As events unfold, the Texas Public Radio news department will be providing coverage of the proposed extension to the visitor tax. In the spirit of full disclosure, it is important for listeners to note that Texas Public Radio has a long history of involvement with the arts community in San Antonio. As a result, to one degree or another Texas Public Radio may be involved in the proposed performing arts center either directly or indirectly through our relationship with arts organizations that may reside there in the future. Clearly, as a supporter of the arts, TPR has an interest in the outcome of the vote on May 10. However, our news department’s coverage of the Visitor Tax is intended to be informational and not promotional in keeping with the journalist standards you expect from your public radio station.

Whether you are for or against the extension, we encourage you to exercise your right to vote.  To help inform your decision, below you will find information about the proposed extension.

Extension of Visitor Tax will be put before voters on May 10;
early voting starts April 28

The tax is not a new one — it's an extension of an existing tax that was approved in 1999. The Visitor Tax is paid through a 1.75 percent hotel occupancy tax and a 5 percent short-term motor vehicle rental tax. If you do not rent a car or stay in a Bexar county hotel, you will not pay this tax. It does not affect your property taxes or the sales tax you pay.

If extended, the tax will be used to fund $415 million in improvement in four specific areas designed to improve San Antonio's amateur athletic, cultural and tourism profile. Note that in order for the Visitor Tax to be fully extended, each area listed below requires an individual vote of support on the ballot.

• $125 million will be used on the San Antonio River Expansion and Improvements Project.
• $80 million will go toward youth and amateur athletic complexes to bring San Antonio in line with what's available in other major Texas cities.
• $100 million will be used to enhance community arenas and rodeo grounds, including work on the Freeman Coliseum and the Exhibition and Stock Show facilities. (Upgrades to the county-owned AT&T Center will begin in 2012 if approved by the county's Commissioners Court.)
• $100 million will fund improvement to performing arts and cultural facilities, including the transformation of the historic Municipal Auditorium into a multi-use performing arts center.

These projects were selected by three citizens groups of more than 75 people appointed by the Bexar County Commissioners Court.

More information on the tax, the project selection process and details on what each of the projects will cover can be found at www.ActforSanAntonio.com.

Election Day is May 10, with early voting from April 28 through May 6. As always, we encourage you to participate in the political process by exercising your right to vote.