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Most important results for San Antonio Spurs in its initial weeks nba The season will likely arrive on November 4th.
And the team doesn’t have any games that day.
Voters in Bexar County, Texas, are going to the polls soon — early voting begins Monday and runs through Oct. 31, then actual Election Day voting takes place Nov. 4 — to decide whether county officials will be allowed more than $311 million, called a venue tax, to help build a new multi-purpose arena that the Spurs will call home.
If it passes, the Spurs said they will commit at least $500 million to construction, plus cover all overruns – which could be significant – and insist there will be a further $1.4 billion in private development around the new arena. They will also pay rent for the new arena, which will offset a large portion of the $489 million contribution from the city.
Spurs President of Sports and Entertainment Peter J. “My truth and our truth, there is no Plan B,” Holt said. “That’s our focus. We’re super optimistic. We’re super confident. We wouldn’t have invested this much money in and around this area if we didn’t really believe in our hearts and minds that this is the right thing for the Spurs and the community.”
The Spurs’ case supporting what’s on the ballot as Proposition B is simple: The venue tax is paid primarily by visitors to the arena through things like their hotel and rental car bills, would not lead to any property tax increases for residents, and can only be spent on things like arenas per state law. And supporters also point out that Oklahoma City 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 that relies heavily on sales tax revenue.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers recently built a new home arena at a cost of more than $2 billion – all paid for by the owner steve ballmer,
“The fact is that among the smallest market teams, 100% of them have private-public partnerships. Every single one of them has,” Holt said. “Their buildings are funded by some private money and some public money. And we believe that will be best for all parties.”
There is a lot of opposition to Spurs’ plan.
st anthony Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has often said she wants more analysis regarding all aspects of the plan, including what the city’s contribution to the project will be. There are citizen-led groups that are speaking out against the use of public funds for any private enterprise, even though there is no provision for venue tax dollars to be used for anything else.
“I don’t really understand much of it,” the Spurs star said. Victor Wembanyama told reporters earlier this month. “But it’s interesting. Of course, as a player, as a member of the team, I would love a new area, but I know there is something more depth to the topic.”
A poll released this week by UT San Antonio shows about 40% of voters support the arena plan, about 46% against it and about 14% undecided. A separate proposal to spend about $191 million on expanding the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo grounds has about 44% support and 41% opposition.
It’s all part of a plan called Project Marvel, which will basically create a new sports and entertainment district in downtown San Antonio. The polling for this concept is around 45% in support and 40% against.
Add it all up, and every indication is that this vote will be close.
“Support for ballot proposals is always very fluid, especially in this case where the subject matter – a venue tax – is so dense, and there are organized campaigns underway to mobilize and change voters’ minds before the election,” Brian Gervais, a professor of political science at UT San Antonio, said in the release explaining the latest poll results. “That said, it’s fair to say that efforts to secure venue tax funding for a new Spurs arena face an uphill battle.”
And it is a fight. Those supporting the arena plan have said that the wording describing the tax increase proposals on the ballot is misleading; Yes, it is a tax, but it is not being imposed on residents. There have also been rulings barring fans from wearing Spurs apparel in elections, as this could be construed as political statements being made at polling places.
“This is more than just a new arena. This is an investment in the future of our city,” Spurs great and now broadcaster Sean Elliott told city lawmakers. “This will help San Antonio step out of the shadow of other Texas cities and take its rightful place as the No. 1 city in Texas.”
Spurs have held campaign rallies in recent weeks and rivals have planned to do the same. The lease on the Frost Bank Center, the team’s current home, expires in 2032 and the team has no plans to extend that agreement.
As Holt said, when it comes to Proposal B, there is no Plan B. It’s unclear what will happen if the vote doesn’t go Spurs’ way.
“We’re really confident that the community will come together and support this public-private partnership that has already worked and has no financial impact on homes,” Holt said. “I think it will win.”
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