The San Angelo City council voted unanimously in favor of a Bond Election for the complete renovation of the San Angelo Coliseum last Tuesday February 4, 2025 at the McNease Convention Center.
If approved by the voters, the Bond issue will fund a $41 million project to renovate the coliseum in an effort to make the facility more marketable for year round premium events and to grow the existing and nationally renowned San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo.
The San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo Association (SASSRA) Executive Director Justin Jonas said the association has invested over $1 million in engineers and pre-development planning. Jones stated that when rodeo tickets go on sale, there are upwards of 80,000 individuals waiting to buy tickets online which is part of the reason for proposing such a major renovation.
The proposed renovations would include increasing the general seating by 100% to 10,150 seats. It would also include the addition of 82 suites. 52 of the suites would be skyboxes and 30 would become club level seats. 56 ADA compliant seats with 60 accompanying seats would also be added. The renovations would significantly update the restrooms and other facilities in the coliseum
“We never want to change the feel or the atmosphere of the coliseum. It’s very well known for being one of the loudest rodeos in the country– all the cowboys love it,” Justin Jonas said.
If passed by the citizens, the project would keep the San Angelo Rodeo in its original building while also allowing it to grow. The city would turnover all maintenance and expenses to SASSRA, thus removing it from the City’s Civic Events Budget. SASSRA is requesting no Venue Tax for the project and has stated every ticketed event would have a city facility use fee that would go directly to COSA, estimated around $2 per ticket. If approved, the project would aim to start in 2026 with an estimated completion time of around 2 years without cancelling any stock show or rodeo events. The bond requires a proposal to provide some measurable economic benefit for the City and provisions that penalize for non-performance or incentives for action. The proposed bond would increase the average household tax by approximately $4 a month for a home valued at $150,000.
Several possible innovative uses for the facility were discussed; including using the space for youth sporting events, or other high profile entertainment events like concerts, or even The Harlem Globetrotters.
Council member Karen Hesse Smith expressed concern with the timing of the proposal of the bond election, since the SAISD school board plans to call for their own bond election for $397 million to address old and failing facilities on February 10th. The combined projected tax raise would be around $32 a month for the average household. Citizens are going to be tasked with assessing each bond election separately and casting their vote accordingly.
Mayor Gunter disagreed. She does not see the two separate bonds as being in competition with each other. “In my mind they’re two separate projects, they both have value, they impact this city in a major way, in much different ways, and in some [ways] actually the same scholarships… This is an investment in the quality of life,” Mayor Gunter said.
The measure to place the bond election on the ballot passed by a 7-0 vote and will appear on the May 3rd ballot.
City Council also:
- Approved general support for construction of affordable housing projects as part of the 2025 annual Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program at 4125 Ben Ficklin Rd (formerly the Bella Vista Apartments)
- Approved an ordinance amending the budget for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2024, and ending September 30, 2025, for health insurance claims and an IRS payment for arbitrage
- Accepted a 20′ Water Utility Easement out of Lot 1N, Far West Addition
- Approved a five-year lease agreement with Rebel Red’s Aviation in the amount of $26,223 per year
- Approved an increase to WU-02-24 for Water Treatment Coagulant supplied by Chameleon Industries
- Accepted a WIC grant for a five-year term beginning October 1, 2025, and ending on September 30, 2030
- Approved an agreement with the Southern Drag Boat Association (SDBA) for the annual Drag Boat Races at Lake Nasworthy for 2025
- Approved the Fire Department to apply for the FEMA Assistance to Firefighter Grant (AFG) program
- Authorized the San Angelo Police Department to apply for the State Homeland Security Grant Program LETPA-L for installation of FLOCK Safety hardware and software
- Authorized the San Angelo Police Department to apply for an Office of the Governor Victim Assistance grant
- Approved a commitment to provide insurance benefits to city retirees who were hired on or before December 31, 1999
- Approved the Investment Policies for the City of San Angelo, Lake Nasworthy Trust, and Development Corporation Funds
