Corpus Christi City Council Meeting – June 10, 2025

The Corpus Christi City Council met on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Council Chambers. The meeting included a hurricane preparedness briefing, a second-quarter financial report, a lengthy public comment period, executive session actions, and votes on water supply, animal care funding, audit rules, convention center naming rights, and the public comment process.

Consent Calendar

• The council approved the consent agenda (items 4 through 12) after pulling items 9, 11, and 12 for individual consideration.
• Public hearing items 13 and 14 were also approved later in the meeting: a wastewater trunk line construction and reimbursement agreement with MPM Development, and a rezoning request for M&R Home Solutions at or near 2345 Yorktown Boulevard.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Hillcrest/Washington Coles rezoning opposition: Multiple residents and advocates, including Andrea Puyol, Gilbert Aguirre, Lamont Taylor, Christina English, Mona Lytle, Eli McCain, Isabel Reiser, and Daniel Pena, opposed the Port of Corpus Christi rezoning request to heavy/light industrial uses and proposed street closures in the Hillcrest and Washington Coles neighborhoods. Several speakers said the item had been moved to June 24 and urged the council to deny the rezoning for any industrial use.
• Firefighter cancer screening support: Firefighters Johnny Stobbs, Santiago Garcia, and Battalion Chief Scott Marsh urged approval of the multi-cancer early detection testing agreement. Stobbs cited research that firefighters face a 9% higher chance of cancer diagnosis and a 14% increased risk of dying from cancer compared to the general public. Marsh described his own three melanoma diagnoses and said early screenings could save lives.
• Recycling and budget suggestions: David Lafeld, District 5, recommended eliminating the litter critter event and the city recycling program, saying the recycling rate is 5% and contamination runs 26–28% on a good year and has reached 40–42%. He said cuts could save about $2.5 million. The city manager said staff would provide more information.
• South Texas Water Authority support: Sean Flanagan called the proposed STWA water agreement a “gimme” and urged unanimous support. Gail Anderson also voiced support during item 20 public comment.
• Desalination and water concerns: Jason Hale asked for timely release of GHD’s Inner Harbor desalination modeling results and requested GHD participate in the presentation. Leah Ariza Ortiz, Melissa Zamora, Isabel Reiser, and Myra Alanis expressed concerns about pollution, industry growth, aquifer depletion, and desalination impacts. Rachel Caballero urged moving to Stage 4 water emergency and criticized the public comment scheduling and city leadership.
• Juneteenth proclamation: Tina Butler and Jennifer Gracia, representing the Texas Association of Black Personnel in Higher Education, said the city did not schedule a Juneteenth proclamation for June and invited the council to their three-day festival June 20–22 marking the 160th anniversary. Butler said she submitted the request on May 8.
• Ritz Theatre: Charlie Webb, Ritz board member, thanked the city and announced a $30 million state of Texas award for the theater’s restoration. Adam Rios also spoke in support of the Ritz and his wife’s work as its executive director.
• Fourth of July naming: Patsy Vasquez Contes praised Mayor Paulette Guajardo’s continuation of the Mayor’s 4th of July Big Bang tradition; later Susie Luna Saldania criticized council members for spending time on the naming issue.
• Other comments: Al Ariola, president/CEO of the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce, supported advancing the Inner Harbor Seawater Desalination Project and suggested later public comment opportunities. John Hendricks proposed making the Feast of Corpus Christi an official city holiday. Several speakers discussed public comment timing, city ethics, and neighborhood history.

Discussion Items

• Hurricane Preparedness Update: Emergency Management Coordinator Jace Johnson presented the 2025 hurricane season outlook. The season runs June 1 through November 30. NOAA forecasts 13 to 19 named storms, 6 to 10 hurricanes, and 3 to 5 major hurricanes. Johnson described the Emergency Operations Center at the old Frost Building, department operations centers, planning exercises, regional coordination, reverse alert expansion to Aransas, Refugio, and San Patricio counties, the new Office of Emergency Management website, evacuation assistance through RTA, and sandbag distribution events. A full-scale evacuation exercise at the Natatorium was scheduled for the following Friday.
• Second Quarter Financial Report: City Manager Peter Zanoni presented the FY2025 second quarter budget and finance report covering October 1, 2024, through March 31, 2025. General fund revenues were about $4.2 million above plan; expenditures were about $11 million under planned amounts for the six-month period. Public safety accounts for 52% of general fund spending. Hotel occupancy tax revenue came in slightly under plan. Water fund revenues were above plan due to wholesale sales; wastewater revenues were close to plan. The FY26 budget shortfall was initially estimated at $7 million and has grown to about $13 million. The proposed FY26 budget is scheduled for presentation July 29, 2025, with community workshops and September adoption.
• Board and Committee Appointments: The council approved Deborah Sibilla’s reappointment to the Civil Service Board/Commission and Joel Mumford and Israel Dalamantis as alternate Civil Service Board members. For the Ethics Commission, Casey O’Donnell and Christina Garcia were selected after nominations.
• Item 9 – Firefighter Cancer Screenings: The council approved a two-year professional services agreement with Grail Inc. for multi-cancer early detection tests for the Corpus Christi Fire Department. Council members expressed strong support after hearing emotional testimony from firefighters.
• Item 11 – Homeless Services Agreements: The council approved canceling agreements with the City of Corpus Christi and MHID and increasing the agreement with Mission 911 to $217,000. Council discussion noted the lack of a dedicated homelessness department and called for future budget consideration of staff positions to coordinate homeless services.
• Item 12 – Audit Standards and Audit Committee Changes: Councilman Gil Hernandez offered an amendment changing how audit committee members are selected and removed. The amended language requires the mayor to select four council members at the beginning of each term, subject to majority council approval; the mayor appoints the chair; and the mayor or a majority of the council may remove a member for “justifiable cause that does not reflect and support the mission of the audit committee,” with the mayor selecting a replacement subject to council approval. The ordinance language was approved as amended after a motion to postpone failed.
• Item 20 – South Texas Water Authority MOU: John Motes of the South Texas Water Authority and Kleberg County Judge Rudy Madrid presented the Seven C’s brackish desalination project in Driscoll. The project is designed to deliver water to STWA and potentially sell surplus water to Corpus Christi, using the existing 42-inch transmission line. Motes said the plant could provide up to roughly 28 million gallons per day beyond STWA’s current use, with a target online date of 2027. The city’s attorney stated the negotiated rate is not to exceed $5.50 per thousand gallons for 30 years, plus electricity and CPI adjustments, with no upfront city infrastructure cost. Councilwoman Carolyn Vaughn moved to enter an MOU with STWA within 10 days and direct the city manager to bring back a contract within 45 days; the motion carried.
• Item 17 – Alternative Water Supply Update: Chief Operating Officer Drew Molly reported that combined Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon levels were at 14.7%. May 2025 water use was 3.22 billion gallons, down from 3.45 billion gallons in May 2024. The Mary Rhodes pipeline is currently operating near 70 million gallons per day. The water supply dashboard projected a level one water emergency around October 2026 under current assumptions, assuming no significant rainfall. Groundwater wells are being brought online, with roughly 10 million gallons per day expected by mid-July and an additional 3 million gallons per day in August. Molly also discussed the Evangeline project, the EV Ranch proposal, and ongoing partnership discussions with the South Texas Water Authority. Council members raised concerns about pipeline reliability, seniors’ water bills, and the pace of water supply development.
• Item 19 – Fourth of July Event Naming: Council members discussed whether a current mayor’s name should be used for the city’s Fourth of July event. A motion to stop using the mayor’s name in future publications failed for lack of a second. The mayor noted the event is sponsored and organized through the mayor’s office with private donations, not city funds.
• Item 21 – Convention Center Naming Rights: The council considered a non-binding motion supporting award of the naming rights to the most responsible entity offering the most funding. Danny from OVG 360 said the process considers overall value and the best partner for the facility, not just the dollar amount. The motion was amended to add “most responsible entity” and then carried on a voice vote, with two no votes. Mayor Guajardo abstained.
• Item 22 – Public Comment Process: The council voted to move the general, non-agenda public comment period from noon to 5:30 p.m., effective July 15, 2025. Agenda-related comments will still be taken when agenda items are heard. The motion also stated that the city council remains in session during the 5:30 p.m. public comment period even if a quorum is lost. Staff will work out sign-up logistics.
• Item 23 – Luminaire Contract Inquiry: Council members asked whether to refer an inquiry to the city auditor regarding a Luminaire Inc. contract. City Manager Zanoni explained that the city had a contractual obligation to pay Luminaire $262,000, the company had performed, and the prior health director had wrongly refused to pay. A mediation had produced a lower settlement figure, but Zanoni rejected it and paid the full contractual amount using grant funds. No formal motion was made to send the matter to the auditor.
• Item 24 – Council Meeting Schedule: A proposal to consider reducing meeting frequency was discussed but a motion to table it to the next meeting carried, with two no votes.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the purchase of approximately 250.116 acres of Sutherland Ranch from BAPO Land Inc. for an amount not to exceed $2,133,500.
• Approved a settlement of Thomas Joseph Moore’s personal injury claim against the city for an amount not to exceed $125,000.
• Approved Civil Service Board/Commission appointments and Ethics Commission appointments of Casey O’Donnell and Christina Garcia.
• Approved the consent agenda with items 9, 11, and 12 pulled and individually approved.
• Approved the firefighter cancer screening agreement with Grail Inc.
• Approved the Mission 911 homeless services contract increase to $217,000.
• Approved the audit standards ordinance amendment as amended.
• Approved the MOU with the South Texas Water Authority, directing the city manager to finalize an MOU within 10 days and return a contract within 45 days.
• Approved the wastewater trunk line agreement with MPM Development and the M&R Home Solutions rezoning.
• Approved utility system revenue bond parameters: approximately $181 million in new money and $162 million in refunding, subject to a maximum 30-year maturity, a maximum true interest cost of 5.5%, and a refunding savings requirement of at least 2.5%.
• Approved a $4,077,839 mid-year budget adjustment for Animal Care Services; Councilman Hernandez voted no.
• Approved the amended non-binding convention center naming rights resolution; Mayor Guajardo abstained and two council members voted no.
• Approved moving general public comment to 5:30 p.m. effective July 15, 2025.
• Tabled the council meeting schedule policy discussion to the next meeting.