SAN ANTONIO \u2013 Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones joined KSAT anchors Myra Arthur and Ernie Zuniga on Tuesday\u2019s 6 O\u2019Clock News, hours after her State of the City address, to talk about San Antonio\u2019s budget outlook and how that could shape the city\u2019s next bond proposal.<\/p>\n
Jones said the city is facing a tougher fiscal environment, pointing to \u201cflat\u201d property tax revenue after more residents claimed homestead exemptions. <\/p>\n
She said that limits how large the next bond can be without considering a tax increase.<\/p>\n
The mayor said the city\u2019s next bond \u2014 issued every five years \u2014 is expected to be about $600 million, down from about $1.2 billion in 2022 and about $800 million in 2017. <\/p>\n
Jones said the smaller amount will require \u201cruthless prioritization.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jones said her main buckets for bond spending include flood infrastructure, streets and sidewalks, economic development and downtown projects. She noted downtown development alone has been discussed in the $220 million to $250 million range, \u201calmost half\u201d of the current $600 million projection.<\/p>\n
Asked what might be \u201coff the table,\u201d Jones said the city should avoid funding items that could be financed elsewhere, saying residents should not expect bond money \u201cfor example, a university to get a new gym.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jones was also asked about an agreement with Spurs Sports & Entertainment tied to Toyota Field and efforts to land a Major League Soccer team. She said the city and county each put in $9 million, with an agreement calling for $5 million to be paid back if an MLS team was not in place after five years. <\/p>\n
The mayor said she would leave next steps to the city manager and attorneys, but added, \u201cWe probably should have been already collecting.\u201d<\/p>\n