Travis County hears briefing on Expo Center condition, ownership and $9 million earmark; no action taken

Travis County Commissioners Court on April 3 received a staff briefing on the future of the Travis County Exposition Center, a multi‑building event site on Walter E. Long Park that hosts Rodeo Austin and other events. The presentation described the site’s lease and ownership history, revenue and expense patterns, immediate infrastructure needs and a FY25 capital earmark staff recommends using for critical repairs. After questions and a closed‑session legal discussion, the court returned and said no action would be taken that day.

The Expo Center—built in the 1980s and located about 20 minutes from downtown Austin—sits on City of Austin parkland. Rodeo Austin originally built the improvements and entered a 50‑year lease in 1983; that lease was assigned to Travis County in 1989. Under current lease terms the land and improvements are slated to revert to the City of Austin in December 2033. County staff told the court that Capital Metro acquired a portion of the site in 2022 and that a 2024 settlement payment from CapMetro significantly increased Expo Center revenue for that year.

Amy McWhorter, managing director for economic and strategic planning, and facilities staff said the county operates the site out of a special revenue fund (the Texas Exposition and Heritage Fund) and that operating revenues have generally covered personnel and day‑to‑day expenses. However, staff said the fund has not…