Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones on Monday called for unity between the City Council and San Antonio’s business community in her first public address since a bitter budget season ended last week, but the cracks were evident during the Metro SA Chamber’s “City Vision” event.
Jones used her 20-minute address to press for a better deal with Spurs Sports & Entertainment for a downtown arena — an issue that has put her at odds with a majority of her council colleagues and business leaders.
Jones said the “community benefits agreement” city officials hashed out with SS&E in exchange for the city’s $489 million contribution to the $1.3 billion arena is not “the best deal possible.” The draft financing agreement calls for the Spurs organization to write the city a check for $2.5 million each year of its 30-year lease of the city-owned arena, totaling $75 million for community initiatives selected by City Council.
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The county is putting up $311 million for the project. SS&E is contributing $500 million and will pay for cost overruns.
Jones also said the city “deserves revenue sharing of some sort,” despite that being something SS&E has said is a non-negotiable.
“Our city does better when we think and act together,” Jones said. “We can have a revitalized downtown and — not or — one that includes affordable housing. We can have a championship basketball team and — not or — a deal that allows the people to profit alongside the team’s owners.”
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones speaks during the Metro SA Chamber’s annual City Vision event at the Security Service Event Center in San Antonio, Texas on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026.
Katina Zentz/San Antonio Express-News
The mayor and council will be asked to approve the arena financing plan with SS&E by year’s end.
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A council majority wants to move forward with the draft plan the council approved in August 2025 in a 7-4 vote, with Jones in the opposition.
Three of the council members who voted for the deal participated on a panel Q&A with Chris Corso, board chair-elect of the Metro SA Chamber, after Jones’ speech. Corso is vice president of strategic partnerships at Joeris General Contractors, which built the Spurs Victory Capital Performance Center at The Rock At La Cantera.
Council members Phyllis Viagran, Marina Alderete Gavito and Marc Whyte told attendees that the deal is largely done.
San Antonio City Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito speaks in a panel discussion during the Metro SA Chamber’s annual City Vision event at the Security Service Event Center in San Antonio, Texas on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026.
Katina Zentz/San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio City Councilman Marc Whyte, left-center, speaks in a panel discussion during the Metro SA Chamber’s annual City Vision event at the Security Service Event Center in San Antonio, Texas on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. Councilman Marc Whyte took part in the panel discussion with Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran, right-center, and Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito, right, with questions asked by Chris Corso, Metro SA Chamber’s board chair elect, at left.
Katina Zentz/San Antonio Express-News
Those sitting at tables inside the Security Service Event Center on the Northwest Side included government lobbyists and employees of engineering and construction companies, such as Triun LLC, HDR Engineering Inc., Zachry Corporation and Pape-Dawson Engineers. SS&E hired Pape-Dawson to lead environmental, civil and traffic engineering and surveying work for the arena district.
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“The citizens have voted, and we need to move this thing forward,” Whyte said. “No more roadblocks need to be put in the way, and we got to get this done. And I’ll tell you why: it’s not just about the games on the court. This about doing something transformative for the city of San Antonio.”
Supporters of the downtown arena plan view Jones as the biggest barrier. She wanted San Antonio residents to vote on the city’s arena payment — just like the county portion was decided at the polls. However, unlike the city, the county was legally obligated to seek voter approval to raise its hotel and rental car tax rates to finance its payment. That measure passed with 52% support in November 2025.
The mayor’s push to put an arena-funding referendum on this November ballot failed in a 5-6 vote on Aug. 17. Many council members viewed the move as a distraction from figuring out how to close a $158 million general fund deficit in fiscal years 2027 and 2028.
Jones kicked off her speech by laying out her qualms with the $4.4 billion fiscal year 2027 budget that council passed — namely that the city “punted on important reallocations and reasonable cuts that could have saved our neighbors from a property tax increase during this affordability crisis.”
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Jones made a number of pitches over the summer on ways to reduce general fund spending, which includes core services such as police and fire protection, libraries and parks. Yet, in the aggregate, none of her proposals amounted to the additional $75 million in cuts needed over the next two years to avoid a tax hike.
It was only on the eve of the budget that she pitched across-the-board cuts needed to avoid the hike.
City officials say the two cent increase to the tax rate will cost the average homeowner with a homestead exemption about $35 more on their annual tax bill.
Jones joined Whyte, Alderete Gavito and Councilwoman Misty Spears in voting against the budget and the higher tax rate.
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Jones also foreshadowed looming decisions she and council will have to make on other rate requests. That includes the San Antonio Water System’s request, which will come before council next month after a majority — including Whyte and Alderete Gavito — delayed a June vote on it.
“In my mind, the delay was not needed, and the new numbers will clearly show it will cost us more,” Jones said. “We will be paying more and getting less because that’s how inflation works.”
Jones, who sits on the SAWS Board of Trustees, advocated for the council to OK the increase increase.
Whyte and Alderete Gavito defended the delay, with both saying that the additional time has resulted in a better proposal for how the city-owned utility will use the additional revenue.
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“We have to invest in our utilities, but for us, I think it’s important that we do our due diligence and make sure that the rate case that they’re presenting is the best case for residents,” Alderete Gavito said.
Jones kept her cards close when she spoke about the bond program that city officials would like the council to put on the May 2027 ballot. The amount of bond debt the city can issue has been drastically reduced because of sagging property tax revenue, which also worsened the budget deficit. Council will have to decide whether to again raise the property tax rate to fund a larger bond.
“I look forward to hearing from you all and discussing with my colleagues an approach that meets our needs while being realistic about an amount that is fiscally responsible given the economic uncertainty we’re facing,” Jones said.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, left-center, and Angelica Cortez, the mayor’s partner, left, speak with Burton Hackney, president of Joeris General Contractors, right-center, and Ron Nirenberg, former San Antonio mayor, during the Metro SA Chamber’s annual City Vision event at the Security Service Event Center in San Antonio, Texas on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026.
Katina Zentz/San Antonio Express-News
City officials would like the bond to pay for infrastructure improvements to support the arena, which will built at the former Institute of Texan Cultures site at Hemisfair. The city is finalizing the purchase of that property from the University of Texas at San Antonio, which is expected to cost $60 million.
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The mayor concluded her remarks with a request: “Together, we have the ability, the resources and certainly the talent to build the San Antonio we deserve. It does require challenging assumptions about how things have (been) done and whether those practices suit our city’s needs for the future.”
But finding agreement on what practices to keep, tweak or toss will likely be a tall order, if the budget fight was any indicator.