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Record of Proceedings

Corpus Christi City Council Meeting - September 15, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, September 15, 2026
BodyCorpus Christi, Texas
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, September 15, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:14:33

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

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

1:52

I'd like to call this meeting to order and welcome all of you to City Hall and to Council Chambers.

1:57

Thank you for joining us this morning.

1:59

Uh, this morning our invocation will be given by Father Charles Silvis with St.

2:04

Patrick Catholic Church.

2:06

Father.

Speaker 2

2:07

Morning.

2:07

Thank you for the invitation.

2:09

Let us pray.

2:12

Heavenly Father,

Unassigned speaker

2:14

we

Speaker 2

2:14

give you thanks for the blessing and beauty of our community and for the opportunity to gather this morning in service to

Unassigned speaker

2:19

them.

Speaker 2

2:20

We stand together in this council chamber, mindful of your goodness and providence, calling out to you on behalf of these elected officials, entrusted with governance over our community.

2:31

In this new day with a new beginning, we ask your blessing upon them for a renewed sense of mission in their pursuit of the common good.

2:39

Guide their actions and speech, that all they say may elevate discourse and be rooted in truth.

2:45

Grant them wisdom to make sound decisions, courage to address the realities before them, and the patience to listen well.

2:52

May they take to heart how the exercise of their office will affect the lives of all those in our community, especially the poor, the vulnerable, and those most in need.

3:02

May the sacrifices they make to give of their time and talent and service to your people not go unnoticed, but rewarded by seeing your desire to renew the face of the earth come about by their efforts.

3:13

We ask this in confidence through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

3:16

Amen.

Speaker 1

3:17

Amen.

3:18

Thank you, Father.

3:19

And the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States and to the Texas State flag will be led by Adeline Grace Alvarado.

3:27

She is a senior at Telaso Midway, student body president and a varsity cheer captain.

3:34

Please join me

Speaker 3

3:36

in the pledge of allegiance.

3:59

I pledge allegiance to the Texas.

4:02

One state under God, one and indivisible.

Speaker 1

4:10

City Secretary, Rebecca Werta,

Speaker 4

4:12

would you please call the role?

4:13

Mayor Palette, Well how to present.

4:15

Council members Roland Baretta.

4:17

Sylvia Campos.

4:19

Eric Anthou.

4:20

Here.

4:22

Kaylin Paxson.

4:23

Here.

4:24

Everett Roy.

4:24

Here.

4:25

Mark Scott.

4:26

Carolyn Vaughn.

4:28

City Manager Peter Zanoni.

Speaker 5

4:29

Present.

Speaker 4

4:30

Interim City Attorney Buck Bryce.

4:32

Mayor and Council, a quorum of the Council, and the required charter officers are present to conduct the meeting.

Speaker 1

4:37

Thank you, Rebecca.

4:38

We'll move on to Section E, and that is our city manager's comments and update on city operations, Mr.

4:43

Zanoni.

Speaker 5

4:44

Great.

4:44

Thank you, Mayor.

4:45

And good morning, Mayor and members of the council.

4:47

We do have one item on the city manager's report, and uh Nick Wenkleman, our chief operating officer at Corpus Christi Water will deliver it.

Unassigned speaker

5:00

And we thought we'd highlight today uh some of the work we've done, I think well in well over a year and educating our region on our water supply, uh, but more recently on our new water supply projects.

Speaker 5

5:08

And so Nick's gonna highlight uh some of the activities that he and his team have done.

5:12

Uh we have held uh I think it's seven or eight uh uh community meetings at in the city council districts and places like the island and a couple in Cal Allen, but we've gone regional as well, and we've done work in the schools

Unassigned speaker

5:26

uh

Speaker 5

5:27

to educate the little children as on our water and where it comes from and that type of that type of issue as well.

5:32

So Nick's gonna summarize that, and I'm gonna turn it over to him uh this morning.

5:36

Thank you, Peter.

Speaker 6

5:37

Thank you, sir.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Economic Development████████████████████████24%
Public Engagement██████████████14%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████13%
Active Transportation███████████11%
Water And Wastewater Management█████████9%
Tourism Public Improvement District██████6%
Procedural█████5%
Community Engagement█████5%
Miscellaneous████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Corpus Christi City Council Meeting - September 15, 2026

The City of Corpus Christi City Council met on September 15, 2026, starting at 11:35 a.m. and concluding at 3:45 p.m. after a lunch recess and executive session. The meeting covered a City Manager's report on CCW water outreach, a public comment period with 20 speakers, a consent agenda with several pulled items, and a public hearing on the Tourism Public Improvement District (TPID). The council observed a moment of silence for Deborah Smith and Larry Myers.

City Manager's Comments / Update on City Operations (Item 1)

  • Chief Operating Officer of Corpus Christi Water (CCW) Nick Winkelmann reported 247 total outreach events completed in FY2025-2026. Community education included 7 elementary school visits and 7 facility tours at O.N. Stevens Water Treatment Plant (hosting 80+ students). CCW supplies water to 20 communities across 7 counties. The city is currently in Stage 1 drought restrictions, having recently avoided a Level 1 emergency declaration. Interim Director of Communications Cecilia Orozco noted partnerships with the restaurant association where patrons must ask for water instead of receiving it automatically.

Consent Calendar

Items 2 through 15 were approved with one vote, except for Items 3, 8, 10, 12, and 13 which were removed for individual discussion:

  • Items 2 (Meeting Minutes), 4 and 5 (Zoning Cases), 6 (Sodium Bisulfite Supply, up to $3.77M), 7 (Refuse/Recycling Carts, $645K), 9 (ONSWTP Pump Station Contract, $25.4M), 11 (US 181 Frontage Road Sidewalk Grant, $1.048M), 14 (Museum Management Agreement), and 15 (Waldron Field Fence Contract, $650K) were passed without discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Steven Klepper argued that the city auditor job description lacks an explicit requirement for internal audit experience, contrary to staff claims, and called for the hiring process to be paused.
  • Skyler Barker (Military Order of the Purple Heart Commander) and Martin Longoria advocated for preserving history at the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, highlighting the importance of the new Purple Heart exhibit and ongoing memory preservation.
  • Bradley Bartelson criticized the Inner Harbor desalination project’s history, environmental concerns, and cost escalations ($400-576M estimates, $1.2B bid).
  • Susie Saldana urged the council not to pull permits for the desalination project, arguing the decision should be a choice for the next council and the voters, not the current one.
  • Isabel Araiza (co-founder of For the Greater Good) strongly opposed Item 3 (La Palmera Mall), characterizing the 380 agreement extension as a tax giveaway to a Fort Worth company while many city staff earn poverty wages and city services are underfunded.
  • Vidal Conde and Carrie Meyer (North Beach Community Association) supported Item 11 (US 181 sidewalk), citing serious safety hazards on the 45 mph feeder road next to a neighborhood.
  • Shirin Delsooz (iBike CC) supported Item 12 (District 5 Trail), detailing severe traffic congestion and lack of safe pedestrian infrastructure around a local school.
  • Mo Chavez (London Town HOA Board) supported Item 13 (London ISD Pedestrian Safety), asking for safer routes for students and families.
  • Aaron Price questioned the slow pace and selection process for the Inner Harbor far-field modeling peer review, clarifying the technical qualifications required.
  • Jared Suarez, Rachel Caballero, Robin Cox, Sean Merritt, Captain Dave Heasley, and Alberto Zertuche raised various issues regarding council conduct, corruption allegations, rising utility costs, and the upcoming November election.

Discussion Items

  • Item 3: La Palmera Mall 380 Incentive Agreement Extension: Council debated a 10-year extension for the existing agreement. Council Member Paxson noted the lack of performance checkpoints in the contract for the pledged doubling of revenue and tripling of visits. Council Member Campos requested and received a contract commitment for tree landscaping. Council Members Scott and Roy expressed support for stabilizing the retail asset and preventing a dark mall. Developer Andrew Wilson clarified the extension does not increase the city's total $15M financial commitment. Motion carried 9-0.
  • Item 8: Magnesium Anodes Supply Agreement: Council Members Paxson and Hernandez questioned the inability to select a Texas-based second low bidder due to state low-bid procurement rules over a minimal price difference ($183/contract year). Staff confirmed the city could award to the lowest bidder or reject all bids. Motion carried 9-0.
  • Item 10: Citywide Wastewater IDIQ Contract: Council Member Vaughn confirmed staff processes for verifying OSHA compliance and safety incidence rates of contractors. Motion carried 9-0.
  • Items 12 & 13: Grant Applications for Trail Connectivity and Pedestrian Safety: Council expressed strong support for the District 5 Trail Connectivity grant ($1.147M) and the London ISD Pedestrian Safety grant ($1.307M), with Council Member Hernandez linking them to the Vision Zero initiative. Both motions carried 9-0.
  • Item 16: Tourism Public Improvement District (TPID) Service Plans: Brook Kaufman (CEO, Visit Corpus Christi) presented the updated 10-year service plan, acknowledging past filing lapses. Funds from the 2% hotel assessment are allocated 50% to marketing, 43% to sales, and 7% to administration/research. Council praised the film and sports commissions. No public comments were made. Ordinance approved 9-0.

Key Outcomes

All votes were 9-0:

  • Approval of Consent Agenda (with exceptions)
  • La Palmera Mall 380 Agreement Extension (Item 3)
  • Magnesium Anodes Supply Agreement (Item 8)
  • Citywide Wastewater IDIQ Contract (Item 10)
  • District 5 Trail Connectivity Grant Application (Item 12)
  • London ISD Pedestrian Safety Grant Application (Item 13)
  • TPID Service Plans and Assessment Rolls Ordinance (Item 16)

Next Steps / Referrals:

  • City Manager to provide a memorandum on background checks for candidates and board members.
  • Visit Corpus Christi to provide quarterly tourism performance updates to council.
  • City staff to provide an update on the Inner Harbor peer review selection by the October 13, 2026 council meeting.

The council recessed for lunch at 1:48 p.m. and met in executive session (Items 17-19) concerning groundwater rights in San Patricio County, retired firefighter health benefits, and the HR recruiting pre-boarding audit. The meeting was adjourned at 3:45 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

I'd like to call this meeting to order and welcome all of you to City Hall and to Council Chambers. Thank you for joining us this morning. Uh, this morning our invocation will be given by Father Charles Silvis with St. Patrick Catholic Church. Father. Morning. Thank you for the invitation. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we give you thanks for the blessing and beauty of our community and for the opportunity to gather this morning in service to them. We stand together in this council chamber, mindful of your goodness and providence, calling out to you on behalf of these elected officials, entrusted with governance over our community. In this new day with a new beginning, we ask your blessing upon them for a renewed sense of mission in their pursuit of the common good. Guide their actions and speech, that all they say may elevate discourse and be rooted in truth. Grant them wisdom to make sound decisions, courage to address the realities before them, and the patience to listen well. May they take to heart how the exercise of their office will affect the lives of all those in our community, especially the poor, the vulnerable, and those most in need. May the sacrifices they make to give of their time and talent and service to your people not go unnoticed, but rewarded by seeing your desire to renew the face of the earth come about by their efforts. We ask this in confidence through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Father. And the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States and to the Texas State flag will be led by Adeline Grace Alvarado. She is a senior at Telaso Midway, student body president and a varsity cheer captain. Please join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the Texas. One state under God, one and indivisible. City Secretary, Rebecca Werta, would you please call the role? Mayor Palette, Well how to present. Council members Roland Baretta. Sylvia Campos. Eric Anthou. Here. Kaylin Paxson. Here. Everett Roy. Here. Mark Scott. Carolyn Vaughn. City Manager Peter Zanoni. Present. Interim City Attorney Buck Bryce. Mayor and Council, a quorum of the Council, and the required charter officers are present to conduct the meeting. Thank you, Rebecca. We'll move on to Section E, and that is our city manager's comments and update on city operations, Mr. Zanoni. Great. Thank you, Mayor.

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