San Antonio voters overwhelmingly approved six bond propositions totaling $1.2 billion in improvements for the city.
The passage continues the city’s winning streak on the passage of bond propositions over the last 15 years. The bond will fund more than 180 projects from streets and sidewalks; flood control and drainage; parks; facilities; and a new housing initiative between now and 2027.
Overall turnout was low compared to previous city elections. By the end of election day more than 85,000 people had cast a ballot out of 1.1 million voters within Bexar County. That data includes Bexar County as a whole and not just the city of San Antonio.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg praised the passage at the election night watch party organized by the political action committee that supported the bond.
“That’s what this statement is today, is that the San Antonio rallies around our community,” he said. “We come out for each other and we are going to live up to the promise that we made a few years ago that said we come back from the challenges that we’ve experience in the last two years I want to go back to the way things were, we’re going to come back stronger, we’re going to come back more resilient.”
The PAC, the official name of which is “Build SA,” was organized to drum up support for the bond across the city. Brandon Logan, one of the PAC’s tri-chairs said the bond invests in the people of San Antonio.
“The benefit of this $1.2 billion bond passing (is that) 82% of the projects are rooted in neighborhoods so you think about the direct impact that every household should see is gonna be significant,” he said.
A breakdown of the propositions and their number of projects. You can see a map of each project here.
Many council members are praising the apparent passage of the city of San Antonio’s $1.2B bond package. @DrAdrianaD4: “this is going to make a huge impact in the parts of town that have been disinvested in.” @TPRNews pic.twitter.com/AJVXjyWJ3a
— Joey Palacios (@Joeycules) May 8, 2022
PROP A: Streets, Bridges & Sidewalks
$471 Million
62 Projects
PROP B: Drainage & Flood Control
$169 Million
23 Projects
PROP C: Parks & Recreation
$271 Million
82 Projects
PROP D: Library & Cultural Facilities
$58 Million
9 Projects
PROP E: Public Safety Facilities
$78 Million
6 Projects
PROP F: Affordable Housing
$150 Million
The city took a new approach to a housing bond, which until last year was not possible until voters approved amending the city charter to allow for bonds to be used for housing.
The bond approved on Saturday would allow for the preservation of homes through “homeownership rehabilitation and preservation to include minor repair and remediation of code violations with a priority for homes at risk for demolition for households,” permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness, among other initiatives.
Nirenberg said the housing bond was one of the most important items on the ballot.
“It’s an effort to make sure that we are staying in front of a housing crisis that are swept the nation and that includes ensuring that there is an available affordable supply of housing at every income level and that were preserving and rehabilitating the housing stock that we have so we don’t lose it,” he said.
