Council approves $350,000 study and up-to-$6 million program‑management contract for proposed Sports & Entertainment District

The San Antonio City Council on May 7 approved two contracts intended to move forward planning for a proposed Sports & Entertainment District in the city’s east side. The council voted to award Municap a $350,000 contract (base $316,350 plus $33,650 contingency) to produce a district impact study and revenue/cost model, and to contract Accenture Infrastructure Capital Projects LLC as the district executive program manager (EPM) for up to $6,000,000 for phase 1 through March 30, 2027.

The two actions were presented together after the mayor and council agreed to postpone an informational update (Item 4) to a Session B in June so the council could take votes on the two action items. City staff described Item 5 as an impact‑analysis contract to forecast service costs and revenue opportunities and Item 6 as a multi‑phase program manager agreement that would oversee coordination across capital projects, operations and partner interfaces.

Ben González of city staff said the recommended study would focus on cost modeling for traffic, security, first‑responder services and maintenance and would forecast how activation levels could change service demands. On the EPM role, staff said the contractor would provide senior program governance, portfolio controls, budget and schedule oversight and a public dashboard for reporting progress and expenditures.

Business leaders and councilmembers urged stronger commitments to local businesses. Jessica Palacios, director of government affairs for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of San Antonio, told the council: "Creemos que la meta debería de ser de reconsiderada para fortalecer una contribución, una que refleje mayor profundidad y capacidad de nuestro ecosistema empresarial." She asked the city to strengthen local‑participation goals and verification processes so small local and veteran‑owned firms can share in contracting opportunities.

Councilmembers pressed staff on transparency and contractual remedies. Several members said they want a public EPM dashboard and clearer milestones; one said the city will terminate the EPM contract if performance is unsatisfactory and that the contract contains standard cure and termination provisions. Councilmembers also asked for reporting on how local participation targets will be measured and enforced through construction and program phases.

The contracts are funded from HOT (hotel occupancy tax) capital and redemption funds and related capital assumptions for district projects. Staff said the district study will deliver preliminary results by late summer 2026 and interim reports through April 2027. The council approved Item 6 on the floor; Item 5 was approved in the same sequence of actions reported by staff.

Next steps: staff will return contract documents for final execution, begin the Municap study and initiate the EPM onboarding; the council directed staff to provide ongoing public reporting and to work on metrics to boost local‑business participation.