By Edmond Ortiz
The beginning of August is accompanied by plenty of public discourse involving funding for the proposed new San Antonio Spurs’ arena, the construction of a new San Antonio Missions’ ballpark, and what should happen with Wolff Stadium once the Missions leave that venue.
Project Marvel debate reappears
Talks among local residents and officials have ramped up thanks to a July 31 memo that Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones sent to City Council, pushing the elected body to call a Nov. 3 election to allow San Antonio voters a say on the city’s contribution toward building a downtown Spurs arena.
The proposal is among a series of public statements that Jones has issued in recent weeks about a proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget that is likely to contain major spending cuts and a proposed property tax hike, both of which city officials suggest are needed to reduce a $158 million budget shortfall.
Jones has already written to local businesses and philanthropists, inviting them to step up and help fill a potential spending gap where the mayor has suggested eliminating city funding for more than one dozen local nonprofits, delegate agencies and events. Organizers of the San Antonio Book Festival, one such event under scrutiny, have set up a petition for supporters to help prevent it being cut from the budget.
Now, Jones is reiterating to council – and the public – that financial conditions are exacerbating the city’s fiscal outlook where the budget could rise to $264 million in 2031, and where the capacity for another city bond issue stands at $600 million – only half of a $1.2 billion bond that voters approved in 2022.
Local officials are mulling whether a potential 2027 bond should include a package of downtown infrastructure improvements, including upgrades designed to support the Spurs’ proposed Project Marvel sports and entertainment district, which would be anchored by a new arena.
Last November, 52% of Bexar County voters authorized the county to raise its hotel occupancy and vehicle rental taxes; an estimated $311 in new revenue would be used to help fund arena construction.
City Council voted last August to commit $489 million in specific use funds toward arena construction, with the Spurs pledging $500 million to the project. The city’s share would come from Spurs arena lease payments, ground leases, a project finance zone designed to support convention center improvements, and a Hemisfair Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone. The latter assesses a levy on residential and commercial properties within the Hemisfair TIRZ.
Jones, who was critical of the Spurs’ project financing proposal heading into the November 2025 election, asserted that San Antonio voters deserve a voice on the city’s funding commitment. She also claimed San Antonians “pay twice” with the city’s pledge, and the county’s investment.
In her memo, Jones also mentioned another criticism she had raised last fall, regarding Spurs officials saying no to a revenue-sharing agreement. The NBA does not share its core league revenue with franchise cities. She added a new election would give voters a chance to weigh in on a $75 million community benefits pact to which the Spurs agreed to advance Project Marvel.
“Since they pay twice, voters deserve to vote twice,” Jones said of local residents. “November would allow city voters, clearly informed by what they are paying, what they are receiving in return, and whether the latter is good enough.”
No Spurs officials have offered comments about Jones’ latest idea, which has garnered some support and resistance. Since Jones’ memo came out, local talk radio stations have fielded calls and messages from some residents who want the Spurs’ owners to foot most or all of the bill of building a new downtown arena. Other locals said Jones should move on and work with the Spurs lest the city risk the franchise threatening to rescind its pledges and want to relocate.
Aug. 17 is the state deadline to call a special Nov. 3 election, where voters will already consider numerous Congressional, statewide, legislative and countywide contests and, in some parts of the San Antonio area, a potential school district property tax election.
District 10 City Councilmember Marc Whyte brushed off Jones’ call for another election, which would cost the city a hefty sum if it were to add an item or two to an already lengthy ballot
“We’ve already had a public debate and vote. There’s no need to spend taxpayer dollars to do it again,” Whyte said in a KENS-5 television interview. “The mayor should not mislead people into thinking the $489 million can be used for general fund or basic city services around the city.”
Andrew Solano, a local political consultant, echoed Whyte’s point in an Aug. 3 post to his X social media platform profile.
Solano dinged Jones’ local taxpayers “pay twice” claim: “It’s catchy. It just isn’t how the financing actually works.”
Solano said neither the county nor the city’s monies committed to Project Marvel come from general funds in local governments’ budgets, which support basic daily operations such as public safety and road repairs. No residential property taxes are being used for Project Marvel.
Instead, Solano said, the committed monies hail from sources that can be used only for specific purposes, which in this case would be such things as construction of a new Spurs arena, and a proposed convention center expansion, also part of the Project Marvel vision.
Solano said the arena financing plan “is more protective of taxpayer dollars” because, by comparison, other major business deals such as Toyota Texas’ planned South Side assembly plant expansion is supported by property tax abatements, among other funding tools.
“The Spurs (rely) primarily on visitor taxes and tourism-related revenues dedicated for projects like this,” Solano wrote. “The arena debate isn’t about basketball. It’s whether San Antonio will use the same economic development principles consistently or change the rules depending on the project. Cities that win don’t abandon economic development tools and replace them with a catchy slogan.”
City staff and Spurs representatives are slated late this summer or early fall to enter talks centered on details surrounding the Spurs’ proposed arena, but they are also awaiting the results of a study of projected costs and revenue of the new sports and entertainment district.
Missions adjust ballpark timeline; public input sought on Wolff Stadium’s future
While the city is launching a series of community meetings about the long-term future of Wolff Stadium, the minor league baseball team is pushing back the construction schedule for its new downtown ballpark.
The Missions’ ownership group Designated Bidders recently announced that it will begin construction on the new facility in early 2027, and not this year as originally anticipated. The team now plans to finish building the venue along the San Pedro Creek in spring 2029.
“We have worked tirelessly to reach this point and although the timing has been adjusted, it will not impede us from achieving our goal of building the best multi-use facility in the country,” Designated Bidders stated in a press release.
Meanwhile, the city wants community members, merchants and other stakeholders, especially those living and working around Wolff Stadium to take part in meetings designed to arrive at the development of a master plan, which will guide development of the West Side complex after the relocation of the Missions.
City representatives said public feedback will help them to identify amenities, services, and opportunities that would benefit the immediate neighborhood and surrounding area. The completed master plan will be presented to the City Council for final consideration.
Ron Darner Parks and Recreation Headquarters, 5800 Historic Old Hwy. 90 W., is the site for the community meetings, which take place 6-8 p.m. Aug. 6 and 20.
