District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito on Wednesday accused city staff of intentionally selecting cuts to resident services in the proposed budget as a way to pit council members against each other.
During a tense Wednesday discussion of the city’s looming $158 million budget deficit, Alderete Gavito also requested that City Manager Erik Walsh look for cost-saving measures within City Hall and municipal government rather than ones that would directly affect services available to residents.
“I think it’s really interesting that y’all put up these line items that really impact residents and start riling us up against each other,” Alderete Gavito said. “The argument is not against each other for our residents. I think the argument should be, ‘How do we cut fat internally?’”
Alderete Gavito’s accusation came as council debated ways to cut back on expenditures and increase revenue, which could include raising property taxes. Alderete Gavito is among at least three council members — District 9 Councilwoman Misty Spears and D10’s Marc Whyte are the other two — who staunchly oppose the idea of raising taxes.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has also said she wants to avoid boosting property taxes.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Whyte argued that even if San Antonio raises property taxes by 3.9%, the city still would face a $100 million-plus budget deficit in five years.
“Why don’t we actually address the real issue right now, which is that we spend too much damn money,” Whyte said. “We cannot do all of these things. Nobody is saying these things aren’t all good programs, but you can’t do them all.”
Instead of raising property taxes, Whyte and his allies said they are more interested in an alternative solution that would reduce library hours, eliminate municipal jobs and cut back on Parks Department programming.
However, the council’s progressive wing, including District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, scoffed at the idea.
“The alternative is that you can fathom that we’re going to cut 171 additional people, that we’re going to cut all of these programs that my constituents rely on. You can fathom that. You can fathom people being unemployed and having to rely on social services that we’re no longer going to provide.”
Meanwhile, the usually reserved District 6 Councilman Ric Galvan, also a progressive, joked that the city should make deeper cuts in districts whose council members oppose a tax increase.
City Council has until Sept. 17 to come together and pass a budget.
Residents can weigh in on what they think the budget should look like at town halls being held citywide.
District 8 Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez is having her budget town hall Thursday at the Phil Hardberger Urban Ecology Center, 8400 NW Military Highway. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m.
A Youth Budget Town Hall is set for 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the San Antonio Food Bank, 5200 Historic Old Highway 90 West.
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