The City of San Antonio is considering raising the tax rate and cutting some programs as it faces a $158 million budget deficit.
The News 4 I-Team Waste Watch digs into the proposed budget to uncover questionable programs you probably didn’t know you were paying for.
The proposed budget has pages upon pages of programs it spends your money on, from a gastronomy program to a fitness council, to traffic studies.
Some of the programs are so obscure you might not know about them unless you go to the city’s website and watch videos it’s produced about them.
Like the Gastronomy Program which promotes San Antonio’s designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.
“What the hell is that?” asked taxpayer Brenda Torres.
“They’re wasting money, taxpayers’ money.”
The city says: “The Chef Ambassadors represent San Antonio internationally and locally providing mentorship to culinary students and free culinary workshops.”
“No,” said taxpayer Betty Warren, “They can cook their food at home their self. I would cut it.”
The city staff is now proposing cuts to the program to save $83 thousand.
Then there’s something called the Mayor’s Fitness Council.
The website says its mission is “to increase awareness and connect San Antonio residents to opportunities for improved emotional well-being, physical activity, and healthy eating.”
“No, if you want to exercise you should exercise on your own,” Torres said.
City staff is recommending cuts to the council to save $180 thousand.
“I think it probably should be cut because i think money should be going to more important things around the city,” another taxpayer, Keith Robinson said.
But here’s one thing the city wants to keep: a $400 thousand consultant study on changing the speed limit on some city streets from 30 miles per hour down to 25 miles per hour.
Council members requested the study as part of the city’s Vision Zero program to end all traffic deaths.
The city told us: “Before the city can post a lower speed limit, it must complete an engineering study showing why the change is needed.”
The city is currently getting community input on the proposed cuts and will adopt a budget in September.