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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

San Antonio B Session Briefing on 90th State Legislative Program and Federal Initiatives – October 7, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, October 7, 2026

BodySan Antonio, Texas

SessionCity Council

DateWednesday, October 7, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:14:20

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:02

The time is now 2.02 p.m.

0:04

on Wednesday, October 7th, 2026, and the City of San Antonio B session is called to order.

0:09

Madam Clerk, please call roll.

Speaker 2

0:12

Councilmember Corr.

0:15

Councilmember McKee Rodriguez.

0:17

Councilmember Via Gran.

0:19

Here.

0:19

Councilmember

Speaker 3

0:20

Mungia.

Speaker 4

0:21

President.

Speaker 2

0:21

Councilmember Castillo.

0:23

Councilmember Gavon.

0:25

Councilmember Alarete Gavito.

0:28

Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez.

0:30

Councilmember Spears.

0:33

Councilmember White.

Speaker 5

0:35

Here.

Speaker 2

0:36

Mayor Jones.

0:37

Here.

Speaker 1

0:37

Mayor,

Speaker 2

0:38

we have quorum.

Speaker 1

0:38

Great.

0:39

Thanks, Madam Clerk.

0:40

This meeting is a briefing for the 90th state legislative program and federal initiatives timeline.

0:45

Eric, over to you, please.

Speaker 6

0:46

Yep, thank you, Mayor.

0:47

So Sally will be briefing you this afternoon on our proposed legislative program for the 90th state legislative session that'll begin in January.

0:56

Just in terms of preparation, government affairs has been working with all the city departments and the IGR committee to develop the program that kind of outlines our advocacy for Austin in 2027.

1:10

This item did go to the IGR committee on August 4th and receive feedback from the committee members.

1:29

And while there are some unknowns at this point because of the November elections, we fully expect that much of the work we'll be doing will be on defense.

1:48

Having said that, the legislative program is intended to serve the best interest of our community and seek opportunities for policy changes as well as funding.

1:58

And at the end of the presentation, we've added just a quick update to the council to the timeline because we will be beginning working on our federal legislative agenda and uh kind of want to cover that with the council this afternoon, just so you're aware of that those next steps.

2:16

So with that, I'll turn it over to Sally.

Speaker 3

2:25

Thank you, Eric.

2:29

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council.

2:31

Sally Basur, the director for government affairs.

2:33

Thank you for the opportunity to present before today the development of the 90th legislative state program uh beginning in 2027.

2:44

A little bit of background here on the landscape in the next few slides, as well as some background information.

2:52

The legislature meets an odd number of years, as you know, for 140 days.

2:57

There are 150 House of Representatives members with the speaker presiding as well as 31 members of the Senate with the lieutenant governor presiding.

3:12

Here's a look at the ever-changing legislative landscape that we anticipate in 2027.

3:20

Um there is going to be significant turnover in both chambers with at least 24 new House members and five new senators, including two members from the San Antonio delegation, um, replacing Representative Lopez in District 125 and Representative Lujan in District 118.

3:46

Um, this turnover and these changes will significantly reshape the composition of both chambers as well as committee assignments that will come in 2027.

4:00

This particular slide is some information that I wanted to share with you regarding some announcements and the direction that the state leadership announced in the summer of 2026.

4:14

They essentially directed state agencies to cut spending from their proposed budgets by three percent in the next two years.

4:25

Um there were a few education exemptions in that direction to the state agencies.

4:32

However, in this same announcement, um, they made clear that for the new legislative session, property tax relief was going to be at the top of their priority list.

4:45

Additionally, they plan to build on investments for schools and teacher salaries in the 89th legislation.

Unassigned speaker

4:54

The legislature and the governor signed a bill allotting 4.2 billion dollars for teacher uh retention increasing salaries.

Speaker 3

5:08

Here's a look at some of the key legislative dates for the 90th Texas legislature.

5:14

On November 9th, pre-filing begins.

5:18

This is the period where we ramp up our government efforts in order to coordinate with our COSA departments and our partners in the analysis of the proposed legislation that is being filed through March of 2027.

5:37

This will give us the first insight as to the proposed legislation that will begin to be filed in November.

5:46

January 12 is the first day of the session.

5:50

March 12 is the last day to file bills.

5:54

That is when we'll see the full scope of all the bills proposed for this session.

6:00

And then working towards May 31st, the last day of the session, and then June 30th is the last day the governor has to veto any bills.

6:14

A look at the background for the city's proposed state legislative program or the purpose of how we arrive at the recommended state proposed program.

6:30

Prior to each legislative session, City Council you adopt a state legislative program that establishes essentially the city's policy and funding priorities.

6:42

This gives the government affairs team and the city department heads and our liaisons the guidance that we need while as we engage to identify, analyze, and assess and how we advocate in support or in opposition of the legislation that is being filed during the session.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Legislative Procedure██████████████████████████26%

Legislative Agenda██████████████████████22%

Public Safety███████████████15%

Legislative Priorities██████████████14%

Procedural█████5%

Infrastructure█████5%

Public Education█████5%

Community Development███3%

Public Transportation███3%

Summary of Proceedings

City of San Antonio B Session Briefing on 90th State Legislative Program and Federal Initiatives – October 7, 2026

The San Antonio City Council held a B session on October 7, 2026, to receive a briefing from the Government Affairs department on the proposed state legislative program for the 90th Texas legislative session (beginning January 2027) and a preview of the federal initiatives timeline. Sally Basur, Director of Government Affairs, presented the program, which outlines the city's policy and funding priorities for advocacy in Austin. Councilmembers provided feedback and highlighted district-specific concerns.

Discussion Items

Presentation on Legislative Landscape and Priorities Sally Basur reviewed the upcoming legislative session, noting significant turnover in both chambers, including at least 24 new House members and five new senators. She emphasized that the city's top priorities include protecting municipal authority, opposing unfunded mandates, preserving the municipally owned model for CPS Energy and SAWS, supporting the downtown sports and entertainment district, advancing flood resilience projects, and advocating for increased education funding. New items added for the 90th session include support for local parks and opposition to negative community impacts from data center development. Basur also outlined key legislative dates and the city's process for bill tracking through the Texas Municipal League.

Councilmember Comments and Positions

Councilmember Via Gran urged proactive engagement with state and federal initiatives, emphasized flexibility, and stressed the importance of working with school districts through the Bexar County Education Coalition. He supported local control and strategic selection of battles in Austin.
Councilmember Galvan expressed full support for the proposed plan and highlighted the need to preserve local authority over data center regulation, address child care gaps, and resolve cluster mailbox theft issues related to state code conflicts.
Councilmember White requested transparency for taxpayers via a public dashboard tracking supported and opposed bills. He raised concerns about fiscal impact bills that might provide tax relief but reduce city revenue, and asked staff to bring such bills to council for direction. He also asked about potential legislation to restrict vape shops near schools.
Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez emphasized the importance of municipal authority, especially protecting CPS Energy and the military overlay district. She requested consideration of expanding the definition of "schools" to include daycare centers for alcohol sales distance regulations, and monitoring short-term rental issues. She advocated for state funding for the Camp Bullis Bridge project.
Councilmember McKee Rodriguez (IGR Committee Chair) noted the robust agenda and alignment among council. He stressed the need to protect local governance and oppose legislation targeting marginalized groups. He announced plans to schedule meetings with the San Antonio delegation and smaller meetings for councilmembers to build relationships. He emphasized telling San Antonio's story and being flexible.
Councilmember Castillo fully supported the agenda and underscored maintaining local control, protecting CPS Energy, and addressing metal recycler regulations and fence-line air monitoring. She highlighted support for the Center for Healthcare Services, public education, re-entry programs, flood control, and crypto fraud prevention.
Councilmember Corr highlighted infrastructure funding gaps for Vision Zero and climate resilience. She stressed protecting municipally owned utilities, supporting the diversion center and mental health facilities, and tracking housing and transit-oriented development bills. She urged supporting partner priorities as city priorities.
Councilmember Mungia emphasized the South Texas Parkway, public education, CPS Energy's affordability and transmission work, and the need for state funding for flood infrastructure beyond bond capacity.
Mayor Jones requested citywide talking points (e.g., 14 flood projects totaling $411 million) to amplify impact. He emphasized protecting CPS Energy, highlighting its transmission contributions and the value of Port San Antonio and Texas Cyber Command. He requested attention to consumer protection regarding AI, housing for special populations, and ensuring state systems work correctly (maternal mortality reports, Medicaid backlog, voter registration backlog). He specifically asked for support to pursue federal dollars for the summer lunch program and advocate for special education funding.

Key Outcomes

The council provided direction and feedback on the proposed legislative program.
The legislative program will be presented for formal approval at the October 29th City Council session.
The Government Affairs team will continue to update the IGR committee and full council on legislative developments, with increased frequency as the session progresses.
A public dashboard tracking the city's support and opposition to bills will be maintained.
The federal legislative program briefings will begin in November 2026, with council approval anticipated in January 2027.
Councilmembers will engage with state delegation members through scheduled meetings and trips to Austin to advocate for the city's priorities.

Meeting Transcript

The time is now 2.02 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7th, 2026, and the City of San Antonio B session is called to order. Madam Clerk, please call roll. Councilmember Corr. Councilmember McKee Rodriguez. Councilmember Via Gran. Here. Councilmember Mungia. President. Councilmember Castillo. Councilmember Gavon. Councilmember Alarete Gavito. Councilmember Mesa Gonzalez. Councilmember Spears. Councilmember White. Here. Mayor Jones. Here. Mayor, we have quorum. Great. Thanks, Madam Clerk. This meeting is a briefing for the 90th state legislative program and federal initiatives timeline. Eric, over to you, please. Yep, thank you, Mayor. So Sally will be briefing you this afternoon on our proposed legislative program for the 90th state legislative session that'll begin in January. Just in terms of preparation, government affairs has been working with all the city departments and the IGR committee to develop the program that kind of outlines our advocacy for Austin in 2027. This item did go to the IGR committee on August 4th and receive feedback from the committee members. And while there are some unknowns at this point because of the November elections, we fully expect that much of the work we'll be doing will be on defense. Having said that, the legislative program is intended to serve the best interest of our community and seek opportunities for policy changes as well as funding. And at the end of the presentation, we've added just a quick update to the council to the timeline because we will be beginning working on our federal legislative agenda and uh kind of want to cover that with the council this afternoon, just so you're aware of that those next steps. So with that, I'll turn it over to Sally. Thank you, Eric. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. Sally Basur, the director for government affairs. Thank you for the opportunity to present before today the development of the 90th legislative state program uh beginning in 2027. A little bit of background here on the landscape in the next few slides, as well as some background information. The legislature meets an odd number of years, as you know, for 140 days. There are 150 House of Representatives members with the speaker presiding as well as 31 members of the Senate with the lieutenant governor presiding. Here's a look at the ever-changing legislative landscape that we anticipate in 2027. Um there is going to be significant turnover in both chambers with at least 24 new House members and five new senators, including two members from the San Antonio delegation, um, replacing Representative Lopez in District 125 and Representative Lujan in District 118. Um, this turnover and these changes will significantly reshape the composition of both chambers as well as committee assignments that will come in 2027. This particular slide is some information that I wanted to share with you regarding some announcements and the direction that the state leadership announced in the summer of 2026. They essentially directed state agencies to cut spending from their proposed budgets by three percent in the next two years. Um there were a few education exemptions in that direction to the state agencies. However, in this same announcement, um, they made clear that for the new legislative session, property tax relief was going to be at the top of their priority list. Additionally, they plan to build on investments for schools and teacher salaries in the 89th legislation. The legislature and the governor signed a bill allotting 4.2 billion dollars for teacher uh retention increasing salaries. Here's a look at some of the key legislative dates for the 90th Texas legislature.

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