The Leon Valley City Council voted 3-2 on Sept. 20 to adopt a 2025 property tax rate of 0.54504, allocating 0.497818 for maintenance and operations and 0.047222 for the interest and sinking fund, after more than an hour of public comment and council debate. The motion to set the rate passed in a recorded vote: Council Place 3 (Campos), Council Place 4 (Roscoe) and Council Place 5 (Mersh) voted yes; Council Place 1 (Bolton) and Council Place 2 (Hile) voted no.

The rate change follows the council's review of the city's budget shortfall and a consultant recommendation to add three full-time firefighters. Proponents said the increase is necessary to preserve public safety and city services; opponents and some council members urged a slower, phased approach or use of nonrecurring reserves to limit immediate impacts on households.

Councilor Pampos outlined the revenue picture that led to the proposal, saying Leon Valley relies on property taxes for about 42% of general fund revenue and that the city lost about $46 million in taxable value this cycle. Pampos said that decline included a roughly $31.7 million reduction in multifamily value and about $10 million in single-family value, leaving a structural gap the city needed to address. The city also presented the statutorily required taxpayer impact statement and notice in compliance with Government Code 551.043(c).

During public comment, residents urged different approaches. Richard Blackmore, a Leon Valley resident, told the council, "I'll support any decision you make on raising taxes because we need it." Abraham Diaz, also a resident, said funding public safety should be prioritized, invoking advice he said he heard from a San Antonio council member: "You fund public safety first, and then everything else after that." Ivana Orozco, a resident of Pivona Place, thanked council members for their service and emphasized that many households already face tight budgets.

Council members debated several specific rate options over the meeting. A proposal to adopt 0.51504 (effectively exceeding the no-new-revenue rate by 1.9416%) was offered but died for lack of a second. Councilor Bolton moved a compromise to set the rate at 0.52504, which she said would fund one additional full-time firefighter and allow the council to revisit hires next year; that motion was seconded but failed in a 2-3 recorded vote. After a brief recess to recalculate figures, Councilor Orozco moved the 0.54504 rate and Councilor Mersh seconded; that motion passed 3-2.

Councilors and staff discussed—but did not approve—a plan to use the Economic and Community Development reserve to fund personnel. The city manager and budget staff said reserve funds are budgeted and largely committed to projects; using one-time reserves for ongoing salary costs is not standard practice. Council discussion noted a roughly $933,000 balance in the economic development fund, but staff said much of that amount had already been budgeted to projects and that only about $200,000 was available if projects were cut.

Opponents emphasized household burdens and a desire for a more gradual approach. Councilor Hile cited median household income and poverty rates for Leon Valley and favored a lower rate around 0.51504 to reduce immediate impacts on residents; Hile also suggested phasing in hires over multiple years so families could absorb increases. Supporters responded that delaying firefighter hires would continue a recognized staffing shortfall and could increase public-safety response risks.

Council members repeatedly distinguished discussion items from formal action: several alternatives were proposed and debated, the council recessed to obtain recalculated language and then returned to record votes on discrete motions. The final action adopted a permanent tax rate for fiscal year 2025-26; the council did not adopt any ordinance language beyond the tax-rate motion at this meeting.

The council noted that the adopted rate will be applied in the next tax cycle and that some taxpayers' bills may increase due to rising property values (the city described the "no-new-revenue" rate that would preserve last year's tax levy). Staff also reminded the council that if the city collects more revenue than expected the rate can be adjusted in a later year.

The meeting opened at 9 a.m. and adjourned at about 9:48 a.m.; the council's next regular meeting was announced for Oct. 21. Attendees included several residents who spoke during the public-comment period, members of the council and city staff who presented budget and tax-rate calculations.