Bexar County court approves change memo to FY2025–26 budget, adds public-safety positions and equipment and sets modest reserves

Bexar County Commissioners Court on Sept. 8 reviewed a change memorandum to the proposed fiscal year 2025–26 operating and capital budget and voted to include the memo in the package they will consider at a public hearing the following day.

The court’s budget and finance director, Tanya Gaetan, told the court the change memo reflects roughly $14 million in additional estimated revenues — $3.6 million for FY2025 and $10 million for FY2026 — and a series of baseline and program adjustments across multiple funds. Gaetan said the county’s projected general-fund ending balance for FY2025–26 was $223.8 million before the adjustments in the memo.

The change memo includes personnel authorizations and funding for courts and public safety, interfund transfers for vehicle purchases, election-related contingencies and a proposed 3% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) countywide. It also directs a portion of the new revenue to reserves: court discussion referenced allocating about $2.0 million to $2.1 million for contingency reserves rather than spending the full $14 million windfall.

Why it matters: The court’s long-range financial forecast shows a structural gap in the 2028–29 fiscal year unless revenue growth changes or spending is reduced. Commissioners and staff repeatedly returned to that forecast in questioning how much of the additional revenue should be spent now versus saved to narrow an anticipated future shortfall.

Key changes and amounts discussed

- General fund balances and revenue: Gaetan said the general fund ending balance presented in August was $223.8 million; auditors’ adjustments and updated estimates added roughly $14 million in expected revenue across FY2025 and…