By ARABELLA SERRATA
Special to the NEWS
BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS—The upcoming election will have a proposed multi-purpose arena and convention center on the ballot. Voters can choose to approve or vote down the county’s proposal to move forward with construction plans for the center.
According to the sample ballot, available for viewing on the Cameron County website, the center falls under Proposition “A.” The ballot states that the center would use, “existing hotel occupancy tax at the rate of two percent of the price paid for a room in a hotel located in Cameron County,” the “existing short-term motor vehicle rental tax at a rate of five percent on the gross rental receipts from the rental of motor vehicles in Cameron County,” and impose an “admissions tax at a rate not to exceed ten percent on the price each ticket sold as admission to an event held at the Cameron County Arena Development Project.”
The ballot continued to state that if approved, the maximum hotel occupancy tax rate imposed on all sources in Cameron County would be 17% of the cost of a hotel room.
The arena has been on the ballot in past elections as early as last year; both previous times it’s appeared on the ballot, it’s been voted down by Cameron County voters.
In a Jan. 2025, presentation by Cameron County leaders, they covered a feasibility study on the proposed arena. The presentation targeted the whole Cameron County area as the main demographic, with the secondary demographic consisting of the lower Rio Grande Valley. They cited the steady climb in the worldwide concert industry in hopes of support for the venue.
The extensive presentation concluded that there is a demand for a new live entertainment venue.
Additionally, the presentation stated that larger and hybrid venues “can generate annual profit before debt.”
The presentation recommended a private operator for the project, citing ASM Global, Oakview Group, and VenueWorks as examples. It’s estimated a new venue would cost “between $275M and $375M.” A hybrid venue is estimated at “$100M-$150M.” The presentation also notes that the annual net operating income will not be “sufficient” to fund either a hybrid or arena venue.
Attempts made to contact Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. and several precinct representatives for their input on the venue went unanswered as of Thursday’s newspaper deadline.
Election Day is Saturday, May 3. The early election period runs from April 22-29. For more information, visit cameroncountytx.gov.