The City of San Antonio’s 2017 Budget is in the final stages of approval. City Manager Sheryl Sculley presented a $2.5 billion dollar budget Thursday that includes additional police officers, extra parental leave when employees have new children, and smart cities initiatives.The city’s 2017 budget is slightly lower than the current year. There will be no increased property tax rate. It stays at about 56 cents for every 100 dollars of a home’s appraised value. It includes $79 million for streets and sidewalks. Another $3 million will be used for street lights, and pedestrian safety, 32 new police officers, nine park police officers, and two more fire and EMS classes. Sculley says the city is embarking on a smart cities initiative to integrate technology. “We’re undertaking projects such as wifi service in 10 of our major parks in areas where people congregate,” she says. She says there’s a pilot program to increase access to city services. “We’re also using kiosks where people in the

Source: Texas Public Radio