SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones joined the KSAT Q&A on Tuesday to discuss the city’s budget ahead of the upcoming City Council vote.
Earlier Tuesday, the council had their first meeting on amendments and adjustments to the budget.
Jones said while traditionally the city has had extra money to allocate in the past, this year the council must be more deliberate with spending.
She emphasized the need to look ahead at federal cuts in public health and address those needs in the budget now.
“Metro Health, half of their budget comes from federal grants,” Jones said, “so with much of that money going away by the end of ‘26, of next year, that’s calling on us to have to figure out 8 million dollars.”
“The ramifications of being unprepared for a public health crisis, frankly, keeps me up at night,” she said.
Jones has specifically advocated for the budget to also allocate funds for mental health and testing for medical issues like tuberculosis.
“There are a number of amendments much higher than we have additional revenue for,” she said.
Jones also discussed Project Marvel and Guajolote Ranch developments.
In regard to Guajolote Ranch, Jones said, “I similarly oppose this, I think it’s important that we do everything possible to protect our water source. Point blank, period.”
Watch the full interview in the media player above.