SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio City Council batted down Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones’ attempt to get the city’s funding for a downtown Spurs arena onto the November ballot in a vote Monday morning.
Council members voted 6-5 against adding the city’s funding portion of the arena to the ballot.
Recommended Videos
Unlike the county’s $311 million share of funding, which roughly 52% of voters approved last November, the city’s $489 million proposed financing does not require a similar vote. It is an option, though, and Jones made a last-minute push to get it onto the ballot.
Jones, Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2), Edward Mungia (D4), Teri Castillo (D5), and Ric Galvan (D6) voted in favor of putting it onto the ballot.
Sukh Kaur (D1), Phyllis Viagran (D3), Marina Alderete Gavito (D7), Ivalis Meza Gonzalez (D8), Misty Spears (D9) and Marc Whyte (D10) voted against it.
Though she and her supporters on the issue — many with their own misgivings about the project — think city voters deserve a separate vote for the city funding, a majority of the council want the project to push ahead and argued last year’s election on the county portion was sufficient to show voters’ wider approval for the project.
“I’m having a little bit of déjà vu because I feel like this room was built exactly the same way — two sides, August 21st last year — and we were litigating this exact same discussion and nothing has changed, actually, about this deal,” said Kaur, referring to the council’s vote on the proposed arena funding deal.
Monday was the deadline to get the issue onto the November ballot, and it appears to largely pave the way for the city to negotiate a final deal with Spurs Sports and Entertainment (SS&E), which is expected to happen later this year. The team is expected to pay the remaining $500 million of the estimated $1.3 billion arena cost.
The city’s $489 million share of the funding would come from bonds backed by four sources of revenue: the Spurs’ lease of the publicly owned arena, private developers’ lease of nearby city-owned land, property tax from that development within a specific area known as the Hemisfair Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ), and hotel-related state taxes from a “Project Finance Zone” (PFZ).
Opponents of another vote argued that the money is either restricted in how it can be used or relies on the project moving ahead in the first place.
The vote’s outcome was not a surprise; a majority of council members publicly voiced their opposition shortly after Jones floated her idea in a July 31 memo. Still, Jones held a series of public “listening sessions,” and pushed ahead with bringing the issue up in Monday’s special council meeting.
Jones didn’t speak much from the dais ahead of the vote, but told KSAT in a previous interview, “Why folks would be afraid of hearing from the voters that they signed up for a $489 million contribution is beyond me.”
KSAT has requested an interview with Jones and is awaiting a response.
People from both sides filled council chambers for more than two hours of public comment. Members of the business community and the Spurs organization generally spoke in large groups against holding another vote, while many of those in favor spoke on their own.
“This is not anti-Spurs. This is not anti-downtown. This is not anti-development. This is responsible citizenship,” said Graciela Sanchez, the head of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center.
R.C. Buford, CEO of SS&E, claimed the Spurs generated $165 million spent in the community during their spring post-season run, which former Spurs player Sean Elliott said had strangers high-fiving each other and everyone wanting to talk about “our” team.
“So now is not the time for complacency. Now is the time to build on that energy,” Elliott said. “Thriving downtown. Real opportunity to revitalize the Eastside. Hotels, restaurants, small businesses filled with people coming together not just for Spurs games, but for concerts, conventions, big time sporting events, college football and cultural games. That’s right there within our reach.”
Spurs, Sakai release statements
SS&E released the following statement, which can be read below:
“Today’s decision allows San Antonio to move forward on a path that was established through years of work, public discussion, City and County action and last year’s vote,” said RC Buford, CEO, Spurs Sports & Entertainment. “We can now turn our full attention to delivering on that shared vision and the transformational opportunity ahead for our city.
We are grateful to the community, business and civic leaders, Spurs fans and residents who have taken the time to learn the facts and make their voices heard. There is still a great deal of work ahead, and we are ready for it. We remain committed to working alongside our public and community partners to deliver a downtown arena and district that strengthens San Antonio for generations to come.”
Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai also released a statement on the vote.
“I thank the San Antonio City Council who recognized a simple principle: a deal is a deal.
The voters have spoken, commitments have been made, and now it’s our responsibility to deliver. The Spurs arena is a transformational investment in San Antonio and Bexar County’s future, and I intend to continue providing the leadership necessary to keep all parties focused, accountable and moving forward.
We have work to do. All hands on deck - let’s get moving."
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.