San Antonio Budget Work Session: Parks, Economic Development, Solid Waste, and Library – September 9, 2026
San Antonio Budget Work Session: Parks, Economic Development, Solid Waste, and Library – September 9, 2026
The City of San Antonio held a budget work session on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, to review proposed fiscal year 2027 budgets for the Parks and Recreation, Economic Development (EDD), Solid Waste Management, and San Antonio Public Library departments. The meeting included presentations by department directors and discussion by Mayor Ron Nirenberg and City Council members. No formal votes were taken.
Parks and Recreation Department
- Director Homer Garcia presented a proposed total budget of $120.4 million across all funds, with $71.1 million from the general fund (a slight increase over the current year). Key revenue enhancements include fee updates for gyms, sports fields, and mass pavilions (estimated $445,000) and an increase of $0.25 in the environmental fee on CPS bills, projected to generate $2 million.
- Proposed reductions and efficiencies total $3.2 million, including a $200,000 decrease in funding to the San Antonio Botanical Garden (tied to a lease agreement ending in 2039), elimination of three vacant positions (equipment operator, marketing specialist, building maintenance supervisor), and transfers of 17 positions to other funds.
- Growth funding of $1.1 million will add eight skilled trades and park sanitation positions to maintain 9 miles of new greenway trails (Bidow Creek and Calibra to Helotus Connector).
- The department plans $10.4 million from the Tree Canopy Preservation and Mitigation Fund for planting 13,700 trees (including 9,000 adoptions/giveaways, 2,000 residential plantings, and 600 bond project trees). Survival rate for 2025-planted trees is 81% (industry standard).
- Edwards Aquifer Protection Program will add 5,500 acres (eight properties) to reach over 190,000 protected acres.
- Greenway trails: 106 miles complete, 17 miles funded for construction, and 17 miles remain unfunded to complete the ring. Councilmember Mungia noted District 4 has the largest gap and urged inclusion in a future bond.
- Capital projects include year four of a five-year playground shade program (12 locations in six districts), deferred maintenance ($1.725 million including basketball court rehabilitation at Bean Benavitas Park and pool resurfacing at Woodlawn Lake Park), and collaboration with Capital Delivery on HVAC replacements.
- Councilmember Castillo requested continued support for a tree assistance program for seniors (funded in FY25 but expended) and was assured by Assistant City Manager David McCary that the Tree Mitigation Fund might support it.
- Councilmember Via Gran requested a citywide list of park lease agreements and their return on investment.
Economic Development Department
- Director Brenda Hicks Lawrence presented a proposed general fund budget of $16.9 million, a 9.6% reduction from FY26. Restricted funds total $7.5 million.
- Two positions are eliminated (an economic development manager and a vacant senior specialist) due to process efficiencies from a prior process improvement review.
- The department refreshed the Economic Development Strategic Framework with TIP Strategies, to be presented for discussion on October 14, 2026. The framework includes goals for global competitiveness, place-based redevelopment, and economic mobility.
- Highlights include: Blackwave (high-tech tanks) announced $95 million investment and 250 jobs at Port San Antonio; a $200 million, 1 million-square-foot manufacturing facility at Brooks (up to 3,000 jobs by 2030).
- The $500,000 zero-interest loan program (with LiftFund) continues; since 2016, over 400 loans totaling nearly $14 million have facilitated an estimated $195 million in economic impact. Councilmember Mungia requested data on loan locations and recipients.
- A site readiness assessment of 10 sites (8 in District 4) was completed; two to three sites will be targeted for addressing gaps in FY27.
- Wolf Stadium redevelopment master plan will be presented later in fall 2026.
- Incentive policy updates will be presented to the Economic and Workforce Development Committee on September 22, 2026.
- Councilmember Alarcon asked about TURS (Texas Urban Revitalization Strategy) engagement; Mayor encouraged monitoring the economic impact of an ICE facility on the East Side.
Solid Waste Management Department
- Director Josephine Valencia reported on storm debris cleanup: over 11 million pounds of brush collected in 11 days, with priority area first sweep completed and second sweep ongoing. Bulky collection delays are being resolved.
- Proposed budget includes three initiatives: customer growth (2 drivers, 1 truck, $661,000 for an estimated 3,500 new customers); transfer station facility upgrades ($3.1 million one-time to open to private waste haulers, generating revenue); and rate increases ($0.75 per cart, $0.25 environmental fee) and expansion of waste hauler permit fee to recycling trucks (funds go to street maintenance).
- Fleet services fund: a new mechanic apprenticeship program aims to reduce outsourcing (in-house cost $95/hour vs. private $150/hour).
- Councilmember Corr asked about owning a landfill (deemed impractical; 15-year permitting timeline). Recycling revenue is down due to tariff uncertainty and processor consolidation.
- Councilmember Alarcon requested information on shopping cart collection costs and noted that large retailers have reduced cart loss through wheel-locking mechanisms.
San Antonio Public Library
- Director Sukrit Goswami presented a proposed total budget of $60.8 million, with $58.1 million from the general fund (4% increase). The increase covers COLAs, mandates, and $2.1 million one-time for furniture, fixtures, and equipment.
- $400,000 and 4 new positions are allocated for the expanded Carver Branch Library on the East Side.
- Efficiencies: $480,000 from reduced software costs (academic pricing); $950,000 from a new branch staffing model that eliminates 39 positions (27 library aid, 12 circulation attendant positions). Of these, 17 are vacant; the 22 affected employees will be offered positions at other city departments with no reduction in pay or tenure.
- The staffing model was justified by a 40% decline in physical check-ins and a 62% decline in staff-assisted checkouts since 2019, while digital circulation grew 161%. Library hours, programs, and staffing for librarians, library assistants, and training officers are maintained.
- Proposed revenue: increase lost-item processing fee from $5 to $10 (estimated $10,000); new $20 annual fee for library cards for non–San Antonio residents (estimated $1 million). Joanne Harris, Vice Chair of the Library Board of Trustees, spoke in support of continued investment.
- Councilmembers raised concerns: Councilmember Castillo requested the council districts of affected employees; Councilmember Galvan noted unease about cutting positions given libraries' roles as community hubs; Councilmember Corr asked for comparisons to other cities (San Antonio was slightly above median staffing per branch before cuts) and a plan to measure customer satisfaction post-change. Councilmember Mickey Rodriguez expressed interest in amendments to preserve all positions.
- Mayor Nirenberg asked about the cost to reopen Central Library on Sundays and to make parking free; staff will follow up.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken; all presentations were for discussion.
- Staff will provide follow-up memos on: library staffing model details by branch, affected employee home districts, customer satisfaction measurement plan; Economic Development loan program locations; Parks tree assistance program funding; list of park lease agreements; and TURS incentive history.
- Councilmembers signaled potential budget amendments to restore some library positions and to adjust tax rate, with several supporting a variable rate increase to generate additional revenue.
- The next budget work session is scheduled for Thursday, September 10, 2026, with an updated amendment list expected by Friday.
- A public hearing on the budget and property tax increase was scheduled for 5:00 p.m. the same day.
Meeting Transcript
On Wednesday, September 9th, 2026, and the City of San Antonio budget work session is called to order. Madam Clerk, please call roll. Councilmember Corr. Councilmember McKee Rodriguez. Present. Councilmember Via Grande. Here. Councilmember Mungia. Present. Councilmember Castillo. Councilmember Galvan. Here. Councilmember Alderete Gavito here. Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez. Councilmember Spears. Councilmember White. Mayor Jones. Here. Mayor, we have Quorum. Great. Thank you. This afternoon will re review the San Antonio Public Library, Parks and Rec, Economic Development, and Solid Waste Management Budgets. Eric, over to you. Thank you, Mayor. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. So yes, uh, we'll start off with parks, then move into economic development, then solid waste, and then uh wrap up with uh the library. And we do have a member of the library board here as well who will be uh providing some remarks. So I'll turn it over to Homer to kick us off. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. Homer Garcia the third uh parks director, want to thank uh City Manager Walsh, the entire executive leadership team, Freddie, his entire budget team. It's certainly been a collaborative process throughout to get us to this point. So I appreciate the opportunity to present the proposed 2027 parks budget. Also want to highlight I do have some team members with me here today, uh, our both of our assistant directors, Melinda Certa and uh Nikki Ramos, as well as uh some members of our senior leadership team are with us. Um, and then several are listening. So um I'll go ahead and proceed with really just an overview of the department. We I will outline the proposed budget, which does include revenue enhancements, some program changes, uh, our initiatives and key programs, and then provide a summary and some priorities as we look ahead to driving forward our work plan uh over the next 12 months. Uh for the work that we do, uh we're primarily organized in across three pillars, if you will. If you think of operations and maintenance focused on keeping our parks safe, uh clean, ready for public use. That's what that teams does. It is comprised of skilled trades, uh park sanitation, our urban tree canopy, uh, which is really critical uh here the last uh several days. Additionally, we have our recreation uh and community engagement team that houses all of our recreation centers. We have uh 30 facilities, fitness, aquatics, um we just wrapped up pool season, uh so it was a very busy time of year for the parks department, and then lastly, our uh support services that is the director's office, our fiscal team, uh contract services, and accreditation and data governance. Uh you can see uh just a sampling of the vastness of our park system uh to provide some additional context. We have more than 17,200 acres of public green space, and that comprises 278 parks, um, and as well as more than a hundred miles of greenway trails. It's not all inclusive, but it gives you an idea of just the breadth of what we do daily. Uh we are an accredited park agency. We were really proud to achieve that mark in our first attempt back in 2022. We are the second largest accredited park agency in in the country, and then we also have an and really what leads our work daily is making sure that our staff have the resources, the training, and safety first always. If we're not taking care of our team, then they're not going to meet the needs of the community. So the proposed budget is uh 120.4 million dollars across all funds.
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