San Antonio council votes to name bond chairs

The San Antonio City Council voted 9 to 1 to appoint Kevin Dinnin, Anita Fernández, and Sandi Wolff as tri-chairs for the city's upcoming $442 million bond program. Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones cast the lone dissenting vote against the appointments during the session.

The bond package is scheduled to go before voters in May 2027. The program will fund public projects including affordable housing, drainage, parks, municipal facilities, streets, bridges, and sidewalks.

Historically, San Antonio mayors held the authority to unilaterally name the tri-chairs who serve as public faces and manage project recommendation committees. A council ordinance passed two days after Mayor Jones named her own choices on October 19 altered that dynamic, giving the council authority to make the appointments instead.

The council did not name any of the three people Mayor Jones had previously selected for the roles. Her initial picks included Jim Perschbach, Jelynne LeBlanc Jamison, and Mario Obledo Jr.

Council members expressed a desire for bond money to be distributed more evenly across various city districts. District 8 Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez was absent for the vote, leaving the remaining council members to finalize the leadership selection.

The newly appointed tri-chairs will oversee committee inputs and coordinate recommendations for the final bond package. City officials said that the bond process will proceed toward the May 2027 election date, when residents will cast ballots on the funding measures.

The total package size of $442 million is roughly half the size of the 2022 bond program. This smaller list of public projects aims to address critical infrastructure without increasing taxes.