San Antonio unveils proposed 2026–27 budget as council debates cuts, shelter funding and police hires

Mayor Johnson called the Aug. 14 San Antonio City Council meeting to order and the council received the city manager’s proposed budget framework for fiscal 2026–27, a two-year approach that staff said is intended to protect essential services while addressing an estimated shortfall.

The budget presentation by Erick, a city staff member leading the proposal, laid out headline figures and priorities and scheduled public workshops and hearings: “el presupuesto municipal con los fondos restringidos, el fondo general, el el presupuesto capital es de 4.4 billones de dólares,” Erick said during the presentation. He also said the proposed general fund is approximately $1.69 billion and described a “déficit combinado” of nearly $173,000,000 across the two years as presented.

Why it matters: the proposal would keep the city’s property tax rate at the level presented and uses a mix of spending reductions, targeted fee increases and one-time investments to avoid raising the tax rate while trying to protect services for vulnerable residents.

What staff proposed and emphasized - Staff framed the plan as a two-year budgeting approach to sustain services while narrowing a structural gap. Erick said the process will include a series of district town halls beginning Aug. 18 and final adoption is scheduled for Sept. 18. - Major line items highlighted: a proposed capital budget that Erick described as $4.4 billion (presentation language), a proposed general fund near $1.69 billion, and proposed position and pay adjustments across city departments. The presentation identified 13,723 existing budgeted positions (as stated in the presentation) and proposed reductions of 68 positions with 35 of…