SATX-NSA: Impact 10/20/2025

With early voting beginning Oct. 20, Bexar County residents will vote on whether or not to raise the hotel occupancy tax, HOT, from 1.75% to 2%. This tax, along with the 5% rental car fee, will be used to fund two propositions, which are designed to transform the city’s major venues and establish a permanent home for the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo.

Proposition A is divided into two parts, with an estimated $44 million going to fund repairs and upgrades to the Frost Bank Center and the Freeman Coliseum, and $197 million for the improvement of the Freeman Coliseum and the surrounding grounds.

The overview: Jim Lefko, director of communications for Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai, said that Proposition A is called the Coliseum Complex Venue Project and focuses on upgrading existing county properties on the east side. He noted that these upgrades can only be funded through a venue tax.

According to city documents, E-Z Bel Construction will construct a 1-mile, 12-foot-wide concrete trail that will connect to the New Medical Center Area Park. 

In a nutshell: Known as the Huebner Creek Trail, it will provide access to the Huebner Creek Greenway for several nearby neighborhoods. Eventually, this trail network will connect to the Leon Creek Greenway Trail System.

Additionally, the project will include trailheads at Floyd Curl Drive and Oakland Road, and another one near Babcock Road. According to city documents, the Babcock Road Trailhead will also include 39 parking spaces, a shade structure, a water fountain, lighting, signage, bike racks, trash receptacles, picnic tables and benches.

The project costs approximately $11.47 million and is estimated to begin this fall and be completed in summer 2027.

From a new facility in the works in Comal ISD, to local real estate trends in the Northeast San Antonio area, check out some of the trending Community Impact stories the week of Oct. 13-17.

• A pathway to independence: Comal ISD breaks ground on new campus for special education students
• Local restaurant and brewery to open new pizza parlor in Boerne
• Ollie's Bargain Outlet now open in New Braunfels
• Continental USA looks to expand with 65,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in New Braunfels
• $12M commercial development underway in New Braunfels
• Home sales increase in Schertz, Selma year over year, data shows

As Community Impact enters its third decade, it’s returning to its roots of growth and deeper reader connections. The “Patron” program, which began in 2020 by reader demand, is relaunching as the InCIder this month.

“This relaunch represents our renewed commitment to readers who support our local news,” CEO John Garrett said. “Beyond funding great journalism, we also want to reward our InCIders and build deeper connections with them, creating a true sense of community around the work we do.”

The InCIder program currently gives donors access to a special Saturday email edition across each metro: Austin, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio.

Memberships are currently $10 per month or $110 annually. A membership will include the previously mentioned perks, as well as:

• Quarterly discounts at local businesses 
• Invites to in-person events
• Optional naming and “thank you” in our newspaper
• Community Impact swag
• InCIder anniversary gift

Early voting in the Nov. 4 election begins Oct. 20 and runs through Oct. 31. During early voting, registered voters can cast ballots at any polling place within their county of residence, according to the secretary of state’s office.

What to bring: Voters must bring one of seven forms of identification to the polls:

• A Texas driver license (issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety)
• A Texas personal ID card (issued by the DPS)
• A Texas handgun license (issued by the DPS)
• A Texas election ID certificate (issued by the DPS)
• A U.S. military ID card with the voter’s photograph
• A U.S. citizenship certificate with the voter’s photograph
• A U.S. passport