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The most important result for the San Antonio Spurs over the early weeks of this NBA season will probably come on Nov. 4.
And the team doesn't even have a game that day.
Voters in Bexar County, Texas, are headed to the polls soon — early voting starts Monday and runs through Oct. 31, then actual Election Day voting happens on Nov. 4 — to decide if county officials will be permitted to commit no more than $311 million in what are called venue taxes to help build a new multipurpose arena that the Spurs will call home.
If it passes, the Spurs said they will commit at least $500 million toward construction, plus cover all overruns — which could be significant — and insist that another $1.4 billion in private development around the new arena would happen. They would also be paying rent at the new arena, offsetting a major part of what would be a $489 million contribution from the city.
“My truth, and our truth, is there’s no Plan B,” said Peter J. Holt, the chairman of Spurs Sports and Entertainment. “This is our focus. We’re super optimistic. We’re super confident. We wouldn’t have committed so much money to this arena and around it if we just really didn’t believe in our hearts and our minds that this is the right thing for the Spurs and for the community.”
The Spurs' case supporting what is on the ballots as Proposition B is simple: venue taxes are primarily paid by visitors to the area through things like their hotel and rental car bills, will not cause any hike in property taxes for residents and by state law can only be spent on things like arenas. And proponents also point out that Oklahoma City has approved plans for a new arena for the NBA champion Thunder, a deal that included only a $50 million commitment from the team's ownership group and relies heavily on sales tax revenue.
The Los Angeles Clippers, meanwhile, recently built a new home arena for more than $2 billion — all of it paid by owner Steve Ballmer.
“The fact is, of the smallest-market teams, 100% of them have private-public partnerships. Every single one of them," Holt said. “Their buildings have been funded by some private money and some public money. And we believe this is going to be best for all parties."
There is considerable opposition to the Spurs' plan.
San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has often said she wants more analysis about all facets of the plan, including what would be the city's contribution toward the project. There are citizen-led groups speaking out against the use of public money toward any private venture, even though there is no mechanism for the venue tax dollars to be used toward anything else.
“I haven’t really gotten much into it,” Spurs star Victor Wembanyama told reporters earlier this month. "But it is interesting. Of course, as a player, as a member of the team, I would love a new arena, but I know there’s some more depth to the subject.”
A poll released this week by UT San Antonio shows about 40% of voters support the arena plan, with about 46% against and about 14% undecided. A separate proposition, to devote about $191 million on expanding the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo grounds, has about 44% support with 41% against.
It's all part of a plan called Project Marvel, which would basically create a new sports and entertainment district in downtown San Antonio. That concept is polling at about 45% supporting and 40% against.
Add it all up, and every indication is this vote will be close.
“Support for ballot propositions is always very fluid, especially in this case where the subject matter — a venue tax — is pretty dense, and there are organized campaigns looking to change minds and mobilize voters in the run-up the election,” Bryan Gervais, a UT San Antonio professor of political science, said in the release explaining the latest poll results. “That said, it’s fair to say that the effort to secure venue tax funding for a new Spurs arena faces an uphill battle.”
And it is a battle. Those backing the arena plan have said the wording on the ballot describing the propositions as tax increases are misleading; yes, it's a tax, but not one being levied on residents. There have even been rulings about keeping fans from wearing Spurs apparel to the polls, since that could be construed as political statements being made at voting locations.
“It’s more than just a new arena. It’s an investment in our city’s future,” Spurs great and now broadcaster Sean Elliott told city lawmakers. “It will help San Antonio step out of the shadows of other Texas cities and assume its rightful place as the No. 1 city in Texas.”
The Spurs have held campaign rallies in recent weeks and so have the arena plan opponents. The team's lease at its current home, Frost Bank Center, runs out in 2032 and the team has no plan to extend that agreement.
As Holt said, when it comes to Proposition B, there is no Plan B. It's unclear what happens if the vote doesn't go the Spurs' way.
“We’re just really confident that the community will come together and support this public-private partnership that extends on what has already worked and has no financial impact on households," Holt said. "I think that it’ll win.”
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