Despite San Antonio facing a staggering $5 billion infrastructure shortfall, many elected leaders are poised to spend $800 million in public funds to finance another Spurs basketball arena.
COPS/Metro, seeing through the project’s complicated funding structure, continues to be a leading voice for using this public money for the public’s benefit. At an August 5th commissioners court meeting, COPS/Metro Leader Rena Oden testified:
“It is unconscionable that you want to give this money for an arena when we have people dying from infrastructure or lack thereof. … Don’t tell us this money is only for arenas. Where is your imagination for our families? In the early 2000s, we voted on the venue tax where there was community benefit for all of us. This deal has no community benefit.”
Disregarding the community's call for transparency, the city voted last month to move forward with the project without commissioning an independent economic analysis.
In response, COPS/Metro will present their own economic analysis on the stadium at their delegates assembly this Sunday with 500 leaders. The event will feature presentations from Dr. Geoffrey Propheter, a nationally recognized professor specializing in sports stadium deals, and Dr. Haywood Sanders, a professor of Public Administration at UTSA. The group will also hear from Mayor Jones and city council members who stand with them in demanding due diligence and transparency.
[Bottom right photo from the August 21st San Antonio City Council Meeting video]
New Spurs Arena Leans on $800M in public dollars. Are the taxpayers getting a good deal?, San Antonio Report [pdf]