City of Corpus Christi City Council Meeting Summary: March 17, 2026

The Corpus Christi City Council held a meeting on March 17, 2026, stretching from late morning into the evening. The session was dominated by the ongoing drought and the city's water supply strategy. The council made substantial financial commitments to the Evangeline Groundwater Program, moved forward on Bay modeling and desalination options, and reformed the water trust fund system. Over 40 members of the public provided comment, with a focus on water equity, environmental justice, and a petition for the mayor's removal.

Consent Calendar

• Routine approvals were passed. Items 7, 8, and 11 were pulled for separate discussion.
• Item 7 (Whitecap WWTP Building): Councilman Hernandez and Councilman Kentuck questioned the $3.6 million cost of a 5,000 square foot operations building ($720/sq. ft.). Staff defended the cost, citing competitive bidding, a coastal location requiring a Risk Category IV structure, site development costs, and the inclusion of SCADA equipment and a laboratory. The contract was approved.
• Item 8 (Peoples Boardwalk Change Order): A $703,179 change order for sinkhole conditions was approved.
• Item 11 (Housing Authority Funds): $75,000 was accepted from the Housing Authority to develop a Housing Needs Assessment. The new CEO of the Housing Authority thanked the council.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Water Supply & Industrial Use: Several speakers urged the council to delay or reject the Inner Harbor Desalination plant, arguing it threatens the bay and fails to address industrial water consumption. Commenters requested that the city impose enforceable water restrictions on large industrial users, not just residents.
• Well Field Impact: Residents of Nueces County, including Scott Barossa and Chris Kragel, testified that city pumping from the Eastern Well Field has dropped their personal wells by over 15 feet. They demanded a concrete written commitment from the city's "Good Neighbor Program" for water delivery or alternative supply. City Manager Zanoni directed staff to produce a written document.
  • Jeff Roadie criticized the drought contingency plan for allowing large commercial users a surcharge exemption to avoid curtailment, highlighting a roughly 26% rate disparity where commercial wastewater rates dropped 17% while residential rates rose 9%.
• Mayor Removal Petition: Multiple speakers, including Gail Anderson, supported the petition to remove Mayor Guajardo, citing the city auditor's findings of a reasonable basis for fraud in the Homewood Suites project and calling for an ethical review.
• Decorum: One speaker was removed for violating rules of decorum. Another commenter was asked to leave the podium for refusing to state her name.

Discussion Items

• Water Supply Dashboard & Update (Items 23 & 24): COO Nick Winkleman presented five scenarios (A-E) for avoiding a Level 1 Water Emergency.
  • Scenarios A & B project an emergency in May 2026 without new well permits.
  • Scenarios C & D push the emergency to October 2026, assuming timely permits and 17 MGD from the Western Well Field and 9 MGD from Ed Rochelle.
  • Scenario E assumes the Evangeline project comes online, avoiding a supply deficit.
  • The scenarios are based on no rainfall models per the National Weather Service. The council requested an updated model reflecting the Governor's latest directives to waive curtailments and expedite TCEQ permits.
• Evangeline Groundwater Program (Items 16 & 17): The council approved a $187.8 million contract amendment for the Evangeline Well Field. City Manager Zanoni stated the city is taking a "calculated, strategic risk" by beginning construction before all drilling permits are issued, in order to get water flowing by November 2026. An administrative law judge will determine if the protestants (City of Sinton) have standing to delay the permits.
• Trust Fund vs. Impact Fees (Item 14): The council voted to reform the existing Water/Wastewater Trust Fund (Option 2) rather than transitioning to state-governed Impact Fees. The changes, recommended by the Capital Improvement Advisory Committee, aim to improve solvency by removing lift station eligibility and standardizing the reimbursement process.
• Barney Davis Seawater Desalination (Item 19): The council unanimously authorized staff to collaborate with CPS Energy to develop options for a seawater desalination plant at the Barney Davis Power Plant. CPS Energy is willing to lease property and allow use of its Gulf intake infrastructure, but a new discharge permit and market-rate power agreement would be required.
• Far Field Modeling (Item 18): A $298,210 contract was awarded to Spheros Environmental Group to model the entire bay system. The study is expected to provide critical salinity plume data by April, with a final report on potential environmental impacts from the Inner Harbor plant following in June.
• Foresight Golf Lease Extension (Item 22): The council approved a 10-year extension of the golf course lease. Ed Miller of Foresight highlighted the success of the Firefly and Oso Beach courses, including over 160,000 total rounds of golf and strong Google reviews. Councilman Hernandez expressed concern over the total length of the lease extending to 2051.

Key Outcomes

• Votes:
  • Approved Evangeline Groundwater CMAR Amendment 2 ($187.8M).
  • Approved Groundwater Rights Purchase Agreement modifications.
  • Approved Far Field Modeling contract with Spheros.
  • Approved collaboration with CPS Energy for Barney Davis Desalination.
  • Adopted UDC Trust Fund amendments over Impact Fees.
  • Approved revised 2026 Meeting Schedule, canceling two meetings for water workshops (Vote: 6-1, Councilwoman Paxson dissenting).
  • Approved Foresight Golf Lease extension.
• Directives:
  • Staff to provide a written "Good Neighbor Program" document and an updated Water Supply Dashboard reflecting the Governor's directives.
  • The Far Field Advisory Committee to continue public meetings as modeling progresses.