District 5 Councilmember Touts Fiscal Year 2025 Budget as a Win

Published on September 19, 2024

District 5 Councilmember Touts Fiscal Year 2025 Budget as a “Win for Working Families”

SAN ANTONIO (September 19, 2024) — Today, City Council unanimously approved the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget. District 5 Councilmember Teri Castillo, who advocated for a range of essential services including infrastructure, housing, health, safety, and senior assistance, celebrated the budget approval as a “win for working families.”

“In the face of potential reductions, I am proud community, City Council, and City Staff were able to work together to ensure that the vital services and programs District 5 residents rely on receive adequate funding,” the District 5 Councilmember said, “Every dollar we invest in key services is returned to us in the form of safe, walkable neighborhoods, housing stability, healthier residents, and much more.” 

Notably, despite a slimmer budget, there are significant increases toward basic infrastructure funding such as street, sidewalk, and drainage maintenance. District 5 will also see park improvements across the district including restrooms for Monterrey Park.     

The budget includes an additional illegal dumping team to build upon Solid Waste’s diligent work. Animal Care Services (ACS) will add 14 positions to address critical calls and add 21 positions to operate two new spay/neuter clinics – one of which will be in District 5. The new ACS staff members and clinics will enable ACS to complete over 41,000 surgeries this year. 

City civilian workers across the board will receive a 3 percent wage increase. And, with the successful negotiations between the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association, our fire fighters secured a 7 percent increase toward their pay this year. 

“We are grateful that the City was able adopt a collective bargaining agreement that provides our brave firefighters with the pay and benefits they deserve,” said the District 5 Councilmember, “On behalf of District 5, thank you to the City’s negotiation team and the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association for negotiating in good faith and getting this agreement in place swiftly.”  

Affordable housing will reach an important milestone of funding in Fiscal Year 2025. With funding over $35 Million, the City will meet its home rehab goal as stated in the Strategic Housing Implementation Plan. 

During the budget amendment process, the District 5 Councilmember successfully rallied the Council to support the following:

• A $1 million increase to the Neighborhood & Accessibility Mobility Program 
• $1 million in additional housing assistance for individuals on the verge of eviction or other forms of homelessness
• $300,000 in funding the Urban Tree Canopy to assist residents with tree maintenance
• $300,000 to provide the UT Health San Antonio Ricardo Salinas Pediatric Dentistry Clinic with necessary medical supplies over the next two years