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Leon Valley hears county presentation on venue-tax referendums tied to Rodeo and Spurs arena
Summary
Bexar County communications director told Leon Valley council members that two countywide measures on the Nov. 4 ballot would fund venue upgrades for the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo and contribute up to 25% toward a proposed Spurs downtown arena; presenters said the tax is a tourist (hotel/rental-car) tax and would not raise property taxes.
Jim Lefko, director of communications for Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai, briefed the Leon Valley City Council on two countywide ballot measures that would expand the venue tax. He said Referendum A would fund upgrades to the Frost Bank Center, Freeman Coliseum and rodeo grounds to support year-round rodeo operations, while Proposition B would help partially fund a new Spurs downtown arena.
"This is a tourist tax," Lefko told the council, saying homeowners and renters would not pay additional property tax if the measures pass. He described the proposed hotel-tax increase as 0.25 percentage points and illustrated the change by example: for a $200 hotel room, the presenter said the nightly tax portion would increase by about 50 cents.
Lefko outlined several estimates that were cited during his presentation: the Spurs arena was described as a roughly $1.3 billion project; the Spurs'commitment to the downtown plan was described in the presentation as $2 billion in combined commitments, split into about $500 million for the arena and $1.5 billion in related development. He said an amount of revenue would be dedicated to the rodeo and grounds and the remainder (capped at 25% of facility cost) could go to the Spurs arena, but he stressed that the venue tax "can only be used for venues." He also noted the rodeo currently provides about $12 million in scholarships each year and said year-round operations could expand that support.
Councilors asked how the two propositions would operate independently (for example, if one passes and the other fails). Lefko said the presentations and outreach aim to give voters clear information and that county leaders are focused on the positive economic and community benefits expected from venue and grounds improvements.
The council did not take a formal vote on the measures. Lefko also noted early voting sites, and that the Leon Valley Conference Center is one of the early-vote locations.
