EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A bond question seeking $100 million of improvements and upgrades for the El Paso County Coliseum will not be going back to the voters in May.
County Commissioner David Stout has been the leading advocate for bringing the measure back before the public and had filed a motion to put it back on the ballot for May’s election.
The exact same proposal was narrowly rejected by El Paso voters during the November general election.
Stout was the sole commissioner to vote in favor of the motion Monday afternoon Feb. 10, while the rest of the Commissioners Court voted “no.”
“I think there was a lot of confusion (about) this item on the ballot last time. We did not have the same opportunity to inform the public (about) this project as we did (with) other projects that we put on the ballot, because we didn’t find out (soon enough) that it wasn’t going to be taken by the federal government as part of the Bridge of the Americas (renovation),” Stout said. “We fought so hard to save (the coliseum) from the GSA, and it’s sad that we’re now not wanting to invest in it.”
The bond sought $105.5 million to renovate part of the coliseum’s structure, including seating, the roof, and the air conditioning system. It would have also turned the Sherman Barn next to the coliseum into an event venue.
The bond would have cost a homeowner with a home value of $200,000 about $20 more a year in County taxes.
El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego and County Commissioner Sergio Coronado didn’t totally reject the need to renovate the coliseum, but argued more time was needed to find a solution that would appeal to voters.
County Commissioner Iliana Holguin said she received feedback from her constituents who were upset that the proposal was being reconsidered.
“People felt like their decision to not vote for this proposition during the November election was being disrespected. They told me that they thought that the Commissioners Court was being disrespectful because the court had placed this proposition on the November ballot and the voters voted against it,” Holguin said.
Holguin said that if a similar proposal were revisited in the future – that addresses the renovations needed at the coliseum – it would have to be carefully planned out and more specific.
“I think we need to be very deliberative and very specific. The voters already told us they do not want to issue a debt of over $100 million for the coliseum. So I don’t think it was wise to suggest that we bring back the exact same proposition again in May, so soon after it had failed,” Holguin said.
Stout said, however, that the need to make renovations to the coliseum are pressing because the longer it is put off, the more expensive it will get.
“Every year, construction costs go up. In some cases, we’ve seen construction costs go up 30% year over year. And that is something that worries me. I think being fiscally responsible is something that we need to do as County officials. We need to make sure that we’re being as efficient in giving taxpayers the most bang for their buck. Every year that goes by, the cost to the taxpayer is going to increase,” Stout said.
Stout also said the opportunity to make this investment could go away soon based on what the Texas Legislature has done recently.
“Every legislative session, the state Legislature pre-empts local bodies, local governments from raising funds to pay for programs and services that we provide. We have recently seen a tax cap (of) 3.5%. We’ve seen appraisal caps. And now, we’re seeing a number of pieces of legislation that would pre-empt counties from being able to even fund something like this with borrowed money,” Stout said.
This was the last opportunity to put the proposal on May’s ballot, but it could be reconsidered for future elections.
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