Public health funding after ARPA
Expiration of federal ARPA funds that supported public health positions and programs (including domestic violence response) has forced hard choices in the FY 2027 budget; some roles were preserved while others faced cuts or shifts toward University Health, with residents showing support for public health spending.
Should Bexar County sustain expanded public health programs after federal pandemic relief ends?
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Sources
Express-News — https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/bexar-county-budget-preserves-49-arpa-positions-22433347.php
bexar county budget preserves 49 arpa positions
Express-News — https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/bexar-county-taps-reserves-balance-2027-budget-22424482.php
Expiration of hundreds of millions in federal ARPA/pandemic relief funds ... which supported dozens of positions/programs (e.g., public health, domestic violence support
UTSA CPOR — https://colfa.utsa.edu/political-opinion/cpor_bexar_county_budget_survey_report_may2026.pdf
strong support for more spending on ... public health
Positions on this issue · liberal → conservative
- Fully replace ARPA funds with local revenue to keep and grow public health and violence-prevention staff
- Preserve most public health positions via reserves or reallocation while seeking new grants
- Keep a core set of public health services and transition others to University Health or partners
- Scale back to pre-ARPA levels and prioritize only essential mandated health functions
- Deeply cut county public health spending and shift nearly all responsibility to other entities