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>> MAYOR JONES: GOOD AFTERNOON. THE TIME IS NOW 5:01 P.M. ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2025, AND THE C CITY OF SAN ANTONIO CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC MEETING IS NOW CALLED TO ORDER. MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL
MAI >> MAYOR JONES: OKAY. THANK YOU, MADAM CLERK.
THIS IS A PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED TODAY AS WELL AS PUBLIC COMMENT.
WE'LL BEGINNING THE MEETING WITH THE PUBLIC HEARING AND THEN MOVE ON TO PUBLIC COMMENT. SPEAKERS WILL BE CALLED IN THE ORDER THEY SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. THE NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE ANNOUNCED SO THEY CAN BEGIN TO MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE PODIUM. SPEAKERS WITH ILL HAVE TWO MINUTES. IF THE SPEAKER WOULD LIKE TO CEDE THEIR TIME THEY MUST NOTIFY THE PRESIDING OFFICER PRIOR TO GIVING THEIR TIME.
ONLY SPEAKERS ON THE LIST MAY SPEAK OR CEDE THEIR TIME AND WRITTEN COMMENT MAY BE SUBMITTED TO THE CITY CLERK. THE TIME IS NOW 5:02 P.M.
AND THE COMBINED PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE BUDGET AND TAX RATE IS NOW OPEN. MADAM CLERK, PLEASE READ THE CAPTION FOR THE
PUBLIC HEARING. >> CLERK: ITEM NUMBER 1 IS A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE CITY'S 2025 AD VALOREM TAX RATE FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2026 PROPOSED
BUDGET AND THE FY 2026 PROPOSED BUDGET. >> MAYOR JONES: GREAT.
MRS. TATE, OVER TO YOU. >> GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL.
MY NAME IS JUSTINA TATE. I'M THE DOUBLINGETTE DIRECTOR FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO -- BUDGET DIRECTOR FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
TODAY E'LL PROVIDE A BRIEF PRESENTATION FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING.
THE PURPOSE FOR TODAY'S PUBLIC HEARING IS TO OBTAIN FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC ON THE CITY'S PROPOSED PROPERTY TAX RATE AS WELL AS THE PROPOSED BUDGET -- PROPOSED CAPITAL AND OPERATING BUDGET.
TODAY'S HEARING IS THE FIRST OF TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS THAT WE WILL HOLD. THE NEXT ONE WILL BE THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH. NOW, THESE PUBLIC HEARINGS ARE IN ADDITION TO THE TOWN HALLS THAT WE'VE HOSTED. WE HOSTED 11 TOWN HALLS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. THESE WERE HOSTED AFTER THE BUDGET WAS PROPOSED ON AUGUST 14TH. THE FISCAL YEAR 2026 PROPOSED BUDGET IS ABOUT $4 BILLION. THIS IS ABOUT 2.2% HIGHER THAN FISCAL YEAR 2025.
THIS IS MADE UP OF THREE MAJOR COMPONENTS, THE FIRST BEING OUR GENERAL FUND AT $1.69 BILLION, AND THIS IS ABOUT A 1.6% INCREASE OVER 2025.
THE REMAINING COMPONENTS ARE CAPITAL BUDGET AT $1.1 BILLION AND RESTRICTED FUNDS AT 1.2 BILLION. AND THESE ARE FUNDS THAT HAVE A RESTRICTED SOURCE OF REVENUE, SO THESE REVENUES MUST BE SPENT ON A SPECIFIC PURPOSE. IN TERMS OF OUR -- THE CITY'S PROPERTY TAX RATE AND WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET, THERE IS NO INCREASE IN OUR PROPERTY TAX RATE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026. THE CITY'S TAX RATE REMAINS AT 54.159 CENTS PER $100 OF VALUATION. THIS IS THE 33RD CONSECUTIVE YEAR WITHOUT AN INCREASE. IN JULY, WE RECEIVED THE CERTIFIED TAX ROLL FROM OUR BEXAR APPRAISAL DISTRICT, AND BASED ON THIS CERTIFIED TAX ROLL, WE ARE SEEING A SLIGHT DECREASE IN OUR BASE VALUE OF ABOUT .9%, AND NEW VALUES ARE SEEING A SLIGHT GROWTH OF ABOUT 1.6 -- 1.76%. THIS BUDGET INCLUDES ABOUT $152 MILLION OF PROPERTY TAX RELIEF, THIS IS FOR EXEMPTIONS TO INCLUDE HOMESTEADS, SENIORS, DISABLED PERSONS AND CHILDCARE PROVIDER. IT ALSO INCLUDES A TAX
FREEZE FOR CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS. >> MAYOR JONES: ONE
SECOND, MRS. TATE. ARE THE SLIDES COMING UP? >> TATE: SO JUST REAL QUICK TO REITERATE ON THE CITY'S PROPERTY TAX RATE, THERE IS NO PROPERTY TAX
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RATE INCREASE IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET. IT REMAINS AT 54.59 CENTS PER $100 IN VALUATION. AND IT DOES INCLUDE THE FISCAL YEAR 2026 PROPOSED BUDGET DOES INCLUDE PROPERTY TAX RELIEF OF ABOUT 152 MILLION.THERE ARE SEVERAL RATE AND FEE ADJUSTMENTS INCLUDED IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET, AND HAVE BEEN PRESENTED AS PART OF OUR BUDGET PRESENTATIONS.
IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NEW STATE LAW WHICH REGULATES FOOD ESTABLISHMENT -- THAT ARE PROPOSED IN THE BUDGET AND INCLUDED FOR OUR FOOD ESTABLISHMENT FEE RECOMMENDATIONS. ON DECEMBER 1ST, FOOD ESTABLISHMENT FEES WILL BE ASSESSED BASED ON GROSS VOLUME OF FOOD SALES RATHER THAN THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES. THESE FEE AMOUNTS ARE BEING RECOMMENDED TO PARTIALLY RECOVER THE COST OF PROVIDING FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY. NOW, FINALLY, AS I MENTIONED, THIS IS THE FIRST OF TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS THAT WE WILL HOLD. THE NEXT PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE ON SEPTEMBER 11TH, PRIOR TO THE BUDGET BEING ADOPTED ON SEPTEMBER 18TH.
THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. AND I'LL -- THANK YOU SO
MUCH. >> MAYOR JONES: WE HAVE TWO INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE SIGNED UP TO COMMENT DURING PUBLIC HEARING. THE FIRST PERSON IS J JOHN BACHMAN, SIR, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. TWO.
JOHN BACHMAN. JACK FINGER, YOU HAVE TWO FI MINUTES, SIR.
>> MADAM MAYOR AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL, MY NAME IS JACK M. FINGER AND I WISH TO PRESENT TO YOU A FEW COMMENTS ABOUT THE BUDGET AND THE TAX RATE AND SO FORTH. YOU KNOW, YOU KEEP SAYING YOU HAVEN'T RAISED THE TAXES IN 30-SOME-ODD YEARS, BUT WE THE TAXPAYER -- TO THAT AND IT HAS ACTUALLY, AS YOU SAW IT ACTUALLY GOES UP TWO OR THREE% THIS PAST YEAR, EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE STILL KEEPING OUR RATES THE SAME. YOU MIGHT AT LEAST PUT A TOKEN TO IT, IF YOU REALLY WANT TO DO IT RIGHT, YOU LOWER IT AS MUCH AS 10% TO ALLEVIATE ALL THE OTHER ILLS THAT WE HAVE SUFFERED OVER THE YEARS THERE.
BUT YOU HAD A $21 MILLION DEFICIT, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT Y'ALL ARE TRYING TO OVERCOME THAT, BUT I WAS GOING TO -- AS A PUBLIC SERVICE, I WAS GOING TO OFFER SOME IDEAS ON HOW YOU MIGHT DECREASE THAT 21 AND SHIFT THE BURDEN ELSEWHERE. YOU KNOW, A WHOLE SWATH OF THE BUDGET YOU COULD GET RID OF BY JUST DOING THIS. THE ARTS AND CULTURE DEPARTMENT, THIS IS FROM THE '24-'25 BUDGET, IT SAYS TOTAL AMOUNT WAS ABOUT -- WHAT WAS IT, 13 MILLION. YOU COULD SIMPLY ERASE THAT WHOLE BUDGET, YOU COULD SHIFT TO ANY OF YOUR PET PROJECTS THERE.
IN ONE -- WHY DO I SAY THAT? WELL, BECAUSE ONE PARTICULAR ARTS AGENCY JUST REALLY HAS DONE SOME THINGS THAT WE HAVE -- OVER THE YEARS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE ESPARANZA PEACE AND JUSTICE CENTER. IT'S NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT DOES THESE THINGS, BUT OVER THE YEARS, THEY'VE HAD, OH, TALKED ABOUT THEIR VARIOUS HOMOSEXUAL PROMOTIONS AND SO FORTH. YOU'RE GOING TO SAY, JACK, YOU HOMOPHOBE, WE WOULD ACTUALLY GIVE THEM MORE MONEY FOR THAT.
BUT THERE'S A REAL PROBLEM THEY HAD THIS YEAR, EVEN I THINK YOU WOULD TAKE ISSUE WITH. YEAH, THERE IT IS. SEX WORK.
THAT'S WHAT THEY HAD JUST A COUPLE WEEKS AGO. YEAH.
THEY WERE PROMOTING THIS. NO, I THINK YOU MAY WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT. ALSO ANOTHER PLACE YOU MAY WANT TO DO IT IS THE -- WHAT IS IT, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, YOU DON'T NEED -- WHAT PERSON DID THEY VOTE FOR MAYOR THIS
YEAR? WELL,. >> MAYOR JONES: THANK
YOU. >> YES, THANK YOU. >> MAYOR JONES: THE COMBINED BUDGET SECOND TAX HEARING WILL BE HELD ON THURSDAY, WHICH BEGINS AT 9:00 A.M. AND VOTED ON THE PROPOSED TAX RATE FOR 2025 AT THIS MEETING ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH, WHICH BEGINS AT 9:00 A.M. AND WILL BE HELD IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER. HAVING HEARD ALL COMMENTS FROM THOSE PERSONS WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, THE PUBLIC HEARING IS NOW CLOSED. THE TIME IS
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.