EDITORIAL: Modest tax hike, spending cuts in order to bridge San Antonio's budget gap

The city of San Antonio has a $137.7 million gap to close in next year's budget, prompting staff to recommend raising the city's property tax rate.

City staff have proposed increasing the rate by 4 cents - from 54 to 58 cents - per $100 of assessed property value. For the owner of a median-value home, that would roughly equate to an extra $70 per year, according to estimates by staff.

That plus the increased tax revenue from commercial property still would not cover the projected budget shortfall, leaving about $23.4 million to be trimmed over the next two budget cycles.

We support a smaller tax increase, about 2.5 cents, combined with thoughtful cuts as a prudent, though not painless, part of achieving a balanced budget.

It's been more than three decades since the city raised its property tax rate as the growing population and rising property values have allowed the city to generate sufficient revenue.

But those conditions can't prevail indefinitely, and San Antonio is facing the same circumstances that have contributed to projected eight- and nine-digit budget deficits at Bexar County and numerous school districts in the county and statewide.

Council Member Marina Alderete Gavito, who has expressed opposition to a tax rate hike, suggested in May that the council rely entirely on cuts to balance the budget: "All of us up here were elected to do hard things, and so we just need to make those tough decisions."

But her words are equally apt in describing the tough but appropriate decisions of combining difficult spending cuts with a tax rate increase to spread the burden more evenly.

So far, council members have yet to commit to any "tough decisions" - generally indicating what they don't want to see reduced. Everyone wants services that align with their governmental philosophy to be spared - or at least only gently pruned.

So you have Council Members Marc Whyte, Misty Spears, Ivalis Meza Gonzalez and Alderete Gavito insisting on increasing the police budget by hiring 40 new police officers - 15 more than city staff is recommending just to keep the budget gap where it is.

Meanwhile, Council Member Jalen McKee-Rodriguez is pushing back against cuts to social services that he said address "the root causes of crime." He argued that the world's safest cities "do not focus a third of their investments in policing" and instead "invest in healthcare, housing, transportation, education, and overall community wealth."

Council Member Edward Mungia was perhaps the most bothersome, saying that he's not amenable to a property tax increase now, while also not acknowledging the urgency to corral spending.

The reality is that with 10 council members and Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, if any member or coalition comes away completely satisfied, they're probably doing it wrong.

Whyte is correct to say that a tax rate increase is not "the solution," but he is disingenuous to suggest that it's not part of a balanced approach to zeroing the budget gap.

When deficits are modest, a round of reductions from all departments can achieve balance with minimal pain shared by all. Unfortunately, the city doesn't have that luxury. Balancing its budget solely with cuts is likely to be draconian and even counterproductive in the long term.

Common sense says that addressing both sides of the budget scale is the most rational approach.

Council Member Phyllis Viagran appears to be among the few who get it, saying that achieving a balanced budget requires a "comprehensive approach that includes both expenditures, reductions and identification of new revenue."

Shop Spurs Gear

Celebrate the run Spurs shop promo

"We have to examine all available options," Viagran said, "including adjustments with the fees, permits, transportation and fines - and property taxes that haven't increased for the last 33 years."

She also nailed the problem in the nonconstructive rhetoric of colleagues who fail to identify "what you're willing to sacrifice, just what you're not willing to do."

There's still time to make tough decisions, and we hope council members will make good ones.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.