City Manager Jesús Garza recently appeared on the City of Victoria’s Town Talk podcast to discuss the proposed renovation of the Victoria Community Center, providing background information about the project and addressing common concerns.
While the idea of overhauling the community center dates back to 2010, Garza explained that the project “rose to the top” a few years ago as staff were evaluating potential facility upgrades, and the Community Center Master Plan confirmed that residents were interested in improving the facility.
Although certificates of obligation (CO bonds) are expected to make up about $15 million of the total project cost, Garza explained that this commitment will not affect property taxes.
“That’s simply just from us paying debt off early and just managing a really good debt program and capital improvement plan,” Garza said. “That’s the beauty of this, is that we have found a way to fund this improvement without having to propose any increases to the property tax rate.”
Another common question that Garza hears is whether it would be better to build a new facility in a new location. In addition to the higher cost of building a new facility, Garza explained that residents who would prefer a different location have different ideas about where that should be.
“Some would argue that having a convention center downtown would make the most sense,” he said. “Some would argue that the arena would make sense to sort of have in the middle of nowhere. Then, there are those that view it from a conference perspective that are thinking north side. For us, keeping those three elements together [the convention center, arena and conference center] makes the most sense.”
On May 3, Victoria voters will decide whether the City will implement a 5 percent vehicle rental tax and a 2 percent hotel occupancy tax to help fund the project. If this measure is approved, the City is prepared to begin the design phase of the project in June, with construction set to begin in March 2026 and be substantially complete in time for the 2027 Victoria Livestock Show.
To learn more, catch the latest episode of Town Talk on YouTube at Victoria Texas Videos or on Spotify at Town Talk (City of Victoria).
For more information about the Community Center project, visit www.victoriatx.gov/communitycenter.