Business
2021 Budget Adopted

City of San Antonio’s Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Makes Investments in Public Health, Housing and Workforce Development
SAN ANTONIO (September 17, 2020) – Today, the City Council unanimously adopted the $2.9 billion Fiscal Year 2021 Budget, which is $4.4 million lower than last year’s budget, stays well below the statutory cap on property taxes and continues to invest resources in the four pillars of the Recovery & Resilience Plan, which includes keeping people in their homes, training people to secure jobs that are available today, supporting small businesses and improving digital connectivity for residents.
“The goal of the fiscal year 2021 budget is to maintain the city services that our residents expect, while also helping them recover from the devastating economic and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said City Manager Erik Walsh. “We’ve been able to make meaningful investments in the services our community asked for, including public health, housing and human services, such as resources for mental health and support for those experiencing homelessness.”
The FY 2021 Adopted Budget invests $346 million in the community to vital services including health, housing, education and human services; this is in addition to the $291 million from federal grants targeted to assist the City with the response and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, as part of the continued response to COVID-19, many departments, such as Metro Health, Fire, Neighborhood & Housing Services, Economic Development and Human Services, have changed their focus to address the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic and help San Antonio recover from its effects.
Public Health
$45.8 million is allocated to Metro Health, including $20.3 million in the General Fund, which is a 29.6 percent increase compared to the FY 2020 Adopted Budget, the largest proportional increase of any department. The Adopted Budget creates a new Violence Prevention Division in Metro Health with a total investment of $8.9 million, including $1.3 million in new funds, and the transfer of 20 Crisis Response Team employees from the San Antonio Police Department to Metro Health.
The adopted budget also includes $1 million to expand the Healthy Neighborhood Program and to create a new Community Health Connector Partnership and augment other public health programs. The adopted budget also adds $120,000 to add 12 healthy corner stores in Districts 1, 2, 4 and 7, while maintaining support for the eight stores in District 3. This program provides healthy food options to areas that lack access to grocery stores.
Housing
The FY 2021 Adopted Budget allocates $27.5 million for affordable housing initiatives. This allocation also includes $300,000 for new legal kiosks at key city locations to assist at-risk populations.
Policing
The adopted budget includes $486.5 million for the San Antonio Police Department, an increase of 1.7%. Nearly all of the increase is contractually-obligated (by the collective bargaining agreement with the police union) or state law-required. The proposed budget reallocates $1.6 million from the police budget to accept a federal COPS grant to hire 25 new officers focused on preventing domestic violence and reduces overtime for police officers by $3.4 million.
The FY 2021 Adopted Budget also introduces a deliberate process to address foundational issues within the police department, review police services and engage the entire community on expectations. The San Antonio Police Department responds to more than 2.1 million calls for service per year, some of which may be more appropriately handled by other departments and service providers. The process will review foundational issues, such as accountability and discipline of officers, determine the community’s expectations of the police department, incorporate community input and identify funding and alternative response mechanisms. A draft plan will be presented to the City Council by April 2021. Negotiations for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with the San Antonio Police Officers Association will begin in the spring of 2021.
Support for Residents Experiencing Food Insecurity
The budget also invests $1 million in the San Antonio Food Bank’s Culinary Center. The project will provide more prepared meals for families experiencing food insecurity. The center will also increase Culinary Training program class size, provide space for on-site nutrition education classes and allow the San Antonio Food Bank to be more prepared in the event of a natural disaster or future pandemic.
General Fund
The General Fund, the largest operating fund in the proposed budget, is $1.28 billion, which is a 0.7 percent increase over FY 2020. The increase is primarily due to compensation increases from the collective bargaining agreements with the police and fire unions. The Adopted Budget includes new and existing investments in community service priorities. These investments include:
- Small business support: additional $500,000 that partially reinstates a City fee waiver program and an establishes a new entrepreneurship program
- Violence Prevention: a new division in Metro Health with a total investment of $8.9 million, including $1.3 million in new funds and the transfer of 20 Crisis Response Team workers from SAPD to Metro Health
- Affordable Housing: $27.5 million to assist residents at risk of displacement and facilitate the development of affordable housing
- Homelessness and Mental Health: $36 million investment, representing a $1 million more than FY 2021. $560,000 will allow the City to expand the Homeless Outreach Team created through the recovery and resiliency plan resulting in 11 district outreach Teams (one per district and downtown). $500,000 is added for an alternative mental health response option
- Healthy Food Access: $120,000 to add 12 healthy corner stores in Districts 1, 2, 4 and 7, while maintaining support for the 8 stores in District 3
- Education: $1.1 million to AlamoPROMISE to provide college scholarships to Alamo Colleges students
- Human Services and Workforce Development: $24.3 million for delegate agencies providing critical services to San Antonio residents
The General Fund also adapts to a new fiscal reality and the impacts of COVID-19 by including $87 million in budget cuts over two years ($38 million in FY 2021 and $49 million in FY 2022) due to revenue reductions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some the of the reductions include:
- Reduction of $14 million through City hiring freeze for most vacant positions, no pay increases for City employees, and other compensation adjustments
- Suspension of economic development incentives saving $5.5 million
- $3.4 million in reductions to the Police Department overtime budget and suspension of Police Cadet Hiring Bonus program ($739,500)
Business
Treasury Department Releases Report on Benefits of Unions to the U.S. Economy

The Treasury Department recently released its most comprehensive-ever look at the role that labor unions play in the American economy with a new report by the Department’s Office of Economic Policy.
The report represents over 70 actions the White House Task Force implemented on Worker Organizing and Empowerment. It finds that unions play an important role in addressing the middle class’s longstanding challenges – including stagnant wages, high housing costs, and reduced intergenerational mobility.
The report’s key findings are:
- Middle-class workers reap substantial benefits from unionization. Unions raise the wages of their members by 10 to 15 percent. Unions also improve fringe benefits and workplace procedures such as retirement plans, workplace grievance policies, and predictable scheduling.
- Unionization also has spillover effects. Competition means workers at nonunionized firms see increased wages, too. Heightened workplace safety norms can pull up whole industries. Union members improve their communities through increased civic engagement; and they are more likely to vote and donate to charity.
- Modern unions have broad representation across race and gender. In 2021, Black men had a particularly high union representation rate at 13 percent, as compared to the population average of 10 percent.
- Unions can boost businesses’ productivity by improving working environments and giving experienced workers more of an input into decisions that design better and more cost-effective workplace procedures.
Promisingly, there have been recent signs of a reinvigorated labor movement, as union election petitions in 2022 bounced back from the pandemic to their highest level since 2015, and public opinion of labor unions is at its highest level in over 50 years. Other actions taken by the White House include:
- Prioritizing the passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act and the Public Sector Freedom to Negotiate Act.
- Promoting “know your rights” initiatives to provide workers with better information about their organizing and bargaining rights.
- Announcing a new rule to raise wage standards of construction workers by updating wage regulations.
- Requiring employers to pay prevailing wages and abide by apprenticeship requirements to claim the full value of many clean energy tax incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act as part of the Treasury Department’s implementation of the law.
Business
First Black Franchise Symposium and Trade Show Coming to Plano

The Franchise Game, the U.S.’s first and only African American Franchise Symposium and Trade Show, is coming to Plano, Texas, on Friday, September 15, 2023. The event, spearheaded by “The Franchise Player” Tarji Carter and Marketing Maven Dessie Brown, Jr., will take place at Yum! Restaurants International Corporate Campus from 8am-5pm CST. The symposium aims to bring together experts and industry leaders to discuss the secrets to success, challenges, and opportunities in franchising. The theme for this inaugural event is Doing The Work!
The day will kick off with a message from James Fripp (Chief Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Officer,
Yum! Brands) and a powerful keynote address from Nicholas Perkins (CEO of Fuddruckers and the first African American to own a National Hamburger Franchise System), followed by an explosive lineup of panel discussions led by franchise subject matter experts including Mike Quinn (Franchisee, Pizza Hut), Tim Williams (Director of Operations, Williams Chicken), Damon Dunn (Franchisee, Dunkin’ Brands and Retired NFL Player), Delmas Arthur (Operations Manager, Dunkin’ Brands, Starbucks, 5 Guys, McDonald’s, and Hardee’s), and “The Franchise Player” Tarji Carter.
“With this event, we are looking to attract multi-unit franchisees, owner/operators, potential investors, athletes, entertainers, and franchise brands seeking to attract franchisees that reflect the communities they serve,” says Carter, who has worked with some of the world’s most delicious restaurant brands, including Cinnabon, Carvel, Baskin Robbins, Dunkin, Wingstop, Edible Arrangements, Fuddruckers, and Bojangles’. “We want to increase franchise ownership and wealth across the African American community by providing education, resources, and opportunities to aspiring franchisees and small business owners – and we can reach this goal by partnering with franchise brands committed to inclusion, equity, and belonging.”
Fueled by iconic African American magazine/brand JET, the Franchise Game will consist of sessions from franchisees, lawyers, business development officers, and operation managers. Sessions include A Day in the Life of a Franchisee (where attendees will learn from some of the industry’s best multi-unit franchisees), Talk to My Attorney! (where attendees will learn about the legal rights and responsibilities from franchise attorneys), Bag Secured (which is designed to address accessing capital for business), Operational Excellence (which is designed to show attendees how to grow from an Owner-Operator to owning a large enterprise), and How to Get Started and Approved (which is the official guide to franchise ownership).
Before the symposium and trade show, The Franchise Game will also hold a VIP Reception on September 14, 2023, for executives, brands, and select attendees.
To register or for more information, please visit www.thefranchiseplayer.com/events. Early registration is recommended, as space is limited
Black Life Texas
Supporting Black Business 365

With the Black community making up 6-7% of the population in San Antonio, it’s critically important that local Black businesses are supported. As in June for Black History Month and August for Black Business Month, the focus needs to be more than twice per year.
There are more than 2 million Black-owned small businesses in the United States. Since the start of the pandemic, the number of new Black business owners has risen 38 percent, with Black female entrepreneurs leading the charge.
Despite this progress, Black entrepreneurs are struggling to stay afloat, with 8 out of 10 Black-owned businesses expected to fail within the first 18 months, according to a 2021 CNBC report. The struggle is real for African American companies. According to a 2022 report by Bank of America, 46% of Black business owners in the U.S. face problems accessing capital, and 44% don’t have a mentor.
While San Antonio is home to several Chambers of Commerce, two cater to the Black community. The Alamo City Black Chamber of Commerce and the African American Chamber of Commerce of San Antonio provide ways for entrepreneurs to be mentored and learn from others. They offer lunch and learn series, ongoing mixers, resource fairs, and business institutes.
The Biden Administration has recently made it simpler for many small-business owners to get loans. As part of a series of changes effective Aug. 1, the Small Business Administration has simplified loan requirements to make it easier for financial-technology firms to participate. The SBA is also increasing the scope of licensed non-bank lenders to issue SBA loans. Also, the federal office is providing additional flexibility in credit criteria for loans under $500,000 to reach more credit-worthy small businesses.
SBA loans, typically made by banks and other financial institutions, help entrepreneurs start and grow small businesses. Entrepreneurs can borrow up to $5 million in SBA-backed loans, making the loans less risky and more appealing to lenders.
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