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Bexar County commissioners have announced a public meeting will be held at Expo Hall A on the Freeman Coliseum grounds on Wed., Oct. 1 on the upcoming venue tax vote.
Voters will go to the polls on Nov. 4 to vote on Props A and B that would help pay for a makeover of the East Side San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo grounds and help pay for a new Spurs arena downtown.
Hundreds of millions of dollars from the venue tax, paid mostly by tourists for hotel rooms and vehicle rentals, would be applied to both projects, if approved by voters. The city and county have repeatedly said no local property taxes would be affected.
Venue taxes must be spent on venues and cannot be applied to other projects, such as roads or public housing. It's been one of the biggest public misperceptions backers of Prop A and Prop B have had to overcome.
Local voter and former East Side resident—Patricia Fernandez—was among the few hundred who turned out for a similar town hall hosted by rodeo officials in the same Expo Hall on Sept. 16.
She said voters need all the information they can get to form an opinion before the vote. She said she has gleaning information from a variety of sources.
"The literature really helps keep it in perspective. I've seen things obviously on the news and on NPR, Texas Public Radio."
An open house runs from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. at Expo Hall on Oct. 1. Attendees can speak one-on-one with county staff.
The main session runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and includes opening remarks from County Judge Peter Sakai.
The chair of the East Side Economic Development Advisory Council—Floyd Wilson— is expected to follow the judge.
County Manager David Smith, Freeman Coliseum Executive Director Derrick Howard, and Cody Davenport, the executive director of the San Antonio Livestock and Exposition Sale, all have major presentations.
The public may take part in a question-and-answer session after the presentations.
County officials said the public may only ask questions about posted items.
And presenters will limit their responses to factual information or existing policy. No advocacy or action on the matters presented will take place.
Early voting for the November 2025 General Election in Bexar County starts on Monday, October 20, 2025, and runs through Friday, October 31, 2025.
