SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio's City Council announced the suspension of $82 million in spending on Thursday as coronavirus continues to hurt the local, national and global economy.
Officials say these are suspensions, not cuts, so the spending is expected to resume once the situation improves. The biggest suspensions are to street maintenance projects, and the City has also instituted a temporary hiring freeze for most positions.
City officials say they will continue to adjust as coronavirus impacts daily life. The Mayor's Stay Home, Work Safe order has temporarily shuttered non-essential business in the city.
Numbers out Thursday showed that about 10 million Americans have filed for unemployment in the past two weeks, already eclipsing the 8.7 million claims during the Great Recession.
Deputy City Manager María Villagómez warned of a potential global recession. City officials say they expect to make between $40 and $53 million in sales tax this fiscal year.
These suspensions in spending won't have an impact on current city employees, but that could change in the future. Villagómez noted that the level of disruption caused by coronavirus is unprecedented, so predicting the impact is a difficult and ongoing process.
