City staff briefed Victoria City Council on the Community Center Master Plan at the Dec. 3 workshop and outlined project options, a new arena roof material under consideration and multiple funding scenarios that could require a voter-approved venue tax.

Staff presented two budget scenarios: a roughly $35 million option and a roughly $45 million option, with the principal difference the roof for the proposed new covered arena. The consultant-populous-designed plan includes renovating the existing facility into an air-conditioned exhibition hall, a new covered arena, and a new barn so animals could be housed separately during livestock shows. The existing rectangular arena would be converted to an exhibition hall, increasing the facility’s flexibility and seating capacity; staff said the existing rendering shows roughly 3,000 fixed seats, and a concert configuration could accommodate as many as 9,000 people.

On the roof-material question, staff described a fabric-membrane roof option supplied by a vendor working with the city’s architect. Staff said the membrane product includes a substantial steel framing system beneath the fabric; panels are installed in individually keyed pieces so sections can be replaced without replacing the entire roof, and the quoted product carries a 25-year warranty. Staff contrasted that product with older dome roofs known to have failed in high-wind events, and said the vendor asserted the newer membrane materials and installation techniques are significantly more durable.

“It's not one piece of fabric that stretched over the entire building,” a staff presenter said when explaining how panels are sized and installed. Staff also noted that Texas A&M recently used the same membrane product for an indoor track and field facility, and suggested a site visit could be arranged.

Funding options discussed included: adopting a venue project that would allow the city to use a hotel occupancy (hotel) tax increase and a car-rental tax to support revenue bonds; pursuing part of a county hotel-occupancy tax the county judge has indicated could be allocated to the project; and requesting VSTDC (named in the presentation) contributions. Staff estimated that a 2-percentage-point increase in the hotel occupancy tax could generate roughly $500,000 annually, which they said would support an $8 million revenue bond; a car-rental tax was projected to generate about $3 million in bond capacity. Staff also described a potential additional use of existing hotel-occupancy receipts and other revenue sources to increase the bond amount for a larger option.

Staff said the city has hired Cooksey Communications to poll registered voters in Victoria County. The polling engagement is designed to reach around 300 registered voters and is scheduled for January, with results to be presented to council in mid-January or early February. Staff outlined two ballot-timing options: placing venue-tax propositions on the May 2025 ballot (which would be a quicker schedule and could align with an already-scheduled May election) or waiting to place propositions on the November 2025 ballot (allowing more time to educate voters but adding estimated construction inflation).

Staff also discussed whether to run a city-only ballot measure or to coordinate a countywide election; staff noted many of the facility’s users live in the county and a countywide vote would allow them to participate. Several council members asked about costs of elections, potential county partnership and the impact on nonresident users. Staff said the county judge has discussed contributions and that more detailed financial modeling and engagement with stakeholders is planned before council calls an election.

Ending: Staff will forward the detailed vendor materials and a longer technical packet by email, complete the registered-voter polling in January and return to council with polling results and a recommendation on timing and whether to include hotel and/or car-rental tax propositions on a ballot. No formal vote was taken on funding; council discussion will continue in early 2025.