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 those positions reported as covered through reassignment or other measures. - Public safety: staff proposed adding sworn positions for police and firefighters. Erick said the police proposal includes new positions intended to move toward a longer-term staffing goal; the presentation referred to 53 new police positions in the proposed budget and additional planned hires tied to academy classes and patrol needs. The fire budget included funding for squad units and staffing evaluations and for two new stations under construction. - Homelessness and shelter funding: the proposed budget includes an additional $4.8 million for a low-barrier shelter (described in the presentation as extending existing funds through October 2025 and continuing operations). Erick framed the low-barrier shelter as a bridge to longer-term housing solutions while councilmembers pressed for usage and cost details. - Fees and revenue adjustments: staff proposed updates to various fees (alarm permits, food-establishment inspections, parking and traffic fines) that the presentation said have not been adjusted in years and would be reviewed in upcoming workshops.

Council response and debate Councilmembers engaged in substantive questioning and pushed staff for more detail and options: - Several councilmembers asked for a larger employee cost-of-living adjustment than the 2% proposed in the draft. Councilmember Castillo Anguiano and others explicitly requested a 3% increase for lower-paid workers. - Multiple members pressed for clearer, district-level plans for sidewalks, street maintenance and public lighting and asked staff to present maps and prioritization criteria during the workshops. Councilmember Alderete Gabito requested a public-facing map showing street maintenance scores and the last repair date for transparency to residents. - On public safety, Councilmember White and others urged the council to accelerate recruitment to secure more sworn officers, with the council discussing the difference between adding 25 hires in the near term versus the 65 positions the administration flagged for transfer to airport security. Councilmembers asked staff to model scenarios showing how to fund and phase more hires. - On homelessness, council members from multiple districts sought more information about how the $4.8 million low-barrier shelter would be used, who would be served (San Antonio residents vs. nonresidents), occupancy and rejection rates, and the per-person cost. Councilmember White asked whether the shelter funds are the best investment versus alternative uses. - Several councilmembers asked staff to return with program-level outcomes for delegated agencies (nonprofit partners), noting the proposed budget reduces delegated funding modestly and requests more performance reporting.

Formal actions and procedural items recorded in the transcript - Consent agenda: the council moved and approved the consent agenda with specified exceptions (item 12B was removed from consent). (Outcome: approved; mover/second not specified in transcript excerpt.) - Budget presentation (article 3): staff presented the proposed budget; this item was a presentation and not a formal vote. (Action: presentation, outcome: no formal vote recorded.) - Ordinance setting property tax rate (article 4): the caption was read for an ordinance related to property tax rates and public comment was held (Jack Finger spoke). The transcript records calls for a motion to approve item 4 and at one point notes a motion that did not receive a second; the excerpt does not contain a clear, final recorded outcome for that ordinance. (Outcome: not specified in the transcript excerpt.) - Item 5 (setting dates/locations for public hearings): the caption was read and the council proceeded; the excerpt does not record a final vote tally in the provided transcript. (Outcome: not specified in the transcript excerpt.)

Next steps and timeline Staff scheduled district town halls beginning Aug. 18 and additional workshops throughout August and September, culminating in a required public hearing and final adoption of the tax rate and budget on Sept. 18, as presented by Erick.

What remains unresolved Councilmembers repeatedly asked for more granular analyses to inform decisions: per-person shelter metrics, precise costs tied to proposed service changes, maps and prioritization for street and sidewalk projects, options for scaling police and fire hires, and detailed scenarios showing the net fiscal effect of proposed fee and fine changes. Several members asked staff to return with alternatives that would produce a 3% pay adjustment for lower-wage employees.

Public comment One public commenter, Jack Finger, spoke during the property tax item and urged larger tax relief for homeowners, questioning whether the small change staff presented would materially help taxpayers.

The council recessed or adjourned the meeting after the city manager’s report; the record shows the budget presentation and initial council debate will continue through the scheduled workshops and hearings ahead of the Sept. 18 adoption date.