San Antonio council adopts FY2026 budget with fee increases, raises and additions for public safety

The San Antonio City Council on Sept. 18 adopted the city's fiscal year 2026 budget as amended by a package of council changes, approving operating, capital and appropriation ordinances and setting portions of the 2025 property tax rate.

City Manager Eric Walsh presented the amendments to the proposed FY2026 spending plan, telling the council that the package included 15 council amendments totaling $30,800,000 over two years and changes across both the general fund and multiple restricted funds. Walsh said the amendments fund a 2% across-the-board pay increase for civilian employees plus a $750 one-time base adjustment, shift some program expenses across funds and increase several user fees to generate new revenue.

The adopted amendments include a mix of new revenue, reallocated expenses and one-time capital commitments. Major elements cited by staff were: fee increases (including a parks environmental fee increase of 50 cents per month, higher food safety license fees and an increased vacant-building registration fee) estimated to generate about $9.1 million over the next two fiscal years; $12.5 million in general-fund amendments over two years; $8.2 million in adjustments across restricted funds to cover civilian pay changes; and a $10 million city-council capital allotment ($1 million per council district) from the capital program.

The council also restored and added targeted operating items, including funding for additional street lights, restored funding for minor home repair programs, restored some cultural and delegate-agency allocations and a set of public-health increases inside Metro Health's budget (including allocations for tuberculosis control, youth mental-health contracts and language access). The amendment list proposed adding 15 officers above the 25 originally proposed in the budget ' for a stated total of 40 additional patrol officers in the package.

Why it matters: The adopted package attempts to close a large structural gap while protecting core services, increasing entry-level pay and making one-time capital commitments; it also uses fee increases and restricted-fund adjustments to preserve service levels amid constrained fiscal capacity.

Key facts and council direction

- Total amendments presented: $30,800,000 over two years (Walsh's presentation). - General-fund amendment amount: approximately $12.5 million over two years. - New-fee revenue estimated: about $9.1 million (parks environmental fee +$0.50/month; food-safety license increases; vacant-building registration fee increases). - Civilian pay change: a 2% across-the-board adjustment plus a $750 one-time base payment intended to reduce compression and raise the floor for lowest-paid civilian employees. - Public-safety items: funding was added for officer hiring (the amendment combined proposals to reach 40 additional patrol officers overall), additional street-lighting and 1-time funding for community safety reserves to buy additional lighting. - Capital: $10,000,000 set aside in the capital program to be allocated as projects are selected after adoption.

Council discussion and votes

Council members both praised and critiqued parts of the package during an extended discussion that included public commenters, labor representatives and nonprofit leaders. Supporters said the changes protected core services, increased pay for city employees and preserved investments in infrastructure and delegate agencies. Critics raised concerns about relying on fee increases and about whether the council's commitments to police staffing matched earlier promises.

The council adopted the budget and associated ordinances (items 4 through 8 on the agenda) and later approved companion tax-rate ordinances and fee changes. Several votes were taken by voice; staff and council indicated that final adoption would allow the city to proceed with contracts and capital work starting Oct. 1.

Votes at a glance (formal actions recorded in the meeting)

- Item 4 (Ordinance): Adopt FY2026 consolidated operating and capital budgets and related budget actions (budget adoption). Outcome: approved (motion carried). - Item 5 (Ordinance): Set ad valorem city property tax rate to pay principal and interest at 21.15' per $100 of taxable valuation. Outcome: approved by voice vote. - Item 6 (Ordinance): Set ad valorem tax rate for maintenance and operation at 33.009' per $100 of taxable valuation. Outcome: approved by voice vote. - Item 7 (Ordinance): Amend fees within the FY2026 budget and update the city code to reflect the fee changes described in staff materials. Outcome: approved by voice vote. - Item 8 (Ordinance): Carry forward FY2025 funds and amend appropriations for city projects and departments. Outcome: approved by voice vote. - Separate action: Funding for the Center for Health Empowerment in South Texas (CHEST) was considered separately after the budget vote because a councilmember recused; council approved the funding after a separate motion and second.

Quotes

- City Manager Eric Walsh, presenting the amendment package: "The attached amendment list that has before you today includes a total of 15 city council amendments that total $30,800,000 over 2 years." (presentation to council) - Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, after adoption: "Passing a balanced budget is critical to moving our city forward, protecting vital services, and ensuring no disruption to the daily operations our community depends on." (remarks during final discussion)

Clarifying details extracted from the meeting

- "$30,800,000 over 2 years" is the total value Walsh cited for council amendments. - Fee changes were described as the primary near-term revenue source; the parks environmental fee increase was described as 50 cents per month. - Staff said the $10,000,000 council capital allotment will be available for district project selection after Oct. 1 and will require project selection and future implementation steps. - Metro Health-specific increases listed in Walsh's presentation included line items for tuberculosis control, youth mental-health contract increases and small language-access funds; Walsh described totals of roughly $430,000 of Metro Health increases across line items. - The amendments included a $1,900,000 net decrease in general-fund expense tied to moving an "Alamo promise" program expense into a different fund contingent on reporting and tracking requirements.

What the action does not do or does not prove

- The council did not specify, in the floor debate, exact hiring schedules for all 40 added officers; staff and the police department will carry out hiring and deployment decisions consistent with departmental needs and available budget. - The fee increases were presented as revenue estimates for FY26 and FY27; the schedule and final implementation of fee ordinances will be executed through the code-change ordinance adopted by the council.

Proper names

- San Antonio (city) - Metro Health (Department of Public Health, City of San Antonio) - Texas Municipal Retirement System (referenced in the budget caption)

Speakers (attributed where they provided substantive budget remarks)

- Gina Ortiz Jones, Mayor (City of San Antonio) - Eric Walsh, City Manager (City of San Antonio) - Chief McManus, Police Chief (San Antonio Police Department) - Councilmember Villagran (appeared in debate and made remarks on the budget) - Councilmember Castillo Anguiano (appeared in debate) - Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez (appeared in debate) - Councilmember White (appeared in debate) - Public commenters and nonprofit representatives who spoke during the budget public-comment period (e.g., representatives of the San Antonio Philharmonic and labor/grassroots speakers).

Actions (formal items captured from meeting)

- {"kind":"budget_adoption","identifiers":{"agenda_item_id":"4"},"motion":"Adopt FY2026 consolidated operating and capital budgets and related amendments as presented by the City Manager.","mover":"not specified","second":"not specified","vote_record":[],"tally":{},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Adopted with council amendments described in staff memo; specific fee ordinances adopted separately."}

- {"kind":"ordinance_adoption","identifiers":{"agenda_item_id":"5"},"motion":"Set ad valorem tax rate to pay principal and interest at 21.15¢ per $100 of taxable valuation for tax year 2025.","mover":"not specified","second":"not specified","vote_record":[],"tally":{},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Approved by voice vote."}

- {"kind":"ordinance_adoption","identifiers":{"agenda_item_id":"6"},"motion":"Set ad valorem tax rate for maintenance and operation at 33.009¢ per $100 of taxable valuation for tax year 2025.","mover":"not specified","second":"not specified","vote_record":[],"tally":{},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Approved by voice vote."}

- {"kind":"ordinance_adoption","identifiers":{"agenda_item_id":"7"},"motion":"Adopt fee ordinance amending fees in FY2026 budget and update city code accordingly.","mover":"not specified","second":"not specified","vote_record":[],"tally":{},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Approved by voice vote; fee increases described in staff memo."}

- {"kind":"ordinance_adoption","identifiers":{"agenda_item_id":"8"},"motion":"Carry forward FY2025 funds and amend appropriations for city projects and departments.","mover":"not specified","second":"not specified","vote_record":[],"tally":{},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Approved by voice vote."}

- {"kind":"other","identifiers":{},"motion":"Approve funding for the Center for Health Empowerment in South Texas (CHEST) as presented post-adoption, with recusal handled.","mover":"not specified","second":"not specified","vote_record":[],"tally":{},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Considered and approved separately after the budget adoption; a councilmember recused."}

Clarifying details (structured)

[{"category":"total_amendments","detail":"Council amendments total","value":30800000,"units":"USD","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Eric Walsh"},{"category":"general_fund_amendments","detail":"General fund amendments over two years","value":12500000,"units":"USD","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Eric Walsh"},{"category":"fee_revenue","detail":"Estimated revenue from fee increases over next two fiscal years","value":9100000,"units":"USD","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Eric Walsh"},{"category":"parks_fee","detail":"Parks environmental fee increase","value":0.50,"units":"USD per month","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Eric Walsh"},{"category":"civilians_pay","detail":"Civilian compensation change","value":"2% across-the-board plus $750 one-time base adjustment","source_speaker":"Eric Walsh"},{"category":"council_capital_allocation","detail":"City council capital allotment","value":10000000,"units":"USD","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Eric Walsh"},{"category":"additional_patrol_officers","detail":"Additional patrol officers in amendment package","value":40,"units":"headcount","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Eric Walsh"}]

Proper_names:[{"name":"San Antonio","type":"location"},{"name":"Metro Health","type":"agency"},{"name":"Texas Municipal Retirement System","type":"agency"}],

Provenance:{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"2389.415","local_start":0,"local_end":176,"evidence_excerpt":"So, overall, the attached amendment list that has before you today, includes a total of 15 city council amendments that total $30,800,000 over 2 years.","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"9699.314","local_start":0,"local_end":18,"evidence_excerpt":"Okay. The motion carries.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]}

Ending

The budget and related ordinances were adopted on Sept. 18 after public comment and extended council debate. The adopted package will allow staff to begin contract and project work on Oct. 1, and the council directed staff to monitor implementation and report back, especially on programs moved between funds and on hiring and deployment for public-safety positions.