San Antonio officials present FY2026 pay-and-benefits options; council members signal support for 2% plan

René Fridira, director of Human Resources for the City of San Antonio, presented proposed pay and benefits changes for fiscal year 2026 during a Sept. 10 budget work session, outlining multiple scenarios for raises and describing the city’s employee benefit structure.

Fridira said the city’s employee benefits fund totals about $252,000,000, of which roughly 94 percent (about $237,000,000) is earmarked for medical claims; the remaining roughly 6 percent would cover departmental operations related to benefits. She told the council the proposed package includes paid holidays and vacation accruals for new hires, student‑loan repayment and other workplace supports intended to attract and retain employees.

The proposal included three primary compensation options: a baseline 2 percent across‑the‑board increase citywide (estimated at about $13,000,000 across all funds in the…