SAN ANTONIO — City staff included funding for dozens more police officers and more than 1,600 infrastructure projects in next year's proposed budget, presented to City Council last week.
Also highlighted in the proposed budget were higher Solid Waste fees to pay for sheltering homeless people, which the city cited was a top-five budget priority for both City Council and constituents. City Council has until no later than Sept. 27 to adopt the Fiscal Year 2025 budget.
Staff said that revenue growth for San Antonio was back to pre-pandemic levels this year, a key development as the city also prepares to content with expected budget deficits in the coming years.
The proposed budget also calls for adding 65 police department officers and 15 firefighters, the latter to staff up three of the busiest companies in the city, in addition to more Animal Control Service personnel. Infrastructure spending is expected to increase by $6 million to $122 million for maintenance projects, including street lights.
As for beefed-up revenue sources, the city is proposing increased ambulance transport fees, as well as citation fees for busted security or safety systems leading to unwarranted police or fire responses. According to the city, the number of "false alarms" SAPD responds to is equivalent to adding 20 patrol officers or four fire companies.
Under the city's proposal, fees for residents with faulty systems would go from $75 to $250 for residents and from $125 to $250 for commercial businesses.
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