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Bexar County commissioners on Tuesday voted to move forward on a proposal to relocate the San Antonio Spurs from the East Side Frost Bank Center to a new arena downtown.
Commissioners approved sending a resolution to the Texas state comptroller that seeks approval to place before voters in November a 2% occupancy tax and a 5% vehicle rental tax to fund the project.
Those are often referred to as "tourist taxes" because locals don't usually pay them often.
County and city leaders have adamantly stressed to voters that local property taxpayers will not foot the bill for a new downtown Spurs arena.
The $450 million in tax revenue, if approved by voters, would be spent on a $194 million renovation of the Freeman Coliseum and its grounds to keep them an economic generator for the East Side. Another $80 million would be spent on the Frost Bank Center.
The San Antonio Livestock Exposition (SALE) has plans to renovate the grounds and buildings to host year-round rodeo competitions and attract trade shows, conventions, and other large events outside of February's local stock show and rodeo.
Precinct 3 County Commissioner Grant Moody said while he supported the rodeo and Spurs, he could not back the increase of the hotel occupancy tax from 1.75% to 2%. He was the only commissioner to vote against the resolution.
"By just relocating the existing venue tax we could have funded 100% of all Frost Bank Center maintenance, 100% of all SALE request from renovations and new buildings and 75% of the Spurs investment that's inside this motion," Moody said.
The City of San Antonio's and Spurs' financial contributions to the new arena have yet to be disclosed but are expected soon as part of a memorandum of understanding between them and the county.
Precinct 2 County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez urged his colleagues to focus on passing the resolution before them to keep the project on track.
"How much the City of San Antonio is going to put into this? How much the Spurs and their partnerships are going to put into this? All questions for another day," he said.
County Judge Peter Sakai echoed Rodriguez's comments as he summarized the day's debate on the issue: "I'm asking the court to approve this so that we have a possibility to make a game-changing circumstance ... for the East Side and also help the San Antonio Spurs, who I'm convinced give back more than they get."
Sakai has repeatedly maintained the $450 million would be spent first on the maintenance, renovations, and expansion of the existing county arenas and grounds and perhaps on the nearby Willow Springs Golf Course.
Sakai said remaining county tax revenue would then be spent solely on the new Spurs arena, the heart of the much larger Project Marvel sports entertainment district.
