Council Votes Thursday on San Antonio's Ask of the 2027 Legislature: Utilities, Arena District, Flood Money

The San Antonio City Council votes Thursday, Oct. 29, on the list that will guide what the city lobbies for in Austin in 2027: the State Legislative Program for the 90th Texas Legislature. It is item 6 on the A Session agenda, up for individual consideration rather than tucked into the consent agenda, according to Puro SA's Oct. 26 report on the agenda memo.

The agenda memo names four top priorities. First, CPS Energy and the San Antonio Water System: the city wants to protect the municipal utility model by preserving local ownership, governance and financial sustainability, and opposes legislation that adversely affects municipally owned utilities and reduces the city's return on investment. Second, a downtown sports and entertainment district, with support for legislation, funding opportunities and innovative financing mechanisms for a mixed-use district downtown — no dollar figure or financing tool named in the program. Third, legislation and funding for regional flood resilience in San Antonio and Bexar County, described in the program as an area known as Flash Flood Alley. Fourth, the South Texas Parkway, a proposed multi-lane corridor connecting IH-35 and IH-37 between IH-410 and Loop 1604.

Below the top four, the program lists positions in five issue areas, with new lines flagged in the Oct. 7 staff presentation. On data centers, it supports legislation ensuring development does not hurt the availability of water or electricity, pass utility costs on to homeowners, or harm neighborhoods — the same day Council votes on its own data center zoning rules as item 5. On city debt, it opposes legislation limiting the city's ability to issue debt responsibly. It also covers local control over zoning, land use, permitting and inspections, health items including behavioral health and crisis response, and Military City USA support for the state's DEAAG grant program and opposition to legislation undermining the city's ability to prevent encroachment near its bases.

The Oct. 7 B Session was a briefing, with no vote, and the only written record of the discussion so far is the draft minutes Council is scheduled to approve as item 3 on Oct. 29. As paraphrased in those minutes and reported by Puro SA, council members raised concerns about bills that cut city revenues, data center costs to residents, the lack of an east-west connector between Loop 410 and Loop 1604 on the South Side, and the utilities' lower rates compared with privately owned markets, while Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones noted 17 projects on the updated state flood control list. The memo lists the fiscal impact of adopting the program as none, with costs arriving later, bill by bill.

What happens next is on the calendar: Council votes Oct. 29, bill pre-filing begins Nov. 9, the session convenes Jan. 12, 2027, the last day to file bills is March 12, 2027, and the session adjourns May 31, 2027. Residents can sign up to speak on item 6 at SASpeakUp.com, with registration closing 15 minutes before the meeting starts.