The way that San Antonio votes on city bond projects could be upended in order to give voters a more direct say on public spending tied to Project Marvel under a proposal from District 4 Councilman Edward Mungia.
Mungia has suggested that infrastructure projects connected to the proposed downtown sports and entertainment district, including improvements that could support a future Spurs arena, be broken out separately in the city’s next bond election. The election could come as early as May 2027.
Project Marvel is the city’s long-term plan to reshape part of downtown around Hemisfair. The concept includes a new Spurs arena, an expanded Convention Center, possible Alamodome upgrades, hotel development and transportation improvements. Supporters say the project could strengthen downtown, keep the Spurs in San Antonio and generate new economic activity.
But Mungia argues voters should be able to clearly see which bond projects are intended to support the entertainment district and which are traditional neighborhood infrastructure needs.
San Antonio bonds are usually organized by broad categories, such as streets, drainage, parks, facilities and housing. Mungia’s proposal would mark a significant change by separating some projects by geography or purpose.
The idea has support from several council members, including Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and council members Ric Galvan, Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and Teri Castillo.
Others have raised concerns that carving out Project Marvel-related work could set a precedent for treating citywide bond programs as district-by-district contests.
City staff have also cautioned that the ballot structure may not be simple. Bond lawyers have advised that the city may not be able to create one single Project Marvel proposition covering different types of improvements. Instead, the city might have to separate projects within each bond category.
The debate comes as San Antonio faces budget pressure and limited bond capacity. If more bond money goes to downtown infrastructure, less may be available for streets, drainage, parks and housing projects elsewhere.
Guest:
San Antonio City Councilman Edward Mungia represents District 4.
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