SAN ANTONIO – Bexar County voters could be asked to approve using, and possibly raising, an existing tax to build a downtown arena for the San Antonio Spurs.
A new Spurs arena is a key project in the City of San Antonio’s vision to redevelop the Hemisfair area. The stadium is planned for the site of the former Institute of Texan Cultures building at the Southeast corner, near I-37.
Bexar County commissioners are scheduled to discuss the project behind closed doors at their meeting Tuesday morning. In a video posted late Sunday night, Precinct 4 Commissioner Tommy Calvert said they would specifically discuss “whether to allow the Spurs the opportunity to use 100% of the venue tax capacity for a new arena — a project that would require the approval of citizens in a vote the Spurs want in May of 2025.”
Voters passed the county’s current venue tax — split between a 5% tax on short-term car rentals and a 1.75% hotel tax — in 1999 to fund construction of the Spurs' current, county-owned home, now known as the Frost Bank Center.
Voters extended use of the tax in 2008, refocusing it toward river improvements, sports and performing arts facilities, and community arenas.
State law allows the county to raise the hotel portion of the tax to 2%, and Calvert’s reference to the tax’s “capacity” indicates voters could be asked to max it out.
Commissioners are not expected to vote on the idea Tuesday, but they would need to act by Feb. 14 to get the question in front of voters for the May 3 election.
The county also needs the state comptroller to sign off first.
The full funding scheme for the arena remains unclear, though top city staff promised “there will be no general taxpayer dollars going towards the arena."
READ MORE: Who’s paying? Funding plan for Spurs arena unclear, but public money could be in the mix
It’s also unclear what will happen to the Frost Bank Center if the Spurs move downtown. The team’s lease on the facility lasts into 2032, but a timeline included in an initial city presentation estimated the Hemisfair arena’s construction finishing in 2028.
Calvert’s precinct covers both locations. In his video message and an associated news release Monday morning, the commissioner announced two town hall meetings — on Jan. 25 and Feb. 1 — to discuss the future of the Frost Bank Center and what downtown residents will need if the franchise moves.
The commissioner suggested opportunities around the Frost Bank Center could include a food court, green spaces and pedestrian bridges, and a “potential higher education opportunity.”
Calvert said his invitation extended to other elected officials representing the area, including State Sen. Roland Gutierrez (D-San Antonio), State Sen. Jose Menendez (D-San Antonio), State Rep. Barbara Gervin Hawkins (D-San Antonio), Councilwoman Sukh Kaur (D1), Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2), Alamo Colleges District Trustee Gloria Ray (D2), and San Antonio ISD Trustee Alicia Sebastian (D2).
A spokesman for Calvert said the commissioner was not available to talk Monday, nor did Calvert respond to a reporter’s text message.
A spokesman for Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai said he would speak after Tuesday’s meeting.
A spokesman for San Antonio said the city did not have an answer on the funding plans for the project.
The Spurs did not immediately respond to voicemails left for two spokesmen Monday morning.