San Antonio's city operations could be facing significant changes as City Manager Erik Walsh has scheduled discussions around two high-profile issues this week: the performance of City Attorney Andy Segovia and the ongoing contract negotiations with the local firefighters' union. These talks come at the behest of a coalition of San Antonio City Council members who have pushed for the topics to be added to the agenda, San Antonio Report noted.
At the heart of the controversy is the refusal of an executive session regarding the union negotiations – a move that has sparked criticism from Council members such as Melissa Cabello Havrda (D6). "The irony is not lost on me that they’re offering us an an executive session on the fact that they won’t give us an executive session," Havrda told San Antonio Report. The council is set to address Segovia's performance in a closed session on Wednesday, followed by a public discussion of the firefighters' contract the next day.
The issues at stake extend beyond the council’s internal dynamics; they touch upon matters of labor relations and the separation of municipal powers. Five council members, almost half the council body, convened a press conference on Thursday to shed light on their demand to assess Segovia's performance. This is against the backdrop of a contentious history with the firefighters union that previously stretched from 2014 to 2020.
Questions have been raised whether demands for Segovia's removal contravenes the city's charter, which aims to prevent council members from meddling in the administrative affairs. "For most employees, that would violate the city charter, which is very clear on [prohibiting council members from] interfering with the city manager’s control over employees," former city attorney Michael Bernard explained. Bernard added that it's "a little squishier with the city attorney because he’s in a unique position as [council’s] lawyer."
The firefighters' current contract is set to expire at the end of this year, and the city's proposal vastly differs from the union's – with the city tabulating that the union's proposal would cost an additional $363 million over the city's $157 million figure. Deputy City Manager María Villagómez highlighted the financial strain of the union's demands, "As we add more expense in the front of a the five years forecast in 2025, that would have a ripple effect and those deficits will be even higher." This fiscal cliff comes even as negotiations, which are live-streamed for the public, are stalled with no new sessions planned.
The unfolding scenario at City Hall could also have repercussions come November, with a potential charter amendment regarding the city manager's salary and tenure caps, introduced by the union in 2018, up for reconsideration. Councilwoman Cabello Havrda, herself contemplating a run for mayor, acknowledged the significant impact of the firefighters' past advocacy, hinting it could play a meaningful role yet again. With no resolution in sight, the council's discussions could set the stage for the next chapter in what has been a historically fraught relationship between the city and its firefighters' union.
