District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte and two colleagues are trying to get funding for 65 SAPD officers. However, some think the new hires are unnecessary. Credit: Michael Karlis

Another battle is brewing at San Antonio City Hall, and this is one pitting council’s conservative and progressive wings against each other over spending and public safety.

On Thursday, council members Marina Alderete Gavito, Misty Spears and Marc Whyte filed a memo asking the city manager to add a vote on a resolution for consideration at the next meeting to reaffirm the body’s commitment to hiring 65 new police officers. The new hires would be part of the general fund council is expected to adopt in September.

“Public safety is the most fundamental responsibility of city government,” Spears, who represents District 9, said in a statement. “When independent experts evaluate our police staffing needs and recommend a path forward, we must listen and execute.”

In 2023, Weiss Consulting analyzed San Antonio’s public safety needs and recommended the San Antonio Police Department add 360 additional officers over the next five years.

The city bulked up by hiring 100 more officers in 2024 and another 65 last year. However, only 40 new officers are funded in the current fiscal year, and that has Alderete Gavito, along with Spears and Whyte — council’s two most conservative members — upset.

“San Antonio asked independent experts to evaluate our public safety needs, and they gave us a clear, data-driven roadmap,” District 7’s Gavito said in a statement. “As our city’s population grows, our public safety staffing naturally has to grow as well to correspond with the increase of 911 calls. Staying on track with this plan will help improve response times, keep our streets safe, and ensure officers have the capacity to work alongside programs that address the root causes of many 911 calls.”

However, not everyone on council agrees.

In response, council members Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, Phyllis Viagran, Edward Munguia and Teri Castillo — representing the progressive wing of the dais — filed their own memo asking the city manager to ignore their colleagues’ calls for a vote on the resolution proposing additional police hires.

“We believe that staffing decisions are most appropriately addressed through the regular budget process, where they can be considered alongside the city’s operational needs, fiscal realities, and priorities across all departments,” that memo said.

Alderete Gavito, Spears and Whyte’s resolution hasn’t been added to any agenda for a vote as of press time. Even so, it’s fair guess we won’t be hearing the end of their push for more cops on the beat.

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Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...