Early voting begins on Cameron County arena proposal

Apr. 24—By GARY LONG and STEVE CLARK — Staff Writers

Early voting begins Monday in an election that asks Cameron County voters to approve a venue-tax revenue project that could see creation of an arena similar to the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg or Hidalgo's Payne Arena.

A similar proposal narrowly failed in the November general election, 49.6% in favor to 50.4% against.

This time backers are promoting the idea more forcefully, stressing that the proposal does not mean any new taxes, posting billboards around the county urging people's support and hosting a website to promote the arena.

Venue-tax revenue comes from hotel occupancy taxes (HOT) and vehicle rental taxes generated in the country. The November proposal would not have been the first time in recent years that voters approved the use of venue-tax revenue for county projects.

In 2016 voters approved the use of venue-tax revenue to help finance the Cameron County Amphitheater and Event Center, which opened two years ago in Isla Blanca Park, and the South Texas Ecotourism Center that recently opened in Laguna Vista.

County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. has stressed that the arena project would impose no additional property tax burden on county residents since the revenue is already provided through the HOT/vehicle rental taxes. The Brownsville City Commission, noting that fact, endorsed the project last fall.

"This is something that we think in sorely needed in Cameron County, especially with our expected growth. Now and into the future we think that this is a project that is certainly viable," Trevino recently told Channel 5 News.

"I want to make clear that this is a visitor venue tax, which is paid for by your hotel bill or a concert ticket," Trevino told the station's Rudy Mireles.

According to the website CameronCountyArena.com, the arena would be located at the junction of Interstate 69 and Highway 100, which is nine miles from Harlingen, nine miles from Brownsville and eight miles from Los Fresnos.

The county gets about $1.7 million each year in venue tax revenue, 68 percent from hotels and motels and 32 percent from vehicle rentals. Nearly half is generated by South Padre Island, while Brownsville contributes 24 percent and Harlingen 20 percent.

Trevino said he thinks the arena would have grown the county's venue tax by attracting more tourism and overnight stays and would have enhanced the entire county's quality of life.

The arena would have hosted concerts and other entertainment, sporting events, hunting and fishing expos and community events such as graduation ceremonies.

Trevino said a common complaint he's heard over the years as an elected officials is that no such facility exists in Cameron County and that it's necessary to travel to Hidalgo County to attend large-scale, indoor events. A particular problem is that the county has never had a suitable facility to host graduation ceremonies in the event of inclement weather, he said.

The fact that Hidalgo County has two arenas — the Payne Arena in Hidalgo and the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg — is no reason Cameron County shouldn't have such a facility of its own, Trevino said. A study commissioned by the county that looked at similar venues in the Texas border region and five other states concluded that county's project is financially feasible, he said.

The arena would have been the central feature of the Madeira master-planned residential/commercial development planned for 1,330 acres in the northeast corner of I-69E and Highway 100, just north of the South Texas Academy for Medical Professions. The developer, Madeira Development LLC, also plans to build a full-service hotel, which is likely to attract more investment in the form of restaurants, bars and other businesses, Trevino said.

"I knew it was going to be close," he said in November. "It's disappointing, but hopefully we live to fight another day. We'll give it another chance. This is disappointing because this is paid for by visitors. Unfortunately people didn't understand or still felt this could impact their property taxes, which it wouldn't have. We'll have to do a better job of informing."

Early voting locations in Brownsville include the Cameron County Judicial Complex, 954 E. Harrison St., Brownsville Public Library, 2600 Central Blvd., and others.

For additional locations, contact the Cameron County Voter Registration office, 1050 E. Madison St., (956) 544-0809.

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