Were Taxpayer Dollars Funneled to the Arboretum?
By David Moore, Unite San Antonio
The Arboretum San Antonio recently announced the purchase of a 188-acre tract of land on the city’s southeast side, formerly the Republic Golf Course, for the creation of a tree sanctuary. The Arboretum San Antonio, a non-profit (tax-exempt) group which includes such members as Henry Cisneros, Rebecca Viagran and Jane Macon, closed on the property Nov. 17th, 2023.
This tract of land, along with an additional 170 acres purchased by the Brooks Development Authority and leased to the Arboretum San Antonio, will be the site of the Arboretum.
In an article published by the San Antonio Business Journal (SABJ), Tom Corser, CEO of Arboretum San Antonio, would use $1 million from the Brooks Development Authority and an additional $3 million dollars from Bexar County, to purchase the golf course which has an appraised value of $1.2 million.
In a related article, SABJ reported that former mayor Henry Cisneros, spearheading this multi-million-dollar tree sanctuary along with other entrepreneurs such as Evangelina Flores, Andrew Anguiano, Attorney Fred Jones, former city attorney Jane Macon, and Brooks President and CEO Leo Gomez, intended to use the city’s 2022 bond funds to pay for their vision and the formation of the Arboretum San Antonio, a 501(c)3 tax-exempt group.
At a time when homeowners’ property values were raised (a shady tax increase), and a call was out to defund essential public safety programs, why are we spending $4 million to purchase land with tax revenue/bond money, only to lease the land back from the Arboretum San Antonio?
It appears to be a slick way of funneling millions of tax dollars through a tax-exempt entity, when those essential funds would be better served on much needed infrastructure projects. Or perhaps, in a fantasy world, to actually reduce property taxes on homeowners.
With an ever-increasing financial burden on San Antonio/Bexar County, for million-dollar programs to house the ever-increasing homeless population in downtown hotels, the millions spent to educate the children of refugees/asylum seekers illegally crossing our borders, and the countless millions being spent on duplicated services like SA Ready to Work, do we need to spend $4 million to purchase property valued at $1.2 million, so we can grow trees?
It’s time we halt the demands from countless tax-exempt programs for our tax dollars and return those funds back into realistic improvements to our city and county.
**The views and opinions expressed in this guest editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of InfuseSA. InfuseSA shall not be held liable for any inaccuracies represented in guest editorials.