Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones is defending her vote against San Antonio’s newly adopted FY 2027 budget and property tax increase, telling residents the city had opportunities to reduce spending and find other revenue before asking property owners to pay more.
The San Antonio City Council approved the $4.4 billion FY 2027 budget on Sept. 17. The adopted property tax rate rises from 54.159 cents to 56.288 cents per $100 of taxable value. The average homeowner with a homestead exemption is expected to pay approximately $2.95 more per month in city property taxes.
Jones Says City Could Have Done More
In an email sent to residents following the vote, Jones said she had spent months looking for additional revenue sources and proposing spending reductions aimed at easing pressure on the city’s General Fund.
The mayor said the remaining spending in the budget raises questions about whether increasing property taxes was necessary and whether the city could confidently tell taxpayers the increase was as small as possible.
“I think the answer to both questions is no,” Jones wrote…