SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio city council voted 6-5 on Monday to reject a proposal to hold a public vote on the city's planned $489 million contribution for a new Spurs downtown arena.
The move means a public vote on the city's contribution won't be included on the Nov. 3 midterm ballot.
"Today's decision allows San Antonio to move forward on a path that was established through years of work, public discussion, city and county action and last year's vote," Spurs CEO R.C. Buford said in a statement. "We can now turn our full attention to delivering on that shared vision and the transformational opportunity ahead for our city."
Bexar County, where San Antonio is located, voted last November to approve $311 million in county venue tax dollars for the team's new arena in what was known as Proposition B. The proposal received 52.1% of the vote and authorized Bexar County venue taxes -- fees on hotels occupancy, and short-term car rental taxes -- to be increased.
The rest of the public funding, $489 million, for the proposed $1.3 billion arena would come from the city of San Antonio.
San Antonio mayor Gina Ortiz Jones had pushed for a citywide vote in a July 31 memo for the city's portion of the funding despite the county's vote last November. The city was not legally required to secure voter approval for its contribution to the new arena, which would be achieved through revenue bonds paid using a variety of sources that include rent from the Spurs, leases on surrounding city-owned land and designated tax revenue.
In her memo, Jones argued that the city's financial outlook, which includes a $158 million deficit in 2027, had changed since the Bexar County vote. The city's $489 million in proposed arena bonds could not be used, however, to fund shortfalls in San Antonio's operating budget.
The Spurs are committed to contributing at least $500 million to construction of the arena, including all overruns.
"We are grateful to the community, business and civic leaders, Spurs fans and residents who have taken the time to learn the facts and make their voices heard," Buford said. "There is still a great deal of work ahead, and we are ready for it. We remain committed to working alongside our public and community partners to deliver a downtown arena and district that strengthens San Antonio for generations to come."
