Bexar County Approves Arena Ballot Measure Amid Taxpayer Concerns
This fall, voters will be asked to decide whether hotel and car rental taxes should help build a new downtown arena for the San Antonio Spurs. But what’s not on the ballot is just as important: the public will be footing the bill upfront, that is, if you vote in favor of this.
On Tuesday, the Bexar County Commissioners Court voted to place a venue tax measure on the November 4 ballot. If approved, the measure would raise hotel occupancy and use car rental taxes to finance the multipurpose arena project. But those taxes trickle in over time—leaving the City of San Antonio and Bexar County responsible for covering early project costs using public funds.
That has raised concerns across the city, especially among community organizers and working families.
“This is a blank check for billionaires,” said COPS/Metro, a long-standing grassroots advocacy group in San Antonio. The group argues that public money should go toward public needs—not private sports franchises.
COPS/Metro leaders testified during the vote, pointing to more than $5 billion in unmet infrastructure needs and this year’s tragic loss of 13 residents in flood-related incidents.
“It is unconscionable that you want to give this money for an arena when we have people dying from the lack of infrastructure,” said Rena Oden, COPS/Metro leader and member of Macedonia Baptist Church.
She continued: “Don’t tell us it’s only for an arena. Where is your imagination for our families?…This deal has no community benefit. Just greed! You have a choice today—it is simple: greed or the citizens of San Antonio.”
The group says it is actively registering voters and building a constituency against the arena proposal, while pushing for funds to be redirected to flood mitigation, street repairs, and basic neighborhood improvements.
County officials have emphasized that the venue tax would not increase property taxes and would primarily impact out-of-town visitors. But with taxpayer money required to bridge the gap in the near term, the November vote becomes more than symbolic—it’s a statement of priorities.
