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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Corpus Christi City Council Meeting - October 14, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, October 14, 2025

BodyCorpus Christi, Texas

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, October 14, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 5:03:31

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

2:08

Okay.

2:09

Good morning, everyone.

2:10

I'd like to call this meeting to order.

2:12

Welcome you to City Hall and to our beautiful council chambers.

2:15

Uh this morning our invocation will be given by Pastor Rob Bailey with Southside Community Church.

2:21

Pastor.

Speaker 2

2:22

Let us pray.

2:23

Our father, we thank you for the privilege of living in this beautiful city.

2:27

We don't take that for granted.

2:29

We thank you for the rain recently and pray that you would send more to fill our reservoirs.

2:34

We thank you for our law enforcement officers and firefighters and first responders.

2:40

Keep them safe as they protect us.

2:42

We thank you for the city staff that worked so hard behind the scenes to make things run smoothly.

2:47

And today we want to pray for our mayor and city council members.

2:51

These roles are not for the faint of heart.

2:54

We thank you for their courage to step up and lead us.

2:56

So we pray today that you would give them great wisdom as they listen, as they deliberate, and as they make decisions.

Speaker 1

4:40

It is not a stage for personal attacks, disruptions, or vulgarity.

4:45

And we will not tolerate violations of decorum.

5:01

So at that time, you may come up to the podium and speak.

5:03

I'll ask the city attorney Miles Rossi to please review the city council meeting rules of decorum.

5:08

These rules will also be displayed on the television screens above.

Speaker 3

5:16

All citizens must be courteous, polite, and respectful of one another, including the city council and city staff.

5:23

The mayor and council members shall be referred to by title andor title surname.

5:28

All remarks must be addressed to the mayor and city council and not to the council members as individuals.

5:34

Citizens are only permitted to speak on city-related subject matter.

5:38

Speaking on any non-city related matter is prohibited.

5:42

Loud, boisterous, profane or obscene language or behavior is not allowed.

5:47

Citizens must refrain from any disturbing noise, demonstration, or other act disrupting to the city council business.

Unassigned speaker

5:54

Thank

Speaker 1

5:54

you, Mr.

5:55

Resley.

5:56

So please state your name in the city in which you live in before beginning your comments.

6:00

Citizen comments are limited to three minutes while non-resident comments are limited to one minute.

6:05

A visible timer positioned near the city secretary's desk will help manage that allotted time.

6:10

And if you have a petition or relevant information, please present it to the city secretary before speaking.

Unassigned speaker

6:17

So

Speaker 1

6:17

at this time, we're going to move on to section F, which are which is our city manager's comments and update on city operations.

6:22

Mr.

6:23

Zanoni.

Speaker 4

6:24

Okay, great.

6:24

Thank you, Mayor.

6:25

And good morning, Mayor and members of the community.

6:29

Today we'll be here until this evening, and uh we have a pretty lengthy city council agenda, and we have executive sessions as well.

6:37

But um I just want to make sure the council and the community doesn't lose sight of at least four things that are pretty significant uh in today's agenda.

6:44

And so I want to begin with highlighting two of the items on today's agenda, and we're gonna put up a PowerPoint that has some pictures as well.

6:51

Uh that includes the replacement of two of our aged fire stations, fire station number eight and fire station number 10.

6:58

Both of these are located in our inner city district, City Council District 3.

7:02

Uh, this is a significant milestone because we made a promise to our community years ago to replace half of our fire stations.

7:10

Uh we have 18 fire stations, and nine of them are at least 50 years old, and some lot some older than that.

7:17

Uh they don't provide the best facilities for our firefighters, and in turn, we can provide better response to the community uh when we have more modern facilities.

7:26

So each of these fire stations uh have a construction budget of 12.5 million and uh from bond 2024, and each has a two million dollar design uh budget as well, and that was from Bond 2022.

7:39

And so in Bond 2022, the voters approved the design of these of these facilities.

7:44

And then in 24, the construction money uh was included with our new philosophy that Councilman Hernandez has championed, which is put the design in one bond program, and then it's fully designed, and then you have a better understanding of what the construction costs are, and then the voters can consider that in a subsequent bond program.

8:02

So let's talk a little bit about the fire stations, and uh, we're gonna hit this next slide so you can see fire station eight.

8:08

Uh, this is the new design of what it will look like.

8:11

Uh it's located at 4645, the current one in uh 4540 4645 Castorus.

8:17

The current one, which is not shown here, was built in 1955, so it's over 70 years old.

8:22

I just drove by it the other day, and it's not the prettiest site, right, Chief.

8:26

So uh we're glad that this new station uh will be coming just on the road at 4909 Casaurus, which is a 2.4 acre piece of property uh that the city acquired.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Water And Wastewater Management███████████████████████████████31%

Engineering And Infrastructure██████████████14%

Public Engagement█████████9%

Zoning And Land Use████████8%

Economic Development██████6%

Public Safety█████5%

Procurement Policy█████5%

Procedural████4%

Transportation Safety████4%

Summary of Proceedings

Corpus Christi City Council Meeting - October 14, 2025

This meeting of the Corpus Christi City Council, held on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, began at 11:30 AM CDT and covered a range of topics including approvals of fire station replacement contracts, zoning changes, a major airport lease, roadway master plan amendments, and an extensive update on water supply projects. The meeting included public hearings, executive sessions, and extended debate over the city's water strategy and the future of the Inner Harbor desalination project.

Consent Calendar

Approved items 3-14 with the exception of items 10 and 11 (fire station construction contracts), which were pulled for separate discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

Rachel Caballero (District 1, Corpus Christi Taxpayers president) criticized the lack of price-per-square-foot information on the fire stations, the selection of an out-of-state contractor, and the overall financial approach.
Ken Brown (applicant for ZN8823) clarified environmental and commercial plans for the Glenoak Drive zoning request.
Rachel Caballero later spoke on the airport lease, objecting to the low rental rate and lack of competition.
Dennis Mona (developer representative for Freds Folly) urged removal of the road from the master plan, citing cost savings and $40 million in taxable development.
Multiple public commenters during the general period addressed water issues: Jose Perez Jr. opposed wastewater reuse for drinking; Sandra Meyer requested a council discussion on the city auditor's peer review; Brad Bartlesson argued for cost-benefit analysis of industrial water sales; Susie Saldaña urged council to stop abusing staff; Adam Rios advocated for BMX park and youth sports; Richard Sam suggested using the naval air station for desalination; Isabella Riza accused the council of catering to industry; Eric von Wade supported desalination and industrial growth; Jason Hale presented drought data; Robin Cox called for council unity; Hannah Harrelson complained about new lights at Swantner Park; Christina English criticized the library board chair for controversial social media posts; Eli McKay praised the Oak Park playground and urged focus on social infrastructure; Lonnie Laningham was redirected for discussing extraterrestrials; Mr. J argued about decorum and time limits.

Discussion Items

Fire Stations 8 and 10 Replacement (Items 10-11): City Manager Peter Zanoni highlighted the projects as major milestones. Councilmembers questioned why the low bidders were not selected. Staff explained the low bidders were declared non-responsive for lacking similar project experience. Fire Chief Brandon Wade supported the higher bidders. Council voted to approve both contracts.
Zoning Case ZN8823 (Glenoak Drive): Rezoning from RS-6 to RM-1 and CN-1 for mixed-use development. Council discussed environmental concerns and traffic. Councilwoman Braxton supported the project and asked the applicant to meet with neighbors. Approved at first reading.
Zoning Case ZN8853 (Kostoryz Road): Rezoning to CN-1/SP for vehicle sales. No opposition. Approved.
Airport Lease Agreement with The Texan Stores (Item 17): 40-year lease for a convenience store, restaurant, and fueling station on airport property. Council discussed rent, competition, and parking. A second reading is required after 30 days.
Removal of Freds Folly Drive from Roadway Master Plan (Item 18): Proposed to delete a segment of a collector road. Staff recommended maintaining the road for connectivity and school access. Councilmember Hernandez opposed removal; others favored removal. Council voted to table the item for 30 days.
Water Supply Projects Update (Item 19): Nick Winkleman provided an update on drought conditions, the New Oasis groundwater project (eastern and western well fields), Evangeline groundwater, Harbor Island desalination (NRA project), water reuse, CC Polymers, and South Texas Water Authority. Council discussed timelines, costs, permitting, and the need for a revised drought contingency plan. Extended debate occurred about the Inner Harbor desalination project, with some council members supporting bringing it back for a vote and others considering it dead.

Key Outcomes

Approved fire station construction contracts for Fire Station 8 ($9,614,779.09) and Fire Station 10 ($9,380,802.60) to Catamount Constructors, Inc.
Approved zoning case ZN8823 (Glenoak Drive) at first reading.
Approved zoning case ZN8853 (Kostoryz Road) at first reading.
Approved first reading of the Texan Stores airport lease; second reading in approximately 30 days.
Tabled the removal of Freds Folly Drive from the master plan for 30 days.
No formal vote on Inner Harbor desalination; council directed staff to seek TWDB permission to repurpose funds and will revisit in two months.
Accepted the update on water supply projects; staff was directed to provide a weekly supply-demand outlook and continue focusing on rapid-delivery projects.
City Council meeting adjourned at approximately 7:00 PM after general public comment.

Meeting Transcript

Okay. Good morning, everyone. I'd like to call this meeting to order. Welcome you to City Hall and to our beautiful council chambers. Uh this morning our invocation will be given by Pastor Rob Bailey with Southside Community Church. Pastor. Let us pray. Our father, we thank you for the privilege of living in this beautiful city. We don't take that for granted. We thank you for the rain recently and pray that you would send more to fill our reservoirs. We thank you for our law enforcement officers and firefighters and first responders. Keep them safe as they protect us. We thank you for the city staff that worked so hard behind the scenes to make things run smoothly. And today we want to pray for our mayor and city council members. These roles are not for the faint of heart. We thank you for their courage to step up and lead us. So we pray today that you would give them great wisdom as they listen, as they deliberate, and as they make decisions. It is not a stage for personal attacks, disruptions, or vulgarity. And we will not tolerate violations of decorum. So at that time, you may come up to the podium and speak. I'll ask the city attorney Miles Rossi to please review the city council meeting rules of decorum. These rules will also be displayed on the television screens above. All citizens must be courteous, polite, and respectful of one another, including the city council and city staff. The mayor and council members shall be referred to by title andor title surname. All remarks must be addressed to the mayor and city council and not to the council members as individuals. Citizens are only permitted to speak on city-related subject matter. Speaking on any non-city related matter is prohibited. Loud, boisterous, profane or obscene language or behavior is not allowed. Citizens must refrain from any disturbing noise, demonstration, or other act disrupting to the city council business. Thank you, Mr. Resley. So please state your name in the city in which you live in before beginning your comments. Citizen comments are limited to three minutes while non-resident comments are limited to one minute. A visible timer positioned near the city secretary's desk will help manage that allotted time. And if you have a petition or relevant information, please present it to the city secretary before speaking. So at this time, we're going to move on to section F, which are which is our city manager's comments and update on city operations. Mr. Zanoni. Okay, great. Thank you, Mayor. And good morning, Mayor and members of the community. Today we'll be here until this evening, and uh we have a pretty lengthy city council agenda, and we have executive sessions as well. But um I just want to make sure the council and the community doesn't lose sight of at least four things that are pretty significant uh in today's agenda. And so I want to begin with highlighting two of the items on today's agenda, and we're gonna put up a PowerPoint that has some pictures as well. Uh that includes the replacement of two of our aged fire stations, fire station number eight and fire station number 10. Both of these are located in our inner city district, City Council District 3. Uh, this is a significant milestone because we made a promise to our community years ago to replace half of our fire stations. Uh we have 18 fire stations, and nine of them are at least 50 years old, and some lot some older than that.

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