SAN ANTONIO – Property owners will see a tax hike starting Oct. 1, when the city’s new fiscal year begins, after City Council approved a 3.9% increase.
The increase amounts to an average of $35 citywide, though the impact for homeowners will vary depending on where they live. Public opinion was split ahead of the vote, with some residents warning about long-term consequences and others arguing the city needs revenue to avoid harming its future.
“Consider that in hiking taxes, it will eventually affect you, your children, your grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and their future in owning a home or any kind of property,” one speaker said during public comment.
Another speaker said, “Nobody wants to see a tax increase. But nobody wants to maintain a record year after year of not increasing taxes if it means that we are destroying the future of the City of San Antonio.”
City leaders had weighed cutting several city-funded programs in areas such as senior services and library services or raising property taxes by close to 4%. In the end, they chose to raise taxes.
As a result, some proposals will not move forward, including adding more police officers, which will not be funded.
Mayor Gina Ortiz-Jones called for major cuts to address the deficit, saying city homeowners need solutions. “There’s a million dollars in there for a botanical garden. $700,000 still in there for Fiesta subsidy. Meanwhile, we couldn’t even move money over to help people, to keep people in their homes,” Ortiz-Jones said.
A city study found the average annual increase will differ sharply by district. On average, homeowners in areas such as District 1 will pay about $100 more per year, while District 6 homeowners will pay an extra $2.46.
City officials and housing advocates said there may be ways for some homeowners to mitigate the increase. “At this time housing affordability remains a major concern and any increase in the property tax burden is something we take seriously,” said Ed Zapata of the San Antonio Board of Realtors.
According to the city manager, the tax changes will affect about half the city. Nearly half of city homes are exempt from the increase because of a senior and disabled tax freeze.
Zapata said homeowners can use San Antonio Board of Realtors resources to find available exemptions. “There are still homeowners that we do know in our community who qualify for homestay exemption, but have not applied for one. We want to reach those homeowners and realtors are a resource for that,” he said.
The city also plans to increase revenue through higher fees, including for non-resident library cards and parking, as part of an effort to bring in more money for next year’s budget.