SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio City Council will hold a special meeting Monday to vote on whether to put the Spurs arena back on the November ballot.
The $1.3 billion NBA arena planned for Hemisfair relies on the Spurs, the City of San Antonio and Bexar County all chipping in. The Spurs would pay at least $500 million, the city would pay up to $489 million and the county up to $311 million.
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Council members will meet at 9 a.m. Aug. 17 in City Council Chambers to discuss putting the city’s share of funding on the ballot, according to the meeting agenda. Monday is also the deadline to order a vote.
In a July 31 memo to her colleagues, Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones called for a separate vote on the city’s share of funding, saying that “since they pay twice, City voters deserve to vote twice.”
Bexar County voters already approved the county share, funded with a tax on hotel stays and car rentals, in November 2025. The city’s proposed financing is tied to special tax capture districts and lease payments from the arena and related development and does not require a similar vote, though the city could ask voters’ opinion anyway.
Jones would need at least five of the 10 other members of the City Council to agree in order to order a vote, however at least six council members have spoken against the idea.
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