{"id":895695,"date":"2026-06-27T04:43:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T04:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/895695\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T04:43:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T04:43:16","slug":"trio-of-councilwomen-force-meeting-on-plans-to-use-75m-in-spurs-arena-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/895695\/","title":{"rendered":"Trio of councilwomen force meeting on plans to use $75M in Spurs arena money"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO<\/strong> \u2013 San Antonio still needs to finalize an arena deal with the Spurs, but a group of council members say the city needs to start planning how to spend $75 million from the team.<\/p>\n

The non-binding term sheet council members approved <\/a>last August for a $1.3 billion arena includes $2.5 million in annual funding committed by the Spurs over the life of a 30-year lease as part of a \u201ccommunity benefits agreement\u201d (CBA).<\/p>\n

The money would be used by the city, based on whatever process the City Council determines.<\/p>\n

Sukh Kaur (D1), Teri Castillo (D5), and Marina Alderete Gavito (D7) want the full City Council to discuss a framework for spending the money, based on a plan Kaur has been pushing since last year<\/a> to appoint a commission of community members to provide input and recommendations.<\/p>\n

They councilwomen filed a three-signature memo on Thursday, which forces a council meeting. They have asked it be held no later than Aug. 7. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe want a group that is going to be leading the effort in doing continued engagement around what the community benefits agreement will actually do for our community, in terms of where the dollars are going to be spent, what are the goals that we want to hold ourselves accountable to, and how will we make sure that all of the parties involved are on the same page,\u201d Kaur told KSAT.<\/p>\n

Kaur believes housing, transportation, and nearby parks improvements are possible areas that could come up as uses for the money.<\/p>\n

Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has previously scoffed<\/a> at the size of the $2.5 million in annual funding, in comparison to the city\u2019s $4 billion budget<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s like, Garrett, you saying, \u2018Hey mayor, I need a hundred bucks,\u2019 and I\u2019m like, \u2018Can I give you half a penny?\u2019\u201d she said during a January interview with KSAT.<\/p>\n

KSAT also asked Kaur about the need for a commission to plan for a relatively small amount of money. <\/p>\n

The councilwoman, though, said this is money for which the city doesn\u2019t have plans.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s money that is not going to fixing a street or a sidewalk. This could be for whatever the community really wants. And so we believe their voice should be the ones at the table making those decisions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Kaur originally proposed<\/a> her idea for dealing with the CBA funding in December, through the regular council policy process. However, it has stalled since an initial committee conversation in January.<\/p>\n

But when the council discussed the arena deal and the wider plans for a sports and entertainment district last week, \u201cso many of my colleagues brought it up at (the meeting), we felt like it was a good time to be able to discuss what\u2019s next.\u201d<\/p>\n

The trio has also asked the meeting include discussion and action on developing a process to get input from artists, labor representatives, small businesses, and neighborhood and community groups on any proposed agreements related to the district and work it into final documents.<\/p>\n

\u201cCouncilman Castillo is leading a group of artists who are actually going to talk about what they really want to see,\u201d Kaur said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s one thing I\u2019ve heard a lot of, is that whatever happens with the entertainment district, it needs to represent the culture and the feel of our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read also:<\/b><\/p>\n