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Record of Proceedings

San Antonio City Council B Session: Delegate Agency Funding & Visit SA Contract Briefings – April 29, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, April 29, 2026
BodySan Antonio, Texas
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, April 29, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:10:38

Original source
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0:03

Telling you everything.

0:11

I see it with steel.

0:12

I'm hearing his voice.

0:14

Telling me everything.

0:21

Like on the noise.

0:22

Only steals.

0:25

Telling you believe in his brilliance.

0:31

Believe in his source.

0:32

I see what's still.

0:34

I'm hearing his voice.

0:35

Telling me okay.

0:46

Good afternoon, good afternoon.

0:47

If my colleagues can please make their way to their seats expeditiously.

0:51

The time is now 2 10 p.m.

0:53

on Wednesday, April 29th, 2026, and the City of San Antonio B session is called to order.

0:58

Madam Clerk, please call roll.

1:00

Councilmember.

1:02

Councilmember Bia Gran.

1:05

Here.

1:05

Councilmember Mungia.

1:07

Councilmember Castillo.

1:09

Here.

1:09

Councilmember Galvan.

1:10

Here.

1:11

Councilmember Aldarete Gavito.

1:13

Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez.

1:15

Councilmember Spears.

1:16

Here.

1:17

Councilmember White is here virtually.

1:20

Here.

1:21

Mayor Jones.

1:22

Mayor Pro Tem McKee Rodriguez.

1:24

Present.

1:24

Mayor Pro Tim, we have quorum.

1:26

Wonderful.

1:27

This meeting we will hear.

1:28

Well, first off, thank you all for being here today.

1:30

This meeting we will hear two briefings and discuss them separately.

1:33

The first is the Human and Homeless Services Strategy and Services and Strategy Strategy Consolidated Funding Process.

1:40

Eric, do you want to get us started?

1:42

Yes, sir.

1:43

Thank you.

1:43

Um good afternoon, Mayor Council.

1:45

So this the first briefing is a post-solicitation briefing on our delegate agency process.

1:55

If you'll recall, we had a lot of conversation as part of last year's budget and a pre-solicitation with the council.

2:03

Um in this year's budget, agencies are funded for only partial uh part of the year.

2:11

Um so the RFP solicitation you'll get an update on today.

2:15

Um we'll eventually recommend funding for the rest of the fiscal year from June 1 to the end of the fiscal year.

2:23

Um fiscal year 27 pending um council allocation of funds through the 27 budget and then an extension period afterwards.

2:32

Uh the request for proposals was issued in on December 1st and closed at the end of January.

2:39

Um Mel and Justina will walk through the post-solicitation.

2:43

We had a number of outside groups that were involved in the screen and the review.

2:47

Um I will um turn it over to Mel to walk us through the presentation.

2:59

Good afternoon, Mayor Pro Tem and Council members.

3:02

So I'm Melody Woosley, Human Services Director, and this is a joint um process, and so Patrick Steck, Homeless Services and Strategy Assistant Director is also here to provide detail on homeless service recommendations.

3:18

This presentation provides a briefing on those funding recommendations that Eric mentioned, and I will start by saying that we received an unprecedented number of really good and thoughtful proposals for very important community services.

4:24

A five-year funding history and program descriptions, the QR code that's on the back of your binder.

4:34

Sort of it unlocks the uh dashboard for performance of consolidated agency funding.

4:44

So this afternoon, I will provide a brief background on the process, consolidated funding process, review the available budget for consolidated funding, information on the solicitation and evaluation processes, funding recommendations, and conclude with next steps.

5:05

The funding pool invests in community-based services that support human and homeless services programs and priorities.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Economic Development████████████████████████████████████████40%
Community Engagement███████████████████19%
Youth Programs███████████11%
Homelessness██████████10%
Fiscal Sustainability███████7%
Procurement and Contracting████4%
Arts And Culture██2%
Procedural█1%
Public Safety█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Human and Homeless Services Strategy and Visit San Antonio Briefings – April 29, 2026

The City Council B session on April 29, 2026, featured two major briefings: a post-solicitation update on the consolidated funding process for human and homeless services delegate agencies, and a presentation on Visit San Antonio’s economic impact and the proposed renewal of the Tourism Public Improvement District (TPID). No formal votes were taken; the session was informational with direction given for follow-up.

Discussion Items – Human & Homeless Services Consolidated Funding

  • Process Overview: The city received 125 proposals from 72 agencies requesting over $55 million. Staff recommended $19.1 million in 16-month awards (June 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027) for 81 programs (55 currently funded, 26 new). Key categories: Children & Youth ($6.5M for 39 programs), Strengthening Families ($1.8M for 14 programs), Senior Independence ($3.1M for 13 programs), and Ending Homelessness ($6.73M for multiple agencies).
  • Council Feedback: Councilmembers expressed a range of views. Mayor Pro Tem McKee Rodriguez highlighted the importance of preserving nonprofit funding, warning that cuts would lead to increased crime and homelessness. Councilmember Bia Gran (District 2) raised equity concerns, noting that only 10% of proposed clients were from her district despite high need. Councilmember Aldrate Cavito (District 7) argued for prioritizing core city services (sidewalks, public safety) and suggested sunsetting nonprofit funding gradually. Councilmember White questioned whether $20 million from the general fund was too much and urged more resources for economic development. Councilmember Spears emphasized core services and the need for efficiency. Councilmember Castillo and Galvan strongly supported continued investment, noting it is less than 1% of the total city budget. Councilmember Corr requested follow-up on specific agency scores and rationale for funding decisions.
  • Outsourcing Exploration: Staff presented the option of outsourcing discretionary contracts to an external funder (e.g., United Way) starting in FY 2029-30. Councilmembers had mixed views; some supported exploring it while others expressed concerns about loss of city control.
  • Next Steps: Staff indicated they would provide follow-up data (by district, performance metrics, and explanations for skipped higher-scoring proposals) and aim to bring the funding recommendations to full council in the second week of May (pushed back from the originally planned first week).

Discussion Items – Visit San Antonio & TPID Renewal

  • Economic Impact: Mario Bass (President/CEO of Visit San Antonio) reported that since 2016, Visit SA has generated $7.6 billion in cumulative economic impact (a 25:1 ROI). Tourism supports 1 in 8 jobs in San Antonio and offsets over $1,000 in annual taxes per household. Key drivers: convention sales, leisure marketing, and public relations.
  • Competitive Landscape: Patricia Mousquish Cantor (Convention Center Director) highlighted that competing Texas cities (Austin, Dallas, Houston) are investing over $7 billion in convention center expansions. San Antonio’s center is at maximum capacity, and without expansion, the city risks losing group business after 2030. A feasibility study update is expected in September.
  • TPID Increase: Visit SA proposed raising the Tourism Public Improvement District assessment from 1.25% to 2% on hotel room rates (about $0.50 per $200 room night) to align with other major Texas cities. The increase would generate an estimated additional $6 million annually for sales and marketing. The petition requires 60% approval from participating hotels; collection is planned for May with a contract vote in September.
  • Short-Term Rentals: Data showed short-term rental demand grew from 400,000 room nights in 2019 to 1.1 million in 2025, directly impacting hotel occupancy. Staff noted that group business remains critical to filling hotel rooms.
  • Council Feedback: Councilmembers voiced support for Visit SA’s mission and the need for convention center expansion. Councilmember White requested clearer attribution of Visit SA’s direct impact. Councilmember McKee Rodriguez encouraged expanding marketing to untapped demographics (Black, LGBTQ+ tourists) and building regional partnerships. Councilmember Galvan asked about hotel-level distribution of TPID incentives. Councilmember Corr emphasized accessibility of tourism events (e.g., volleyball championship) and cautioned against AI-generated promotional materials. Councilmember Castillo highlighted the importance of short-term rental regulation to protect long-term housing.

Key Outcomes

  • Delegate Agency Funding: Staff will delay the funding vote by one week to incorporate council follow-up requests (performance data, district-level breakdown, reasons for skipped proposals). Contracts begin June 1, 2026, pending council approval.
  • Visit San Antonio Contract & TPID: No formal action taken. The TPID petition process begins in May; city council will consider the full contract package in September. The convention center expansion feasibility study is due in September.
  • Executive Session: Cancelled for the day; rescheduled for April 30.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were transcribed during the meeting. The session adjourned before the scheduled 5:00 p.m. public comment period, with notice that an executive session would be moved to the following day.

Meeting Transcript

Telling you everything. I see it with steel. I'm hearing his voice. Telling me everything. Like on the noise. Only steals. Telling you believe in his brilliance. Believe in his source. I see what's still. I'm hearing his voice. Telling me okay. Good afternoon, good afternoon. If my colleagues can please make their way to their seats expeditiously. The time is now 2 10 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29th, 2026, and the City of San Antonio B session is called to order. Madam Clerk, please call roll. Councilmember. Councilmember Bia Gran. Here. Councilmember Mungia. Councilmember Castillo. Here. Councilmember Galvan. Here. Councilmember Aldarete Gavito. Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez. Councilmember Spears. Here. Councilmember White is here virtually. Here. Mayor Jones. Mayor Pro Tem McKee Rodriguez. Present. Mayor Pro Tim, we have quorum. Wonderful. This meeting we will hear. Well, first off, thank you all for being here today. This meeting we will hear two briefings and discuss them separately. The first is the Human and Homeless Services Strategy and Services and Strategy Strategy Consolidated Funding Process. Eric, do you want to get us started? Yes, sir. Thank you. Um good afternoon, Mayor Council. So this the first briefing is a post-solicitation briefing on our delegate agency process. If you'll recall, we had a lot of conversation as part of last year's budget and a pre-solicitation with the council. Um in this year's budget, agencies are funded for only partial uh part of the year. Um so the RFP solicitation you'll get an update on today. Um we'll eventually recommend funding for the rest of the fiscal year from June 1 to the end of the fiscal year. Um fiscal year 27 pending um council allocation of funds through the 27 budget and then an extension period afterwards. Uh the request for proposals was issued in on December 1st and closed at the end of January.

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