On Tuesday, more than 100 members of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce welcomed City Manager Erik Walsh to present the City of San Antonio’s proposed FY2021 Budget virtually. The proposed FY21 Budget totals $2.9 billion, $7.7 million less than the FY20 budget. The budget is focused on COVID-19 Response and Recovery and makes equitable investments in key city council priorities. The priorities for the FY21 budget include:
- Violence Prevention
- Affordable Housing
- Homelessness and Mental Health
- Healthy Food Access
- Education
- Human Services and Workforce Development
The city’s largest operating fund, the General Fund, totals $1.28 billion for FY21 a 0.4 percent increase from FY20. The Restricted Fund totals $999 million and Capital Budget totals $641 million. The pandemic has created unprecedented times, and as result, the city is expecting $127 million loss in revenue in 2021. To help offset the loss in anticipated revenue, the city plans to cut $87 million from the General Fund over the next two years. Despite the economic hardship the city is facing, City Manager Erik Walsh announced that the city will not lay off any employees.
In the budget, $102 million is dedicated to street maintenance, $8.9 million in total funding for the new Violence Prevention Division in Metro Health, $25 million for affordable housing, $1.1 million to AlamoPROMISE and $25 million to social safety net partner agencies.
The FY 2021 fiscal year will NOT require a property tax rate increase. We applaud the city for its sound fiscal management, which has been vital to maintaining the city’s strong bond rating from all three major rating agencies.
The budget was presented to City Council yesterday morning and will be set for adoption at A Session on Thursday, September 17. Until then, the City of San Antonio will conduct extensive community outreach to see how residents feel about the proposed FY21 budget. For more information on community input and official timeline adoption, check out the
City of San Antonio’s website.
