San Antonio Planning Commission Meeting - September 10, 2025

[The regularly scheduled meeting of the San Antonio Planning Commission was called to order at 2:02 PM on Wednesday, September 10, 2025. Roll call established a quorum with Commissioners Sanchez, Garcia, DeSucci, Lopez, Olette, Mylam, Orion, Bustamante, Siegel, Prophet, and Chair Peck present. The meeting included a consent agenda and individual item 18, a budget update. Commissioner Bustamante recused herself from consent agenda items 2, 3, 9, and 12. The meeting adjourned at 2:45 PM.]

Consent Calendar

• The consent agenda was moved by Commissioner Siegel, seconded by Commissioner Mylam, and approved unanimously by all voting commissioners. Commissioner Bustamante recused herself from items 2, 3, 9, and 12.

Discussion Items

• Budget Update (Item 18): Justina Tate, City Budget Director, and Mike Shannon, Director of the newly created Capital Delivery Department, presented the Fiscal Year 2026 Proposed Budget.
  • Budget Overview: The total proposed budget is $4 billion, a 2.2% increase over FY2025. It comprises: restricted funds ($1.2B), capital budget ($1.1B), and general fund ($1.69B, up 1.6%). The general fund supports basic services (public safety, infrastructure, parks, code, animal care).
  • Deficit and Balancing: A projected $174 million deficit over two years (FY2026-2027) was balanced through spending reductions, savings from completed projects, moving operating projects to capital, implementing CPS off-system sales revenue policy (retaining $69M), and increasing fees/fines ($12M over two years). Property tax revenue is flat; the city rate remains at 54.159 cents per $100 valuation. $152 million in property tax relief is included.
  • Key Investments by Priority:
    • Homeless Services: $30.5 million for a new Homeless Services and Strategy Department, including outreach, encampment abatements (1,300 planned), low-barrier shelter ($4.8M for one year), and a long-term shelter plan.
    • Infrastructure: Public Works split into two departments (maintenance and capital delivery). Street maintenance: $122M (flat) for over 1,400 projects and 400 miles of streets. Sidewalk investment: $17M for 21 miles of new sidewalk and 11 miles of repairs.
    • Affordable Housing: $30.4 million (general fund and grants) to continue the Strategic Housing Implementation Plan (SHIP) goal of 28,000 homes by 2031, with 13,000 (47%) anticipated by end of FY2026.
    • Public Safety:
      • Police Department: $631M budget. 53 new officers (28 for new District 3 substation, 25 for citywide active patrol). Goal to achieve 60% proactive time by adding 360 officers over five years; 190 of those added by FY2026. 65 vacant park/airport police reorganized as SAPD officers. Six academy classes expected to graduate 270 officers.
      • Fire Department: $428M budget. 12 new firefighters for squad units at two busiest stations (10 and 21). $1.4M for a needs assessment (staffing, equipment, facilities). $291,000 for drones.
    • Animal Care Services: $33M budget. Initiatives to reach 100% response to critical calls by Q4 of FY2026 (up from 40% two years ago). Over 41,000 spay/neuter surgeries anticipated.
  • Capital Budget and New Department: Mike Shannon presented the capital budget of $1.1 billion, with $250M allocated to the new Capital Delivery Department (188 staff). Focus on delivering bond projects on time, within budget, and with over-communication to stakeholders. The 2022 bond program ($1.2B, 187 projects) is about half complete or under construction. Discussions underway to move the next bond vote to May or November 2026 (rather than 2027) and possibly shift to four-year cycles.
  • Commissioner Questions:
    • Commissioner DeSucci asked about: medical services funding, drainage mitigation, and federal funding gaps.
      • Response: Fire Department adds squad units to handle medical calls; $11.4 million allocated for three drainage projects impacted by June floods (Grissom Road, Old O'Connor Road, Bidal Creek). A $4 billion drainage need exists. Federal funding is tracked weekly by a committee; some grant positions reduced (immunizations, air quality), but no infrastructure grants impacted yet.
    • Commissioner Mylam asked about: homelessness abatements (1,300 citywide, involving outreach teams and 311 calls, with high-priority sites cleaned weekly) and police officer increase (360 positions are all patrol; total approved officers in FY2026 is 2,893, making the 360 approximately a 12.4% increase).
  • Presenters thanked the commission for their service.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda approved unanimously (with Commissioner Bustamante recused from items 2, 3, 9, 12).
• Budget update received as information. The FY2026 proposed budget will be adopted by City Council on Thursday, September 18, 2025 (following work sessions and rate hearings), effective October 1, 2025.
• Next steps for the bond program: continued community input and potential early vote in 2026.