San Antonio holds public hearing on $4 billion FY2026 budget; survivors' advocates and small businesses urge restored funding

SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio City Council held a public hearing Sept. 11 on the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget and ad valorem tax rate, hearing from city budget staff and dozens of public commentators who urged restoration of social-service contracts and financial support for small businesses affected by city construction.

Justina Tate, the city’s budget director, told the council the proposed FY2026 budget totals about $4 billion, composed of roughly $1.2 billion in restricted funds, $1.1 billion in the capital budget and about $1.7 billion in the general fund. Tate said the proposal includes no increase in the property tax rate, and that the city is offering nearly $152 million in property-tax relief through exemptions and freezes for seniors and others.

The hearing drew multiple speakers who urged the council to reverse or soften proposed funding cuts for victim-survivor services and to extend short-term contracts for nonprofits. Lisonbee Hamm Crozier, grants and impact manager at a local crisis center, said her organization exceeded contract performance goals — serving 441 clients in FY2024 and, she said, 653 survivors in the first months of FY2025 — and warned the agency’s consolidated funding allocation for FY2026 had been cut roughly in half. “This funding cut would result in the loss of part time advocacy positions that are crucial to providing an immediate response for every survivor,” she told the council, and she asked that funding be restored to FY2025 levels so advocates could continue statutory accompaniment and 24/7 crisis response.

Kayla Carter, chief executive of For Her, a local nonprofit, said her organization was earlier told it would receive a contract extension through May 2026 but learned in August that the city would not renew funding because some dollars were ARPA-funded and expire Sept. 30, 2025. Carter said the sudden gap would create a $92,000 shortfall from October through May and asked the council to allocate funds to cover that period while a competitive RFP process is completed.

Historic Market Square tenants also asked for help after being told a contractor would install a new HVAC system that will force 48 small businesses and more than 100 employees to vacate the Farmers Market building for roughly five months. “Without relief, many of these businesses will fail,” said Yvette Ramirez, president of the San Antonio Farmers Market Plaza Association, asking the council to continue the construction mitigation grant program and to create a written plan to help businesses during the work.

Tate alerted the council to some revenue and valuation shifts: certified property rolls show a roughly 9% drop in base values, while new values increased about 1.7 percent, she said. The budget presentation also noted adjustments tied to a new state law changing how food-establishment fees are assessed—beginning Dec. 1 fees would be based on gross sales volume rather than number of employees—and that fee changes are intended to partially recover inspection costs.

Council members and the mayor acknowledged the public concerns. Councilman Greg Brockhouse (recorded as Councilman White in the transcript) said he was “very pleased that we're not raising the tax rate” and urged continued efforts to reduce the tax burden on homeowners. The council closed the hearing after the public comments and set a formal adoption vote for Thursday, Sept. 18 at 9 a.m. in the Council Chamber.

City staff said the budget process will continue with two budget work sessions the following week before the council votes on Sept. 18. Several nonprofit speakers asked the council to prioritize maintaining immediate service levels for vulnerable residents while the city completes work to transition funding streams and issue future competitive solicitations.

The city’s budget documents and the schedule for final adoption are posted on the city website; residents seeking to speak at the Sept. 18 meeting must follow the council’s public-comment sign-up process.