San Antonio, the fastest growing city in the U.S. is at high risk of substantially increased taxes and severe cuts to city services. Propositions A, B and C, which will appear on the November 6 ballot, will stifle San Antonio’s economic growth if passed. We cannot afford to put our prosperity on the line. According to a fiscal impact analysis performed by Dr. Steve Nivin, director of the SABÉR Research Institute and an associate professor of economics at St. Mary’s University, San Antonio can expect a loss of $4.2 billion over the next twenty years if voters approve the proposed amendments to the City Charter. That means less money for libraries, parks, sidewalks and streets. It could even impact our ability to fund public safety.
Today, San Antonio has the highest possible credit rating, which means financing capital improvement projects can be done at a less expensive interest rate. If these three propositions pass, it will heighten uncertainty, constrain the ability of City Council to make the best policies, and hinder the efforts of City staff to implement the policies in the most efficient and effective manner. This will ultimately lead to the city’s bond rating being downgraded. According to the analysis, if the city’s bond rating drops, we can expect more than $130 million more in interest costs.
The only way to make up for those costs is to bring in more revenue or raise taxes, and generating more revenue will be quite a challenge with less money to invest in quality of life amenities that attract tourists, new businesses and talent. Businesses looking to relocate to San Antonio or expand their operations within the city may decide not to do so because infrastructure, quality of life, and other public services are inadequate.
In addition, lowering the number of signatures needed to challenge a city ordinance from 75,000 to 20,000, and increasing the number of days within which a petition may be filed would take extremely important decisions out of the hands most qualified to make them — the members of City Council, the people we elect to govern our city. This would allow special interests to use their resources to manipulate the public into supporting their agendas. It means budgets and bond projects allocated to your neighborhood could be petitioned to be shut down by people that aren’t from your district. Zoning disputes, designations and money appropriation would be hijacked, and your elected representative could no longer help. It would also add the expense of administering a referendum election, each of which will cost the city approximately $600,000. Two elections can be held per year, so the cost just to have the elections could extend to $1.2 million per year. We should not allow 3% of voters to dictate decisions that impact our entire city.
San Antonio’s progress is a result of tireless, dedicated leadership. Limiting the term the City Manager may serve to no longer than eight years and limiting the compensation to just under $300,000 per year will hinder our ability to obtain top-level talent for the City Manager position in the future. We should demand excellence from leaders managing our $2.7 billion budget.
As San Antonians, it is our duty to ensure that the well-being of our city is protected for future generations. We must come together and stop this attack on San Antonio before it is too late. It is important that you spread the word and urge friends, family and neighbors to GO VOTE NO.
For more information, check out govoteno.com. You can also access Dr. Niven’s presentation here.
