On December 12, 2024, the San Antonio City Council approved two key ordinances aimed at enhancing the City’s Economic Development Incentive Fund (EDIF) and Tax Abatement Guidelines. These updates are designed to support the city’s ongoing growth while ensuring protections for local workers.

District 5 Councilmember Teri Castillo, who serves on the Economic Development & Workforce Committee, voted in favor of the ordinances. The committee collaborated with labor representatives to include crucial provisions focused on local hiring, prevailing wages, and safety standards.

The updated ordinances include the following provisions:

• Local Hiring: Contracted companies must make a concerted effort to hire at least 30 percent of workers from San Antonio, the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ), or Bexar County.
• Safety Standards: General contractors and contract companies are required to implement safety programs, including the OSHA-10 safety course or an equivalent, and to address heat illness prevention.
• Prevailing Wage Reporting: During the construction of projects with incentive or tax abatement agreements, salaries of all employees, including contract workers, must be reported to the City of San Antonio.

“With San Antonio on the cusp of historic redevelopment and growth, we must ensure that the workers who build San Antonio receive protections and competitive wages,” stated Councilmember Castillo. “The passage of the new incentive updates demonstrates that we can build our city while also building up San Antonio’s working families.”

The new ordinances, which go into effect on January 1, 2025, mark a significant step in aligning the city’s economic development efforts with the needs of its workforce.