Every year, local governments spend millions hiring lobbyists in the hope of influencing state-level policymaking, both before, during, and after each legislative session. These hired guns generally fall into 1 of 3 categories: external lobbyists (i.e. contract lobbyists); internal lobbyists (i.e. intergovernmental relations (IGR) staff); and publicly-funded pro-government associations (i.e. Texas Municipal League (TML) , Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA), Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) etc.). While each category of lobbyist differs slightly in their type and function, each class seeks a similar end-goal—to expand the money and power available to government, which almost always comes at the expense of individual liberty.
Like many local government entities, the city of San Antonio indulges in this practice to a great degree. According to its most recent budget, officials intend to spend $465,500 to “directly or indirectly influence or attempt to influence the outcome of state legislation or state administrative action” (pg. 669). That amount is more than 3 times what the city spent in the prior year.
In addition to its contract-related lobbying expenditures, the city also maintains an in-house government affairs team whose purpose it is to: “strategically advocates to pass legislation, obtain funding, and secure regulatory changes on behalf of the city’s local, state, and federal priorities” (pg. 452). The department’s total budget for FY 2025 is $1,988,309, which likely includes the $465,500 noted above and expands upon it.
Still further, the city also intends to pay a significant sum to pro-government associations that represent bureaucratic interests, including:
FY 2025 Dues & Membership
- Airports Council International: $80,000
- Alamo Area Council of Governments: $108,876
- City Parks Alliance: $2,500
- Government Alliance on Race and Equity: $12,500
- ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability: $6,000
- National Association of City Transportation Officials: $33,125
- National Forum for Black Public Administrators: $15,000
- National League of Cities: $36,322
- National Recreation and Park Association: $2,500
- San Antonio Mobility Coalition: $70,000
- Texas Municipal League: $66,720
- Texas Recreation and Park Society: $1,700
- Urban Sustainability Directors Network: $9,200
- US Conference of Mayors: $45,569
All of this raises the question: What does San Antonio hope to achieve with all of its various lobbying expenditures? To answer that question, it’s helpful to examine the city’s legislative agenda, which puts forward the following directives:
- Oppose legislation that threatens the city’s ability to run programs related to DEI, gender identity, or other progressive cause du jour.
- Oppose legislation that threatens the city’s revenues or negatively impacts its authority to seek after additional revenues.
- Support efforts to impose new gun restrictions and secure funding for the city’s gun violence prevention initiatives.
- Support legislation “to prepare our community against extreme weather events” resulting from climate change.
Are those goals really worth spending precious tax dollars to achieve?