The overview
Jim Lefko, director of communications for Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai, said that Proposition A is called the Coliseum Complex Venue Project and focuses on upgrading existing county properties on the east side. He noted that these upgrades can only be funded through a venue tax.
“The county is allowed one way to finance things such as this, and it's through the venue tax,” Lefko said. “... Basically, the voters are being asked to approve the 2% venue tax. Right now, it's at 1.75% so they're only going up by .25%,” Lefko said.
Proposition A is divided into two parts, with an estimated $44 million going to fund repairs and upgrades to the Frost Bank Center and the Freeman Coliseum, and $197 million for the improvement of the Freeman Coliseum and the surrounding grounds.
Lefko also emphasized that the majority of the costs will be paid by tourists who stay at hotels within Bexar County, and that the increase will appear as a small increase at the end of a hotel bill.
“If you have a $200 hotel room, which is kind of average for San Antonio right now, at 1.75% you're paying $3.50,” Lefko said. “But the .25% increase would mean you'd be paying $4, [so] it's going to go up $0.50. ...That's another point we're really trying to make is that this is the amount—$0.50 a night on a $200 hotel room— and it's for visitors.”
He pointed out that there has been some confusion with how the funds generated through the venue tax can be used.
“There's so much misinformation out there that people are saying our taxes are going to go up, our sales tax are going to go up, [or] our property tax,” Lefko said. “This is a venue tax that the state has allowed counties to use to build venues. This tax can't be used [to fix streets or invest in flood infrastructure]. It can only be used for venues.”
“Project Marvel started a couple years ago, [and consists of] seven different projects. [There is] one project the county is involved in,” Lefko said. “That's about a quarter of the funding for the Spurs arena.”
He noted that the venue tax's Proposition B would fund 25% or $311 million, whichever is lower, of the new downtown Spurs arena, and that the county’s investment is an investment in San Antonio’s identity because there is a chance that the Spurs may leave if the vote doesn’t pass.
“Our identity, both nationally and probably internationally, is somewhat shaped by the Alamo, the river walk and the Spurs,” Lefko said. “Those are the three things we're known for. It's not changing unless one of them leaves.”
On the ballot
The venue tax is broken into two propositions, which can pass or fail separately.
If Proposition A fails, Lefko said the county and the rodeo would regroup and most likely push for another rodeo vote next year.
“I think certainly for the rodeo, we'd come back in a year and do it again, [but] I'd really be surprised if the rodeo thing doesn't pass,” Lefko said.
For Proposition B, and the Spurs arena, Lefko said that the city and Spurs would need to cover the remaining 25% that the county agreed to cover if the vote passed.
“If it gets voted down, it just means that Spurs, the city, has to pay the whole 1.3 billion,” Lefko said. “
Bexar County voters will be able to cast their ballots during early voting from Oct. 20-31 or on the Nov. 4 Election Day.
