OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Budget Work Session for Parks and Recreation and Solid Waste Management - September 9, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, September 9, 2025
BodySan Antonio, Texas
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, September 9, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:23:00

Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

The time is now 2 p.m.

0:05

on Tuesday, September 9th in the City of San Antonio.

0:08

Budget work session is called to order.

0:10

Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

0:12

Council member core.

0:14

Councilmember Castillo Angelo.

0:16

Council Member Via Gran.

0:19

Councilmember Mungia.

0:21

Councilmember Castillo here.

0:23

Councilmember Galván.

0:25

Here.

0:25

Councilmember Alderete Gavito.

0:27

Here.

0:28

Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez.

0:30

Councilmember Spears.

0:32

Councilmember White.

0:34

Mayor Jones.

0:35

Sure.

0:35

Mayor we have corn.

0:36

Great.

0:36

Thanks, Madam Clerk.

0:37

This meeting is to hear about the budgets for the parks and recreation and solid waste management operations.

0:42

Eric, over to you.

0:43

Thank you, Mayor.

0:44

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council.

0:45

So we'll start off with Homer and the Parks Department, and then Josephine from Solid Waste will give her a presentation.

0:51

Homer.

0:59

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council.

1:01

My name is Homer Garcia the third director for the Parks and Recreation Department.

1:05

Want to thank you for the opportunity to present our uh fiscal year 2026 operating budget.

1:12

And uh before I begin, I do want to acknowledge and thank a few of our team members that are with us today.

1:16

So our executive team, Melinda Cerda over Park Operations is here.

1:20

Want to thank her for her work, as well as Nikki Ramos, our assistant director over recreation services, athletics, aquatics, uh, and also some other members of our senior leadership team and many that are listening.

1:32

Thank you for your work in helping us do what we do.

1:37

And this slide is a presentation overview.

1:40

And before I begin covering, I want to extend the thanks to Eric Walsh and the executive leadership team.

1:45

Thank you for your help in guidance and developing this budget.

1:49

Uh, we are one of four comprehensive budget review departments, and so we worked very closely with Justina Tate and her budget team as well as Kate Kinovate Kate Kinnison in Innovation and her team.

2:01

So just want to thank them again for their efforts in helping put together our proposed budget uh that I will review today.

2:09

So I'm gonna provide an overview of the department so you get a kind of lay of the land, certainly what our proposed spend plan is.

2:16

I will detail the findings of the comprehensive budget review.

2:19

We do have some additional reductions that are uh recommended, and then I'm gonna close and and focus really on our core services, our initiatives, key programs, and then provide a summary in the end.

2:34

I want to go ahead and begin by acknowledging the hard work of our team, more than 500 strong.

2:40

So in 2022, we became a nationally accredited department.

2:45

We are the second largest park system that is accredited, and that is demonstrating compliance with 154 standards.

2:52

We are up for reaccreditation in 2027.

2:55

That effort is led by Lynn Kinton, our park administrator, but it took everybody to achieve that mark.

3:02

I also want to highlight in 2024 that we became uh we have certified our safety certification effectively, and that's really critical because we really focus on safety first with our team, making sure that they have the resources that do their job.

3:17

It's not just about uh the the training and the commodity side of it, but making sure that they're have safety in everything they do.

3:25

If we're not taking care of our team, then they're not gonna be able to meet the demands and needs of the community.

3:30

And lastly, I want to highlight uh we are a gold wedding gold medal award finalist for this year.

3:37

A year ago, we received a state gold medal award uh from our state affiliate, which is a Texas Recreation and Park Society.

3:45

That indicated that we're the best in what we do in the state of Texas.

3:48

We are up for now a national gold medal award, uh, and we'll know the results of that next week.

3:54

So more to come there.

4:00

So we have uh our three executives here again, Homer Garcia Director, Melinda Certa.

4:07

She's over operations and maintenance, and this provides just a brief overview of some of the primary things that her team focuses on.

4:14

Certainly uh park sanitation, keeping uh access to our parks open, but making sure that they're clean and and functional for the community's use.

4:23

That includes our skilled trades team uh as well as our urban forestry division.

4:30

Nikki on the other side of the house is over recreation and community engagement.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation█████████████████████████████████████████████51%
Budget██████7%
Waste Management█████6%
Public Safety█████6%
Public Engagement█████6%
Solid Waste Management█████6%
Procedural████5%
Environmental Protection████4%
Public Education██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Budget Work Session for Parks and Recreation and Solid Waste Management - September 9, 2025

The City of San Antonio held a budget work session on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, at 2 p.m. to review the proposed fiscal year 2026 operating budgets for the Parks and Recreation and Solid Waste Management departments. Directors Homer Garcia and Josephine Valencia presented overviews, comprehensive budget review findings, and service priorities. Council members discussed program changes, data-driven efficiencies, tree planting, illegal dumping, trail safety, and future innovation.

Parks and Recreation Department Presentation

  • Homer Garcia, Director, presented the FY26 operating budget. The department is nationally accredited, the second largest accredited park system, and a Gold Medal award finalist. The proposed budget across all funds is $111 million, with $74 million from the general fund.
  • A comprehensive budget review identified $1.27 million in reductions: lower mowing costs ($957,000), right-sized temporary staff hours due to zero-participation classes ($623,000 over two years), and data-driven maintenance worker reductions ($116,000). Additional reductions of $480,000 came from six vacant positions.
  • Core services include operations, maintenance, and recreation programming. The department is moving to structured programming at peak times, expanding community center hours from 2-9 p.m. to 10 a.m.-8 p.m. by adjusting staff schedules.
  • Tree planting: 11,000 trees proposed, including 1,200 residential trees through Cool Neighborhoods and community programs. Over 8,000 trees have been planted since FY20. The Oak Wilt replacement voucher program will begin in FY26.
  • Edwards Aquifer Protection Program: $10 million in capital for continued protection, targeting 2,400 acres. The Greenway trail system has 102 miles completed, with $49 million in bond projects currently in production.
  • Shade structures: 11 more playgrounds will receive shade in FY26 as part of a five-year program.

Solid Waste Management Department Presentation

  • Josephine Valencia, Director, presented the proposed budget. Solid Waste is an enterprise fund with no tax dollars, funded by user fees. The combined operating and fleet services funds total $193 million. The department has 808 employees.
  • Services include cart collection (garbage, recycling, organics) for 382,000 ratepayers, with 60 million collections per year and 99.9% on-time performance. A Smart Collection System (SCS) using navigation tablets and video is being rolled out to reduce missed collections.
  • Brush and bulky collections are predicted to reach 80,000 tons this year. The city's transfer station contract ends this month; $2.5 million is allocated for repairs, with an RFP planned for January.
  • Illegal dumping and homeless encampment cleanups have a $7.8 million budget, with $2.2 million for encampments. The department works with SAPD on enforcement, including drones and camera trailers.
  • The CDL training and apprenticeship program has trained 147 individuals, with over 100 hired. No rate changes or service level changes are proposed.

Discussion Items

  • Mayor: Asked about the tree program's impact on childhood asthma and whether the department reaches the minimum threshold for heat mitigation. Also inquired about unmet programming demand and how feedback is captured.
  • Chair Galvan: Questioned the 32% zero-participation classes over four years and the lack of qualitative data. Asked about tree planting breakdown by district and heat vulnerability. For Solid Waste, asked about illegal dumping cost data and hotspot maps.
  • Chair Core: Praised parks and suggested innovation in turf (pilot programs for alternative grass), community gardens, and Wi-Fi in parks. Proposed using solid waste trucks for flyer distribution. For Solid Waste, asked about senior walk-up program tracking and smart collection system rollout timeline.
  • Councilmember Aldrete Gavito: Asked about Woodlawn Lake bike path, egret management, trail safety, and oak wilt replacement program. For Solid Waste, asked about small compost bin success and alternatives to gunshots for bird deterrence.
  • Councilmember White: Asked about illegal dumping activity increase, contractual services increase ($6M), and vacancies (61). For Parks, asked about scaling back targets (trees, work orders) and how classes will be adjusted.
  • Councilmember Castillo: Praised both departments. Asked about the community tree fund and requested replenishment if zeroed out. Mentioned Greenway trail connection from Memorial High School to St. Mary's University.
  • Councilmember Castillo Angiano: Asked about small cart adoption rates, illegal dumping awareness campaigns, and kudos to staff. Supported collaboration for signage.
  • Councilmember Spears: Asked about Cloud Street Ranch Park parking, trailhead input, and UDC parkland dedication enforcement. Requested a map of potential park spaces in District 9.
  • Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez: Advocated for a community center in District 8, splash pads, and Frederick Park parking expansion.
  • Chair Mungia: Asked for shade structure lists, trail extensions (Pearsall Park to Highway 16, Port San Antonio), and illegal dumping collaboration. Praised solid waste responsiveness.
  • Chair Vegadon: Asked about tree giveaway safety (call before you dig), pool grading, dog parks, and hazardous waste drop-off. Requested a list of shade structures in District 3.
  • Chair Galvan: Discussed community center access in areas with disbanded HOAs, collaboration with libraries, and using climate ambassador programs for gardening.
  • Councilmember Castillo Angiano: Requested trail lighting and raised concerns about encampment cleanups as a short-term solution.
  • Chair Corr: Asked about Shakespeare in the Park funding, water fountain upgrades, and cost of additional trash receptacles. Proposed cost analysis for entertainment areas.
  • Mayor: Asked about strategic programming for youth with special needs and ensuring inclusion across districts.

Key Outcomes

  • No formal votes were taken during the work session. The meeting was informational, with council members providing feedback and requesting follow-up data.
  • Directors committed to providing additional information on tree planting by district, illegal dumping hotspot maps, shade structure schedules, trail extension timelines, and cost estimates for additional services.
  • The Parks Department will continue implementing the new community center hours and monitoring effectiveness. The Oak Wilt replacement program will begin in FY26.
  • Solid Waste will continue rolling out the Smart Collection System, expected to be fully implemented by December 2025/January 2026. The department will explore collaboration on flyer distribution and entertainment area cost analysis.
  • Council members expressed support for replicating the CDL apprenticeship model in other departments and for exploring innovative turf, community gardens, and Wi-Fi in parks.

Meeting Transcript

The time is now 2 p.m. on Tuesday, September 9th in the City of San Antonio. Budget work session is called to order. Madam Clerk, please call the roll. Council member core. Councilmember Castillo Angelo. Council Member Via Gran. Councilmember Mungia. Councilmember Castillo here. Councilmember Galván. Here. Councilmember Alderete Gavito. Here. Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez. Councilmember Spears. Councilmember White. Mayor Jones. Sure. Mayor we have corn. Great. Thanks, Madam Clerk. This meeting is to hear about the budgets for the parks and recreation and solid waste management operations. Eric, over to you. Thank you, Mayor. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. So we'll start off with Homer and the Parks Department, and then Josephine from Solid Waste will give her a presentation. Homer. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. My name is Homer Garcia the third director for the Parks and Recreation Department. Want to thank you for the opportunity to present our uh fiscal year 2026 operating budget. And uh before I begin, I do want to acknowledge and thank a few of our team members that are with us today. So our executive team, Melinda Cerda over Park Operations is here. Want to thank her for her work, as well as Nikki Ramos, our assistant director over recreation services, athletics, aquatics, uh, and also some other members of our senior leadership team and many that are listening. Thank you for your work in helping us do what we do. And this slide is a presentation overview. And before I begin covering, I want to extend the thanks to Eric Walsh and the executive leadership team. Thank you for your help in guidance and developing this budget. Uh, we are one of four comprehensive budget review departments, and so we worked very closely with Justina Tate and her budget team as well as Kate Kinovate Kate Kinnison in Innovation and her team. So just want to thank them again for their efforts in helping put together our proposed budget uh that I will review today. So I'm gonna provide an overview of the department so you get a kind of lay of the land, certainly what our proposed spend plan is. I will detail the findings of the comprehensive budget review. We do have some additional reductions that are uh recommended, and then I'm gonna close and and focus really on our core services, our initiatives, key programs, and then provide a summary in the end. I want to go ahead and begin by acknowledging the hard work of our team, more than 500 strong. So in 2022, we became a nationally accredited department. We are the second largest park system that is accredited, and that is demonstrating compliance with 154 standards. We are up for reaccreditation in 2027. That effort is led by Lynn Kinton, our park administrator, but it took everybody to achieve that mark. I also want to highlight in 2024 that we became uh we have certified our safety certification effectively, and that's really critical because we really focus on safety first with our team, making sure that they have the resources that do their job. It's not just about uh the the training and the commodity side of it, but making sure that they're have safety in everything they do. If we're not taking care of our team, then they're not gonna be able to meet the demands and needs of the community.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com