SAN ANTONIO \u2013 With a nearly $158 million budget shortfall to close over the next two years, Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has pointed to some unexpected places to cut deep.<\/p>\n
The city has not publicly revealed a full list of specific budget cuts being considered, but some possibilities have come up during budget discussions or previous plans, including trims to city funding for two nonprofits, the San Antonio Botanical Garden and the San Antonio Book Festival.<\/p>\n
However, the mayor has suggested going further and scrapping their funding, though her reasons for each are different. <\/p>\n
She has also appeared to advocate for even steeper charges to Fiesta event organizers than the city has already proposed.<\/p>\n
Botanical Garden<\/p>\n
City staff have been planning since at least last year to trim a $1.2 million contribution to the San Antonio Botanical Garden down to $1 million in the upcoming, FY 2027 budget. <\/p>\n
In a June 18 budget discussion, though, Jones said she wanted to take the Botanical Garden\u2019s funding \u201cto zero,\u201d saying it has a ticket fee and a fundraiser, \u201cBubbles and Blooms\u201d and would \u201cbe okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her singling out of the nonprofit seemed to be more about using it as an example of where to draw the line for funding.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to see a full list of these things, Erik, that if you charge a ticket fee, they can figure it out,\u201d she told City Manager Erik Walsh.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we\u2019re talking about cutting nutrition centers, we\u2019re not going to fund the botanical gardens.\u201d<\/p>\n
San Antonio Botanical Garden President and CEO Katherine Trumble told KSAT the mayor\u2019s comments were \u201cvery unexpected.\u201d <\/p>\n
Admissions revenue covers about 20% of its operational budget, she said, while the city money covers about 7%. However, she said a portion of the city money also funds capital expenses. <\/p>\n
Of the garden\u2019s 39 acres, she said, 38 are city-owned acres and facilities. <\/p>\n
While Trumble said the Botanical Garden was aware and prepared for the planned $200,000 reduction in funding, taking it down to \u201czero\u201d as the mayor wants would force it to focus on maintaining the city\u2019s buildings and grounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd so that could affect the growth potential in our school tours, she said. \u201cIt could affect growth potential and our access programs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Book Festival<\/p>\n
Similarly, the city\u2019s $150,000 general fund contribution to San Antonio Book Festival had already been marked for a $50,000 cut as part of last year\u2019s budget process. <\/p>\n
Unlike the San Antonio Botanical Garden, the event is free, but Jones questioned why the city was bankrolling it and not private philanthropy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not saying we don\u2019t need a book festival. I was just there this last time and it was great. But these are not things that the public needs to be paying for,\u201d Jones said. \u201cMilitary veterans affairs, greater chamber…can you pick that up?\u201d<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s FY 2026 budget shows the book festival also receives another $98,000 in arts and tourism-related dollars from another part of the city budget. <\/p>\n
Executive Director Lisa Ayres says the festival has other sources of funding in its $1.2 million budget, but \u201cevery dollar counts.\u201d<\/p>\n
The group wants to grow its event, she said, and if it isn\u2019t able to replace the city\u2019s $150,000, that could mean reducing the number of authors they bring in or how many school visits they pay for.<\/p>\n
Even if it were able to fill the hole in the short-term, she said, \u201cI think that it would be hard to sustain that for a while. The city investment is very important to what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
KSAT is also a media partner for San Antonio Book Festival. <\/p>\n
Fiesta cost-sharing<\/p>\n
City staff have also suggested \u201cadditional cost recovery\u201d for Fiesta events \u2014 essentially having event organizers kick in more for the city\u2019s support of parades and other events during Fiesta.<\/p>\n
City staff have previously said the city spends $3 million more on Fiesta than it receives.<\/p>\n
Walsh told council members they were aiming to recoup 50% of the expenses, bringing in another $700,00 each year. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut that will ultimately have an impact on some of the cost of those events, I suspect,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Jones seemed to suggest the city could push it further, though, saying the $700,000 was just one event.<\/p>\n
\u201cAgain, if you charge a ticket fee, we should not be subsidizing your things,\u201d Jones said in the June 18 briefing. \u201cAnd you can figure out how to right-cost that.\u201d<\/p>\n