{"id":427767,"date":"2026-09-06T04:56:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T04:56:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/427767\/"},"modified":"2026-09-06T04:56:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T04:56:29","slug":"mayor-gina-ortiz-jones-says-san-antonio-spurs-should-pay-for-hemisfair-infrastructure-upgrades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/427767\/","title":{"rendered":"Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones says San Antonio Spurs should pay for Hemisfair\u00a0infrastructure upgrades"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones speaks during an interview with the Current. Credit: Michael Karlis<\/p>\n

Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones is calling on the San Antonio Spurs\u2019 ownership to cover infrastructure upgrades around downtown\u2019s Hemisfair that would lay the groundwork for the team\u2019s new publicly funded arena. <\/p>\n

Without the NBA franchise\u2019s help, the city would have carve that money out of an upcoming bond issue, which Jones told the Current would leave it with less money to cover other vital projects such as sidewalks, road improvements and parks. <\/p>\n

City officials want to devote at least $220 million from the $450 million bond that\u2019s expected to go before voters in May 2027 toward the first phase of infrastructure improvements at Hemisfair<\/a>. The planned upgrades are part of the broader Project Marvel sports-and-entertainment district, which would include the Spurs arena.<\/p>\n

\u201cI continue to believe the Spurs\u2019 owners would well serve the community by investing their own capital into these projects, because that is money that comes at the expenses of other infrastructure projects that our community is in desperate need for,\u201d Jones said during a sit-down interview last week with the Current. \u201cAnd, as you know, our bond capacity right now\u00a0\u2014 if we don\u2019t raise property taxes \u2014\u00a0is only $450 million.\u201d<\/p>\n

During Wednesday\u2019s meeting, City Manager Erik Walsh told members of council that San Antonio\u2019s bond capacity for the upcoming fiscal year has been slashed from $625 million to $450 million.<\/p>\n

Further, Walsh said the planned Hemisfair infrastructure improvements will now be \u201cwell south\u201d of the $220 million figure. However, he said city staff won\u2019t release a total for the Hemisfair infrastructure package until October \u2014 after the City Council scheduled Sept. 17 vote to approve the budget<\/a> for the upcoming fiscal year.<\/p>\n

That raises questions whether members of council will have the full picture on whether to raise taxes to cover more bond projects, including the proposed Project Marvel infrastructure improvements, until after they vote on the budget. <\/p>\n

Jones emphasized that the Hemisfair infrastructure improvements are just \u201cthe first phase\u201d of upgrades around the downtown park under Project Marvel \u2014\u00a0meaning taxpayers could be on the hook for future improvements.<\/p>\n

During Wednesday\u2019s meeting, District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, District 3 Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran, District 4 Councilman Edward Mungia and District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo all said they want a bond program of at least $1 billion to cover community improvements in their districts, which are historically economically disadvantaged. They said the city may need to raise property tax rates to make that possible.<\/p>\n

However, Jones, District 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito, District 9 Councilwoman Misty Spears and District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte have all expressed staunch opposition to any property tax increase. Instead, they want to cut spending where possible.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the city still faces a $158 billion budget deficit. As of press time, the council has no consensus on how to deal with the coming crunch.<\/p>\n

Sign Up for SA Current newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n

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