A conceptual rendering of what San Antonio sports district Project Marvel might look like in 15 years. Credit: Courtesy Image / City of San Antonio

The city of San Antonio could finance a $1 billion Spurs arena on its own if Bexar County Commissioners refuse to play ball on the project, according to the Express-News, citing data from the Texas Comptroller’s Office.

Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E) has been pushing Bexar County Commissioners to hold a referendum in May on using the county’s venue tax for the arena. However, Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai, who presides over the court, this week suggested he’s not in favor of that timetable.

Up until now, local leaders have indicated Bexar County could ask voters to decide whether to use the county’s venue tax to help fund the arena. Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert recently told the Current such a move could yield more than $2 billion in revenue.

But Sakai told the San Antonio Business Journal this week that the question won’t be on the May ballot, since Commissioners Court wasn’t formally briefed on Project Marvel – which includes the Spurs arena – until this week.

In contrast, staff briefed San Antonio City Council on Project Marvel in November.

The multibillion-dollar proposal would create a downtown sports and entertainment district that would include not just the basketball facility but a convention center expansion, a new hotel, Alamodome improvements and more. However, the Comptroller’s Office numbers suggest SS&E may not need to wait for the county to play ball. At least when it comes to the Spurs arena portion of the project.

Last year, the city began collecting the state’s portion of hotel tax revenue generated within three miles of the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center, the Express-News reports.

That revenue could bring some $2.5 billion into city coffers through 2054, according to state figures. What’s more, the city doesn’t have to wait until that date to to tap into the funding, since it could issue bonds that the hypothetical revenue would pay off, the daily reports.

In other words, the city could be in a position to move forward on a Spurs arena without Sakai’s approval.

Stay tuned.

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This article appears in Feb 5-18, 2025.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...