{"id":144867,"date":"2025-08-14T10:48:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T10:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/144867\/"},"modified":"2025-08-14T10:48:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T10:48:09","slug":"facing-deficit-concerns-san-antonio-city-council-to-discuss-draft-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/144867\/","title":{"rendered":"Facing deficit concerns, San Antonio City Council to discuss draft budget"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO<\/strong> \u2013 How will the city close its budget gap?<\/p>\n

The new mayor and San Antonio City Council will get a look at a rough draft of the next city budget Thursday morning, about a month and a half after they were briefed about possible ways to close a growing budget deficit.<\/p>\n

KSAT will livestream the council meeting in this article beginning at 9 a.m. Delays are possible; if there is not a livestream available, check back at a later time.<\/b><\/p>\n

City staff are scheduled to brief council members on the FY 2026 budget Thursday morning at 9 a.m. The council is expected to vote on a final version of the spending plan on Sept. 18.<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s total adopted budget<\/a> for the 2025 fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, was a little under $4 billion<\/b>. <\/p>\n

The General Fund, which covers services like police, fire, parks, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, Animal Care Services and regular street maintenance, makes up about $1.67<\/b> billion of that. <\/p>\n

However, two of its biggest sources of revenue, property and sales tax, are growing much more slowly than the cost of providing those services.<\/p>\n

The city previously estimated the 2026 fiscal year budget faced a nearly $21 million<\/b> deficit, which would explode to almost $152 million<\/b> a year later.<\/p>\n

City staff warned council members in late June<\/a> that to close that deficit, there would need to be budget cuts \u201cno matter what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Council members have already indicated they do not want to consider raising property taxes. <\/p>\n

This will be the first city budget cycle for more than half of the city council, whose final members were sworn in June 18<\/a> following a runoff election.<\/p>\n

Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, Councilman Edward Mungia (D4), Councilman Ric Galvan (D6), Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez (D8), and Councilwoman Misty Spears (D9) are all newly elected. <\/p>\n

Leo Castillo-Anguiano is also serving as an interim council member<\/a> while District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez is on parental leave.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/b><\/p>\n