Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones speaks to reporters during a press conference. Credit: Michael Karlis

Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones on Tuesday floated her latest proposal to fix the city’s $158 million budget deficit.

The components of that plan include shifting funds to reduce the deficit while also saving programs she deems necessary for low-income San Antonians.

Specifically, Jones is proposing to save $9 million from the General Fund by sunsetting the city’s controversial Ready to Work job-training program, reevaluating city Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue and redistributing funds from Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones.

“This is a tough environment, so there are no sacred cows,” Jones told reporters during a closed-door roundtable before council’s budget work session Tuesday.

Jones wants to use future funding from the city-funded Ready to Work program to cover current expenses. That approach frees up $3.4 million from the General Fund, allowing the city to use $10.5 million from Ready to Work for other programs.

Programs Jones wants to fund through this method include the YMCA of San Antonio, San Antonio Youth Centers and Goodwill Northwest’s job-placement program.

Instead of viewing her proposal as ending a job-training program, Jones said she sees the move as “plussing up organizations and entities in the community that are doing good work now.”

Jones also would allocate $2 million to Project QUEST, a job-training program funded by the City of San Antonio and Bexar County that has a similar function to Ready to Work.

However, her plan isn’t without deep cuts beyond Ready to Work.

As part of the budget proposal, Jones would slash a $700,000 Fiesta subsidy, end the city’s $2 million subsidy to the University of Texas School of Public Health and cut an $80,000 subsidy to the Siclovia fitness program.

Those funds would then be reallocated to preserve 39 San Antonio Public Library positions, four vacant positions at Metro Health and an after-school program at Southwest ISD.

Jones also wants to remove General Fund revenue from supporting the Avenida Guadalupe Association and San Antonio Botanical Garden. Those programs would still receive funding, but they money would come from the city’s hotel occupancy tax instead, saving the General Fund $2.44 million over the next two years.

Although those programs would remain, the city’s $1 million subsidy to the Botanical Garden would be nixed.

Additionally, the city’s hotel occupancy tax would pay for the city’s World Heritage City of Gastronomy designation, outdoor exhibits and work plan programs.

Lastly, Jones is asking city staff to determine whether balances from city-initiated TIRZs could fund initiatives including Greater: SATX, SupplySA, Haven for Hope, BioMedSA and LaunchSA.

During the roundtable discussion, Jones didn’t say how much support her plan has or whether she collaborated with other council members to bring it before the dais.

Under Texas state law, seven council members must approve raising property taxes if that’s the path they choose to deal with the looming deficit. So far, council members Marina Alderete Gavito, Misty Spears and Marc Whyte have vocally opposed raising taxes.

Initially, Jones said she opposed raising property taxes, but appeared more willing to consider such a move if it meant maintaining funding for programs aimed at San Antonio’s most vulnerable.

“I think we would be in a tough spot to raise property taxes absent of some real significant changes in our spending habits,” Jones said. “I think that is reflected in the amendments that I have made.”

If council is unable to reach an agreement on the budget by Thursday, Sept. 17, City Manager Erik Walsh will have to restructure the budget and cut programs without raising property taxes.

Walsh’s proposal, in that situation, includes measures such as funding cuts for career and college advising program Café College, eliminating 12 city positions and reducing library operating hours to just 40 a week.

Council will meet Tuesday and Wednesday for budget work sessions before Thursday’s big vote.

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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,...