SAN ANTONIO — The City of San Antonio has approved a $4 billion budget for the fiscal year 2026, but concerns about public safety persist as the number of police officers falls short of community promises.
District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte expressed disappointment over the proceedings, saying, “Apparently yesterday, when you’re advocating for public safety and you go a little bit over your time, you get the gavel banged at you.” This comment referred to an exchange between him and Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones.
The city is facing a projected $150 million deficit over the next two years, leading to high tensions and difficult decisions in shaping the new budget. Whyte emphasized the need for more officers, stating, “We should have started this year’s budget with the 65 officers in the budget and then built everything else around it.”
The commitment was to add 200 more officers on the street over the next three years, but Whyte acknowledged that it might take longer. He noted that studies indicate an increase in officers correlates with a decrease in crime, adding, “When it comes to our community and visitors, they should be able to feel safe.”
Whyte also referenced a consultant’s recommendation from two years ago, saying, “We paid for a consultant two years ago it told us you need to get 60% of your officers on patrol and 40% on call. It’ll make you safer.”
Richard Mack, with a national law enforcement association, warned of the implications of fewer officers in the budget. “You better up your overtime budget, and that’s what you need to look at, Officer fatigue. Are they working too much? And that can be a very dangerous situation for the public and for the officer,” he said.
Mack further criticized the decision, stating, “If they’ve done their homework and they’ve looked at their crime rate, and they look at the potential for increased crime, and then you diminish what you should have. That doesn’t sound very smart to me.”
With the budget now approved, Whyte said the city will need to hire 85 to 100 officers next year to fulfill the overall promise of 200 additional officers by 2028. The San Antonio Police Officers Association was contacted for comment but has not yet responded.