City Council Gets Two Bond Paths on Thursday: $442 Million With No Tax Increase, or a Larger Package That Raises Property Taxes
City staff will present the 2027 bond choice on Oct. 29 - the recommended $442 million program built to avoid another property-tax increase, or a bigger package near $750 million that at least four council members are open to and the mayor opposes.
The San Antonio City Council will weigh two paths for the May 2027 bond program on Thursday, Oct. 29, when city staff present their options, the San Antonio Current reported. City Manager Erik Walsh and his staff are proposing a $442 million general obligation bond designed to avoid any increase in the secondary property tax rate.
At least four council members - Phyllis Viagran, Teri Castillo, Ed Mungia and Sukh Kaur - have said they are open to borrowing $750 million so more projects can move forward, which would require another property tax increase on top of the 3.9 percent one the council recently passed, the Current reported. Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and council members Marina Alderete Gavito, Misty Spears and Marc Whyte have voiced opposition to another increase, and the three other members of the dais appeared undecided.
One piece every member appears to support is $175 million for stormwater and drainage improvements, the Current reported - the question is how to pay for it. Walsh's staff propose a 16 percent stormwater fee increase, about $10 a year for the average homeowner, who now pays about $5 a month; Kaur has proposed folding the drainage work into the bond instead, keeping stormwater fees flat while property taxes rise by about $1 a month, by her estimate. If the bond is to reach voters in May, the council must finalize its amount and projects by the second week of February.
