San Antonio faces a $158 million budget deficit. City Manager Erik Walsh is proposing the first property tax hike in more than 30 years. He presents the full budget August 13.
This is the same Erik Walsh who, in December 2024, got a 23% raise to $461,000, making him the second-highest paid city manager in Texas. Only Austin pays more.
The council voted 9-1. Melissa Cabello Havrda (D6) was the lone no vote. John Courage (D9) was absent.
In the same vote, they made his term "indefinite." Before that, he would have been out by March 2027. Voters imposed an 8-year term limit in 2018. Council and a business-backed campaign undid that through Prop C last November. Then they moved fast.
San Antonio City Manager Erik Walsh during the Dec 19, 2024 council meeting where he received a 23% raise. Credit: Bria Woods / San Antonio Report
The Final Four Tickets
Four months after the raise, KSAT Investigates broke a story: Walsh authorized $20,000 in taxpayer money for VIP Final Four tickets for council members and their guests.
Then KSAT found more. Walsh bought himself two additional tickets, $1,000 each, also with city money. Total: $22,000.
Here is the timeline:
March 20, 2025, 12:22 PM. KSAT files a public records request for the ticket receipts.
March 20, 2025, 7:16 PM. Assistant City Manager Alex Lopez emails Alamodome reps saying Walsh "planned to purchase them himself."
Seven hours. That is how long it took for the story to change.
The two tickets were transferred to the mayor. The city spokesperson refused to comment when KSAT asked about it multiple times.
Walsh defended the council tickets:
Mayor and Council members represent the community, and they are our board of directors. This is a city facility where we were hosting the tournament.
The Math
Walsh's salary: $461,000 (base). With car allowance and HSA: ~$476,300, more than Austin's city manager.
Council member salary: $45,722. Mayor salary: $61,725.
Taxpayer-funded Final Four tickets: $22,000 total ($20K for council VIP + $2K for Walsh's own).
City budget deficit: $158,000,000.
Coming: Property tax hike. First in over 30 years.
A few council members reimbursed the city for their tickets. Most did not. Some refused to say whether they took guests.
The Accountability Problem
San Antonio uses a council-manager system. The city manager, not the mayor, controls the $4 billion budget, 40+ departments, and 14,000 employees. He answers to council, not to you.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg called Walsh "one of the best city managers in the country" after the vote. He voted yes.
Walsh's predecessor, Sheryl Sculley, made $475,000 when she left in 2019. She was targeted by the fire union, which pushed the 2018 charter amendment capping the city manager's salary and tenure. The union's issue: she tried to rein in police and fire health care costs, saving the city $150 million over five years.
That amendment got undone. The salary cap disappeared. The term limit vanished. And now, with a $158 million deficit, the city is telling you to pay more.
Sources
All claims are sourced to public records and news investigations: