The San Angelo City Council is the seven-member governing body for the city, made up of a mayor elected citywide and six council members who each represent a single geographic district. It sets the property tax rate, adopts the annual budget, passes local ordinances, and appoints the city manager who runs day-to-day operations. The council meets twice a month, and residents can speak at meetings after signing up through the city.1San Angelo, TX. City Council
Who Serves on the Council
The mayor runs in a citywide election. Each of the six council members is elected only by voters inside that member’s district, so your vote for a council seat is limited to the district where you live.1San Angelo, TX. City Council
Terms run three years and are staggered, which means only a portion of the seats appear on the ballot in any given cycle. Candidates must be qualified voters who have lived in the district they want to represent for a required period before filing. A member who takes another public office, moves out of the district, or otherwise falls out of compliance with the charter forfeits the seat automatically. If a vacancy leaves more than 12 months on the unexpired term, the Texas Constitution requires a special election rather than an appointment by the remaining members.
What the Council Decides
San Angelo uses a council-manager form of government. The council sets policy; the city manager, city attorney, and city secretary are appointed by the council and handle administration, legal advice, and official records.2San Angelo, TX. Government A pothole complaint goes to the city manager’s office. A change in tax rate or a new ordinance goes to the council.
Property Tax and Budget
The council sets the city’s property tax rate each year. The current rate is $0.7947 per $100 of assessed value, which comes out to about $1,589 a year on a $200,000 home, separate from county and school district taxes. The council also adopts the annual operating budget covering police and fire, water infrastructure, parks, and street maintenance. Current and prior budgets are posted on the city’s budget page, and public hearings are held before tax rates and spending plans are finalized.3City of San Angelo, TX. Budget
Ordinances
The council passes local ordinances covering noise, animal control, building codes, fire safety, and similar matters. Under Texas law, a general ordinance violation carries a maximum fine of $500. Violations involving fire safety, zoning, or public health and sanitation can draw fines up to $2,000, and illegal dumping of refuse can reach $4,000. The council’s authority is broad but bounded by state preemption: it cannot pass ordinances that conflict with areas the Legislature has reserved to itself.
Zoning
Zoning changes are among the most visible decisions the council makes. A request first goes to the Planning Commission for a public hearing and recommendation, and the council then holds its own public hearing before voting to approve, deny, or modify.4City of San Angelo, TX. Ordinance 2026 – Data Center Regulations The council also appoints the seven members of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, which hears variance requests, special exceptions, and appeals of zoning enforcement decisions. That board is usually the first stop before a zoning dispute reaches the full council.5City of San Angelo, TX. Zoning Board of Adjustment
When and Where the Council Meets
Meetings are held at the McNease Convention Center, 500 Rio Concho Drive, usually on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 8:30 a.m.1San Angelo, TX. City Council Under the Texas Open Meetings Act, the agenda must be posted at least 72 hours before the meeting in a location accessible to the public.6State of Texas. Texas Government Code Chapter 551 – Open Meetings
Agendas, minutes, and full agenda packets are posted on the city’s online portal.7San Angelo, TX. Agendas, Minutes and Agenda Packets Each agenda is split into a Consent Agenda, which bundles routine items like prior minutes or small contracts into one vote, and a Regular Agenda, which contains items discussed and voted on individually. Reading the agenda packet before a meeting is the best way to know what is coming up and whether it touches your neighborhood or business.
How to Speak at a Meeting
Anyone can address the council, but you have to sign up. Fill out the Public Comment Request Form on the city website and submit it by 5:00 p.m. the day before the meeting. If you miss that deadline, you can still sign up in person before the meeting starts.8City of San Angelo, Texas. City Council Public Comment Request Form
Each speaker gets three minutes, so a prepared, concise point lands better than a sweeping statement.8City of San Angelo, Texas. City Council Public Comment Request Form For items on the Regular Agenda, the mayor typically invites public comment before the vote. A general public comment period covers topics not on the agenda.
If you cannot attend, email a council member or contact the city clerk’s office. Written correspondence becomes part of the public record, and archived video of past meetings is posted online.
Running for a Council Seat
Candidates must be qualified voters who live in the district they want to represent. The city secretary’s office is the filing authority for municipal elections and can confirm current requirements, including whether a filing fee or petition applies.9Office of the Texas Secretary of State. Filing as a Candidate in a Local General Election Because terms are staggered, only some districts appear on the ballot each year. Check filing deadlines well in advance; missing one means waiting for the next cycle.
Recalling an Elected Official
The city charter lets voters remove an elected official before the term ends. Under Section 48 of the Home Rule Charter, a recall petition must carry signatures equal to at least 30 percent of the votes cast for that office in the last regular municipal election. Petitioners have 60 days from filing the initial circulator affidavit to collect signatures, and the city clerk then has 30 days to verify them.
If the official does not resign within 15 days of being notified that the petition is valid, the council must schedule a recall election no fewer than 30 days and no more than 90 days after the petition is presented. An official can face only one recall election per term. A 2026 recall effort against Mayor Tom Thompson showed the math in practice: with 9,902 votes cast in the most recent mayoral election, petitioners needed 2,971 valid signatures to force the vote.