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Record of Proceedings

Rockport City Council Regular Meeting - March 24, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, March 24, 2026
BodyRockport, Texas
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, March 24, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

Allegiance will then by Councilman Anderson.

Unassigned speaker

0:04

Pledge allegiance is one of the regime justice.

Unassigned speaker

0:17

Thank you.

Speaker 1

0:31

First item on the agenda it says it should be heard.

0:34

Speaker participation instructions are provided in writing.

0:38

At the beginning of the agenda, note the Texas Open Meetings Act permits a member of the public or a member of the governmental body to raise a subject that has not been included in the notice the meeting.

0:51

However, any discussion of the subject must be limited to a proposal to place the subject on an agenda for a future meeting, and any response to a question posed to the city council is limited to either a statement of specific factual information

Unassigned speaker

1:06

or

Speaker 1

1:06

recitation of existing policy, taxes government code 551.042.

1:12

I have one card from Mr.

1:16

Gary Rome to get your name right,

Unassigned speaker

1:20

sir.

Speaker 1

1:33

You just give us your name, then you got three minutes, sir.

Speaker 2

1:36

Yes, very wrong.

1:38

Yes.

1:38

Thank you again for letting me come.

1:40

Um last week I was or last meeting I was here and um gave uh you folks a little bit of an ear fall from my perspective on uh litany of what I

Speaker 3

1:52

saw as

Speaker 2

1:52

wasteful spending.

1:53

I have a couple other things I want to add this evening, and um one of them is uh what I see is

Unassigned speaker

2:01

uh

Speaker 4

2:02

again

Speaker 2

2:02

uh odd, I guess, in a way to spend money.

2:06

Recent visit with my grandkids to uh Memorial Park.

2:09

I see now we have a park ranger.

2:13

Okay, seriously, I don't know what that person's duties are.

2:17

I assume we have

Unassigned speaker

2:18

a

Speaker 2

2:18

park and rec director.

2:21

I don't know.

2:23

Seems seems like not a good priority.

2:27

But let me address one thing that I very feel very strongly about.

2:31

Spending some money

Unassigned speaker

2:32

on is

Speaker 2

2:33

Austin Street, just two blocks from where we're sitting.

2:38

It seems like you can waste millions of millions of dollars,

Unassigned speaker

2:42

and

Speaker 2

2:43

I dare say if we could go back to 1926 and drive down there to Model T4, that street's in better shape at a hundred years ago than it is today.

2:53

It's the home of our cultural and heritage district.

2:58

Virtually every tourist that comes to Rockport ends up downtown, and it's a mess.

Unassigned speaker

3:09

And

Speaker 2

3:09

the contractor you hired probably didn't know what they were doing, so I suspect you got shafted on the deal.

3:17

Let me just say this.

3:20

If I were a merchant down there, I would really be livid.

3:25

I mean, I just drive it and I'm livid.

3:28

What's the matter with the priorities?

3:30

Why can't you get that street fixed?

Unassigned speaker

3:33

What

Speaker 2

3:33

are what are tourists to this committee?

3:36

We're just talking about the hotel taxes and stuff here.

3:38

What do you think about our tourists think when they come here?

3:41

We're a bunch of rednecks down here that don't care.

3:44

I mean come on, folks.

3:46

Can't we do better than

Unassigned speaker

3:48

that?

Speaker 2

3:49

Can't we find a way in the budget that didn't sit here and listen to the whole budget hearing?

3:53

But can't you find a way to do something about that?

3:56

Maybe you are.

3:57

I hope somebody would contact me.

4:00

Let me know that it's going to be done here in the next year or so.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████41%
Zoning and Land Use██████████████████████████26%
Public Engagement██████████10%
Water And Wastewater Management██████████10%
Transportation Safety████████8%
Parks and Recreation█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Rockport City Council Regular Meeting - March 24, 2026

The Rockport City Council held a regular meeting on March 24, 2026, at 5:00 PM in City Hall. The agenda included a consent agenda with four resolutions, a public hearing on a zoning change, a second reading on a speed limit reduction, and updates from the city manager and council members. The meeting was conducted in person with a virtual option available. All votes were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

  • Resolution 2026-14R: Approved the seventh-year property tax 380 agreement payment for Pearl Point Rockport 1 for economic development.
  • Resolution 2026-15R: Approved the seventh-year property tax 380 agreement payment for Pearl Point Phase 2 for economic development.
  • Resolution 2026-16R: Authorized acceptance of two checks from the 100 Club for police vests, batons, and scabbards.
  • Resolution 2026-17R: Approved a lease agreement with the Rockport Volunteer Fire Department for a city-owned property to use as a fire station, along with quarterly operational funding and monthly janitorial reimbursements. The consent agenda was approved unanimously without discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Gary Rome expressed frustration with city spending priorities, particularly criticizing the condition of Austin Street in the cultural and heritage district. He questioned the hiring of a park ranger and argued that Austin Street, a key tourist area, is in poor condition and reflects poorly on the city.
  • Mayor Tim Jayroe responded that Austin Street is under contract this year for design work, with $300,000 allocated for design in the capital improvement plan. Construction funding will be requested in the next budget year (2026-2027). Rome appreciated the clarification and acknowledged the priority.

Discussion Items

  • Rezoning Request (Item 5): Consideration of rezoning 7.0458 acres at 1723 Eighteenth Street from R-2M (Manufactured Housing District) to R-1 (Single Family Dwelling District).

    • Staff Presentation: Chief Building Official Robert Decker explained that the property was previously rezoned to R-2M in October 2025 to allow a manufactured home for a family displaced by a fire. After that home was completed (with the CUP finalized in January 2026), the city began the process to revert to R-1.
    • Public Hearing: One letter of opposition was received from the property owner, who requested the property remain zoned R-2M. No one spoke at the hearing.
    • Council Discussion: Councilmember Brundrett confirmed the CUP is in place and the property can maintain the manufactured home even after reversion to R-1.
    • Action: Council approved the first reading of Ordinance 2010 unanimously. Subsequently, they voted to dispense with the second reading, making the ordinance effective immediately.

  • Speed Limit Reduction (Item 6): Second and final reading of Ordinance 2009 to lower the speed limit on South Business 35 from 9th Street to Freeze Lane from 60 mph to 55 mph.

    • Police Chief Nathan Anderson presented a speed study from TxDOT showing 85th percentile speeds of 58–62 mph and nine crashes (five at 60 mph, three at 55 mph) during the study period. The area is classified as rural residential with high driveway density and restricted sight distance.
    • Public Input: No public opposition was received at the previous hearing or this meeting.
    • Council Discussion: Councilmember Hattman noted the high number of crashes in a short study period supported the reduction. Councilmember Rangel asked if there was any opposition; none was reported.
    • Action: Council approved the second reading unanimously.

City Manager's Update

City Manager Vanessa Shrauner highlighted community programs like the Junior Gardeners Club (planting and eating carrots), reported a calm spring break with effective patrolling, and noted positive civic engagement statistics. She will send the budget calendar with state mandated dates soon. Council members were encouraged to review the monthly report online.

Council Reports & Other Announcements

  • Ward 1 (Councilmember Rangel): No report.
  • Ward 2 (Councilmember Anderson): Reported positive feedback from constituents regarding city services.
  • Ward 3 (Councilmember Brundrett): Attended a state of the water meeting; noted that water costs are rising and the city is working to mitigate impacts. Also announced a workshop at the City of Alice RO water treatment plant on Friday morning at 10:00 AM, open to the public.
  • Mayor Jayroe: Thanked Councilmember Hattman for covering meetings during his medical leave. He confirmed he is recovering from surgery and feeling well.

Key Outcomes

  • All four items on the consent agenda were approved unanimously.
  • Ordinance 2010 (rezoning to R-1) was approved on first reading, with the second reading dispensed, making it effective immediately.
  • Ordinance 2009 (speed limit reduction to 55 mph) was approved on second and final reading.
  • The meeting adjourned after the reports.

Meeting Transcript

Allegiance will then by Councilman Anderson. Pledge allegiance is one of the regime justice. Thank you. First item on the agenda it says it should be heard. Speaker participation instructions are provided in writing. At the beginning of the agenda, note the Texas Open Meetings Act permits a member of the public or a member of the governmental body to raise a subject that has not been included in the notice the meeting. However, any discussion of the subject must be limited to a proposal to place the subject on an agenda for a future meeting, and any response to a question posed to the city council is limited to either a statement of specific factual information or recitation of existing policy, taxes government code 551.042. I have one card from Mr. Gary Rome to get your name right, sir. You just give us your name, then you got three minutes, sir. Yes, very wrong. Yes. Thank you again for letting me come. Um last week I was or last meeting I was here and um gave uh you folks a little bit of an ear fall from my perspective on uh litany of what I saw as wasteful spending. I have a couple other things I want to add this evening, and um one of them is uh what I see is uh again uh odd, I guess, in a way to spend money. Recent visit with my grandkids to uh Memorial Park. I see now we have a park ranger. Okay, seriously, I don't know what that person's duties are. I assume we have a park and rec director. I don't know. Seems seems like not a good priority. But let me address one thing that I very feel very strongly about. Spending some money on is Austin Street, just two blocks from where we're sitting. It seems like you can waste millions of millions of dollars, and I dare say if we could go back to 1926 and drive down there to Model T4, that street's in better shape at a hundred years ago than it is today. It's the home of our cultural and heritage district. Virtually every tourist that comes to Rockport ends up downtown, and it's a mess. And the contractor you hired probably didn't know what they were doing, so I suspect you got shafted on the deal. Let me just say this. If I were a merchant down there, I would really be livid. I mean, I just drive it and I'm livid. What's the matter with the priorities? Why can't you get that street fixed? What are what are tourists to this committee? We're just talking about the hotel taxes and stuff here.

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