[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6645417,"mediaKeyId","3755016-78a20926c98e5878eec9899c5a476761","parentId",3755016,"title","Votes at a glance: Bexar County Commissioners Court passes venue-resolution and approves multiple contracts, grants and appointments","audioSeconds",11005,"startMs",11005000,"endMs",-1,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3755016-78a20926c98e5878eec9899c5a476761&start=11005&end=0","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3755016-78a20926c98e5878eec9899c5a476761/thumbnail_11005000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6645417/Bexar-County/Texas/Votes-at-a-glance-Bexar-County-Commissioners-Court-passes-venue-resolution-and-approves-multiple-contracts-grants-and-appointments","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6645417-44f819ab48f11b2d77022c64e26de50b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770443040&Signature=DfQdLAuwrCKwUAlF5frBFf2SSVXrO~BXRtNziaJA-g81uirf2645Ila~Uzd8DXNk3S2IMQrI96NkTdVlhuP~ZTPpDn5ynAbjkLpcy1WKx9mbvq5hIh34HKx85hBf2lAWSls1cez~s41ESU6mp~5UHt6--euooAd0RDVrevlvpJtuAEawpesKIT6ZkdjShX1SFWSnk1wNTs4Pi~IWsEb5B~S1Rdu05AgGajJlCfRCOfl6f-aJOwYJ8ehmGGZ8D5vrxgdj5Zck3u-rhe1oxp11sq64ZUBsva-J16v27OC8zmPpOJqqKEQEOuuseD1tjzM9HCJQH6L0Ji-vUVjPHbqSaA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Bexar","date","2025-06-10T00:00:00Z","article","Bexar County Commissioners Court completed a full consent and general agenda on June 10, approving a mix of routine items and several high-value actions. The court advanced a Chapter 334 venue resolution (see separate article) and approved the following key motions and agreements during the meeting.

Opioid-settlement funding for medication-assisted treatment
The court approved execution of an agreement with Recovery Capital Group d/b/a Bridal Clinic in an amount not to exceed $826,812 from the county’s opioid settlement fund to expand medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and related substance-use services. County staff and partners said MAT is already provided in the jail by UHS and that the grant will support continuity of care when people are released. Commissioner Rodriguez moved the item; motion carried.

Consent-item invoice payment for sheriff’s IT/maintenance
The court authorized the county auditor to pay fiscal-year 2025 invoices for the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office to NEC Corp. for repair and maintenance of computer equipment in the amount of $54,708.48. Staff said a formal contract was in preparation and would remove the recurring invoice from the agenda once finalized.

Appointments and board items
The court approved several appointments: the appointment of Lynette Bradley to Emergency Services District No. 2 (ESD 2) and Mariana Lujan to the Coliseum Advisory Board (SWMB). Public speakers asked the court to explain a recent replacement on the ESD 2 board; a former ESD commissioner, Brian Feit, said he had received no prior notice of his removal and raised questions about process. Commissioner Clay Flores said ESD appointments are made at the commissioners’ discretion and moved the approvals.

Public Facility Corporation (PFC) actions
As the board of directors of the Bexar County Public Facility Corporation (PFC), the court approved engaging Cohen Rabinowitz, PLLC, for legal services and approved a two-year extension of the project-commencement deadline for the Showroom Apartments (Hixson Properties) to allow additional time to assemble capital financing. Counsel said the PFC transaction is grandfathered from certain later state statutory changes but that further extensions could be constrained by future law.

Sanco Texas tax-abatement negotiation
The court voted to authorize staff to negotiate a 10‑year, 75% tax abatement on real and personal property for Sanco Texas Corporation, which proposed a $39.8 million investment and a minimum of 50 new jobs (average base wage ~ $20.54/hour) at a site in Precinct 1. The motion permits negotiations on the county’s participation in an abatement only; other taxing jurisdictions would decide separately.

Geekdom innovation grant
The court approved a negotiated grant of up to $87,500 to Geekdom to support five start‑up boot camps designed to incubate early-stage companies and entrepreneurship across Bexar County precincts. Geekdom said the boot camps help founders launch companies within a 54‑hour program and that the initiative previously helped establish more than 500 startups in recent years.

San Pedro Creek final-phase amendment
The court approved an amendment to the cooperative agreement with the San Antonio River Authority to cover additional costs tied to replacing the Union Pacific railroad bridge and completing the final stretch of San Pedro Creek Cultural Park. The amendment asked the county to pay up to $1,559,146; the River Authority agreed to accept $835,000 of the cost and the balance reflects negotiated allocations among the contractor, SAWS and the river authority. The court was told the total built cost of the project inclusive of this amendment is about $263.5 million and the project’s estimated economic impact is roughly $1.3 billion.

County clerk records digitization contract
The court approved an agreement with Cofile Technologies, Inc. for up to $15,547,223.27 to preserve, digitize and index county-clerk archival records, work the clerk’s office said will bring the county to roughly 70% completion of its digitization program. County Clerk staff emphasized that many permanent records date to the 1700s–1950s and that digitization is required for long-term preservation by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TxLAC).

Inmate housing budget transfer
The court approved a contingency transfer of $2,278,939 into the sheriff’s budget to cover housing inmates out-of-county (Burnet and Kerr counties) for the remainder of the fiscal year. Commissioners noted the transfer and discussed possible jail-population effects from recent state legislative changes affecting pretrial release and bail; staff said an estimate for next year’s impact was being developed for budget planning.

Other actions
The court accepted a $118,000 donation for BiblioTech from the Hidalgo Foundation and Toyota (to support GED testing and the BiblioTech fundraising gala). Consent items not pulled were approved; one consent item (No. 68) was deferred at staff request.

What the votes did not decide
Several items approved on June 10 authorize staff to negotiate, submit material to state reviewers or execute contracts, but do not themselves finalize long-term project funding or private commitments: the PFC extension, the Sanco tax-abatement negotiations, and the Chapter 334 venue-resolution all anticipate further negotiation and subsequent votes.

For details: the court recorded motions and seconds for each item and approved them by voice vote; where publicly recorded tallies were not given in the transcript the court reported motions as carried.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Bexar - Commissioners Court - Jun 10, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Bexar County’s June 10 court session approved a Chapter 334 venue-resolution for comptroller review and a package of measures that include opioid-settlement funding for medication-assisted treatment, a $15.5 million county‑clerk digitization contract, a $1.56 million San Pedro Creek amendment and multiple board appointments and grants.","taxTitle","Bexar County, Texas","taxId",2688,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6645422,"Bexar County court seeks state review for possible hotel tax increase to fund Freeman Coliseum upgrades and a new Spurs arena",3710,5010000,8720000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3755016-78a20926c98e5878eec9899c5a476761&start=5010&end=8720","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3755016-78a20926c98e5878eec9899c5a476761/thumbnail_5010000.jpg","/articles/6645422/Bexar-County/Texas/Bexar-County-court-seeks-state-review-for-possible-hotel-tax-increase-to-fund-Freeman-Coliseum-upgrades-and-a-new-Spurs-arena","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6645422-7ff0ca93a3ca0b767511aa5c822411ae/orig.mp4?Expires=1770443040&Signature=f4E6FA-hOZ~jdMNS0J5lA7xrUr--N-Hz9zqcPV0NSL0k5ELjqvrkYcpzsdhGGOs3YRVZlx7v1E7X6iwr-RHLwOTXcV8G8UU9YHkh4FQET4zYisv8oOZaOLCPXQj51VsAeYfnQCVD1Tef~bTnf9IC0rfBBtxgy2j5wJUX2~-bbabHGmhhR114FYdI~lUgdDule5D18k5TBCNkK9CGnJBzrxTmwORxflJU~DiFq~kP2Ehf0TZzB1H8EDqXvNVO7MFo4QlevQyT~fvs1Jq2hc40p3yghbIBZs2rqI6VYCMnmDhXt1sHZm0TcNYXI7-wtjZWcMptVTRidfCshwru7tK5aA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Bexar County Commissioners Court on June 10 approved a resolution asking the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts to review a proposed venue funding plan that would dedicate motor-vehicle rental and hotel-occupancy tax proceeds to two projects: renovation and redevelopment of the Freeman Coliseum grounds (including Frost Bank Center maintenance) and a proposed new downtown multipurpose arena that would be the future home of the San Antonio Spurs. The court’s action authorizes county staff to submit the resolution to the comptroller for the statutorily required review under Chapter 334 of the Texas Local Government Code.

The measure matters because it would not use property taxes or the county’s general fund; instead the proposal relies on visitor-based taxes. Under the draft framework approved for review the county would preserve the existing 5% motor-vehicle rental tax and raise the county hotel-occupancy tax from 1.75% to the maximum permitted 2%. County staff estimated the venue-tax increase would yield just short of $450 million toward the two projects; the Freeman/rodeo grounds program was discussed in the court record in the range of about $194 million and the Frost Bank Center maintenance needs were discussed at roughly $80 million. The court and outside advisers said the precise split of proceeds among projects, and private and city contributions, remain to be negotiated and disclosed before any final deal.

Public comments at the hearing were sharply divided. Spurs-affiliated speakers asked the court to proceed so voters could consider the proposal. Peter John Holt Jr., a Spurs-area speaker, told the court: “So we are incredibly grateful. We’re here to ask for your support, and we’re here to make the commitment that we will work with you and your teams to ensure that this process is, impact full in an incredibly positive way and beneficial to all.” Opponents voiced concern about public subsidies for private sports facilities and demanded more detail on private investment and community benefits. Arturo Rodriguez, a COPS Metro leader, urged the court to consider alternatives and told commissioners, “This money could be used in ways that could lift up the residents of Bexar County.” Deborah Garrett, another COPS Metro leader, said the group opposed “a blank check with public money for private development.”

Members of the court debated the motion at length. Commissioner Justin Moody said he supports the rodeo renovation but opposed raising the venue tax, calling the proposed increase “a bridge too far for me.” Judge Keith Sakai repeatedly cautioned that the court’s vote was an initial, procedural step: “All we’re doing is taking 1 step to get there,” he said, explaining the comptroller review and later local procedural deadlines. The court approved the resolution by voice vote; the measure moves the county to the next statutorily required step — seeking the comptroller’s finding that a November election would cause no harm to the state. If the comptroller clears that review, the court would still need to decide whether to call a November election; state law requires jurisdictions to call a ballot by mid‑August to appear on a November ballot.

Why this matters locally: the funding source in the proposal is a tourist-oriented tax paid predominantly by visitors who rent vehicles or stay in hotels; commissioners emphasized the tax would not be an ad-valorem property tax increase. However, opponents said the same visitor taxes could be spent on other county priorities such as workforce wages, sidewalks and affordable housing. Supporters argued a downtown arena and Freeman upgrades would generate visitor spending, events and long-term economic activity that supports jobs, hotels and restaurants.

Next steps: county staff will submit the resolution to the Comptroller under Chapter 334 for review; staff and legal advisers will continue negotiating the allocation of proceeds between the Freeman/rodeo program and any downtown arena proposal. Any final decision to call a public referendum would return to commissioners before the August order-deadline required for a November election.

Votes and motions: Commissioner Clay Flores moved the resolution; Commissioner Rodriguez seconded. The court approved the motion and directed staff to proceed with the comptroller submission. Commissioners recorded no formal dissents on the submission vote; several commissioners registered public reservations about increasing the hotel tax and emphasized the need for more detail on private funding and community protections.

Community reaction and follow-up: COPS Metro and community advocates said they will press for stronger, enforceable community benefits and for clearer private investment disclosure before any election. County staff and Spurs representatives said they will continue negotiating terms and produce more detailed financial models and benefit commitments for public review ahead of any final decision.","Bexar County Commissioners Court on June 10 approved a resolution to send to the Texas Comptroller requesting review under Texas Local Government Code chapter 334 that would clear the way for a November proposition to preserve a 5% motor-vehicle rental tax and raise the county hotel-occupancy tax from 1.75% to 2% to fund Freeman Coliseum grounds upgrades and a proposed downtown arena for the San Antonio Spurs.","actionData","errors"]

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Votes at a glance: Bexar County Commissioners Court passes venue-resolution and approves multiple contracts, grants and appointments

Bexar County court seeks state review for possible hotel tax increase to fund Freeman Coliseum upgrades and a new Spurs arena