had been increased from $2,000 to $15,000. City staff told the commission that the line refers to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) reimbursements and not a separate ICE task force. City staff said the wording will be corrected in the published documents because the printed budget had…