SAN ANTONIO — The annual budget-planning process hit full throttle for San Antonio on Thursday, when City Manager Erik Walsh presented a $3.7 billion proposal to fund local operations next year to local leaders.
The $3.7 billion amount is up from $3.4 billion that make up this year's operating budget. The bulk of money the city has to spend comes from property taxes, to the tune of nearly $466 million (or about 29.3% of city revenues). About $412 million comes from sales tax, while $421 million comes from CPS Energy. Just under $290 million is collected from various other sources.
Here are five things to know about the proposed budget.
Priority areas
Walsh started Thursday's presentation by listing the four priority areas that drove the budget team's process this year: property tax relief, public safety, enhancing quality of life and improving customer service. Those four priorities are at least partly informed by a slightly longer list created from resident feedback; community members' top priorities, as outlined by Walsh, included homeless outreach, affordable housing, Animal Care Services (ACS) and police services.
The four priority areas helped inform some of the proposed expenses laid out in this year's budget proposal presentation, such as $11.9 million for 100 new SAPD patrol officers and $22 million for sidewalks repairs/management.
More money – and by a lot – for ACS, public health and libraries
In a year that's seen dangerous dog attacks making news headlines, no city department is in line to see a bigger jump in General Fund funding over last year than ACS.
A budget allotment of $26.9 million has been proposed for ACS, which is up by 26% over what it received last year. That money includes $460,000 to fund seven new enforcement-related positions to respond to help respond to bite reports and shore up compliance to dangerous dog laws.
While Council member Marina Alderete Gavito applauded the efforts to boost ACS's financial resources, she did have concerns not enough of the budget would go toward field officers to respond to critical calls.
"This is a major issue we must address before tragedy repeats itself," Council member Gavito said.
Her District 2 colleague, Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, also said he expected more.
"I believe we need to be aggressive in achieving a no-kill status," McKee-Rodriguez said at Thursday's meeting. "That’s going to take a lot of long-term investments that I don’t see represented here.”
Public health and city libraries are also in line to receive major funding boosts next year, at 20% and 8.2%, respectively.
Police and fire personnel getting the biggest slice of the pie
Per usual, the city's police, fire and parks police departments are collectively in line to receive the most money from the budget: $963.9 million, a 6% increase from the $905 million allotment for this year.
In addition to the dozens of new SAPD officers and 35 new fire department personnel that would be funded by the budget, the allotment also includes:
- $1.1 for an outdoor fitness facility at the SAPD academy
- Five additional SAPD academy instructors
- An additional ambulance unit
- Resources for the Opioid Program Crisis Response Team
With a proposed funding amount of $570.6 million, no city department is in line to receive more money than SAPD. District 6 Council woman Melissa Cabella Havrda said she would have liked to see an addition in San Antonio Fear Free Environment (SAFFE) officers – which act as community liaisons to help prevent crime before it happens – to go with the increase in patrol officers.
Hotel tax revenues continue to rise post-pandemic
The city is estimated it will have received $102.9 million from hotel tax revenue once FY2023 is complete, continuing a post-pandemic rise as much-needed tourism dollars return and major events are held in the Alamo City.
Next year is expected to continue the trend, Walsh said, with his team expecting $107.7 million to flow into city coffers from hotel occupancy tax. That's compares to $52.1 in 2020 and $63.3 during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, respectively.
“A lot more events at the Alamodome and convention center this year," Walsh said. "We expect to see that continue to climb as we go into 2024.”
What happens next?
The next several weeks will bring workshops and town halls for community members to provide their input on the FY2024 budget, and Sept. 14 is when City Council is expected to approve a final version to fund operations for the next year.
Here is the schedule of budget town halls residents are able to attend:
- District 1: August 16 at 6:30 p.m. / Candler Physical Education Center (1819 North Main Ave.)
- District 2: August 24 at 6:30 p.m. / Second Baptist Church (3310 East Commerce St.)
- District 3: August 14 at 6:30 p.m. / Mission Library (3134 Roosevelt Ave.)
- District 4: August 19 at 10 a.m. / Miller's Pond (6175 Old Pearsall Road)
- District 5: August 22 at 6:30 p.m. / Normoyle Community Center (700 Culberson Ave.)
- District 6: August 14 at 6:30 p.m. / Alicia Trevino Lopez Senior Center (8353 Culebra Road)
- District 7: August 17 at 6:30 p.m. / Doris Griffin Senior Center (6157 Northwest Loop 410)
- Districts 8 and 9: August 16 at 6:30 p.m. / Phil Hardberger Park Urban Ecology Center (8400 NW Military Highway)
- District 10: August 15 at 6:30 p.m. / Northeast Senior Center (4135 Thousand Oaks Dr.)
Register for your respective budget town hall ahead of time here.
>MORE LOCAL NEWS:
>TRENDING ON KENS 5 YOUTUBE: