🎉 Six things to do: Viva Dieciséis at Pearl, Guns N’ Roses at the Alamodome and a free craft night downtown

🏠️ $374,900 can get you a 1906 King William cottage, or for $400K, a home in Terrell Hills with a pool

🛍️ Four new businesses on the way: Burlington, a kids’ play museum and more

👮 Council signs off on Police Chief Jesse Salame

🗳️ Meet the candidates running for Texas comptroller and land commissioner

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👮 San Antonio has a new police chief

City Council on Sept. 10 unanimously confirmed Jesse Salame as San Antonio’s police chief, elevating a 27-year department veteran who had led SAPD on an acting basis since July. In the same session, council signed off on a five-year, $102 million collective-bargaining contract with the police union.

💰 Council votes Thursday on proposed tax and new budget

Council is scheduled to vote Sept. 17 on a proposed fiscal year 2026-27 budget with:

🏛️ Bexar County weighs a $2.6B budget that holds the tax rate flat

Commissioners Court holds a public hearing Sept. 15 and could adopt a $2.6 billion fiscal year 2026-27 budget that holds the county property tax rate just under 30 cents per $100 valuation despite falling property values.

The proposal carries a pay freeze for elected officials and most employees, no new capital projects and job cuts tied to expiring federal pandemic relief funds. County Judge Peter Sakai has said “some positions will be lost.”

💵 Q&A: Meet the 4 candidates running for Texas comptroller

Four candidates are running for Texas comptroller in the Nov. 3 election, seeking to lead the office that serves as the state’s chief financial officer—overseeing government spending, administering the roughly $1 billion education savings account program and projecting biennial budgets.

Republican Don Huffines, appointed comptroller in July, is the incumbent, facing Democrat Sarah Eckhardt, a state senator and former Travis County judge; Green Party candidate Shehla Faizi, who has called for depoliticizing state finances; and Libertarian V. Alonzo Echavarria-Garza, who did not respond to the candidate questionnaire.

Education savings accounts are a key dividing line, with Huffines supporting expanded access while Faizi wants vouchers ended to “reinvest in Texas public schools.” On transparency, Huffines said “sunlight is the best disinfectant,” and Eckhardt promised “high-quality analysis so Texans can clearly see where their money is going.” Read more. →

💰 Q&A: Get to know the candidates running for Texas land commissioner

Three candidates are competing for Texas land commissioner in the Nov. 3 election, a role overseeing 13 million acres of state land, disaster recovery funds, the Texas Permanent School Fund, historic landmark preservation and veterans programs.

Republican incumbent Dawn Buckingham faces Democrat Benjamin Flores and Libertarian Neill Snider, who did not respond to the candidate questionnaire before publication.

Buckingham’s stated priorities include protecting Texas lands, generating revenue for public education, serving veterans and securing the border. “We’ve distributed billions in disaster recovery [and] rebuilt thousands of homes,” she said.

Flores pointed to increasing school revenue through responsible land management, improving Veterans Land Board access, coastal protection and faster disaster recovery. “The GLO should serve Texans with transparency, competence, and urgency,” he said. Read more. →

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The Rundown is curated by Marie Leonard and Erin Cobb at Community Impact. If you have any feedback for our team, hit reply to this email—we respond to all reader questions and comments.