City CouncilTuesday, May 19, 2026 · 11:30 AM · Council Chambers

Context: Council Member Hernandez cast the lone dissenting vote on both first reading (May 12) and second reading (May 19) of File 26-0536.

Recommended: The RS-6-to-RS-TF rezoning for 12937 Hearn Road is now final after an 8-1 second-reading vote; confirm whether any adjacent RS-6 owner plans to challenge the duplex conversion before the statutory zoning-appeal window under Texas Local Government Code Chapter 211 closes.

Context: Item 4's vote record shows Hernandez as the sole 'against' vote 8-1 on May 19, after also dissenting 8-1 on first reading May 12, with no recorded objection in the minutes.

Recommended: Council Member Hernandez pulled this staff- and Planning Commission-recommended item off the agenda specifically to vote no on both readings — request his stated rationale, since the minutes record no explanation for opposing a routine two-family rezoning every other council member supported.

Context: City Council approved the RS-6-to-RS-TF change 8-1 on May 19, 2026, following Planning Commission and staff recommendations for approval.

Recommended: The lot at 12937 Hearn Road can now hold a duplex instead of a single house since the city changed it from single-family (RS-6) to two-family (RS-TF); check Development Services for a filed building permit to see what the owner is actually planning before work starts.

Context: Council Member Cantu's May 19 motion tabled the item 'until June 2 after a meeting is held with the Corpus Christi Apartment Association,' then Cantu cast the lone dissenting vote when it passed 8-1 on June 2.

Recommended: Council tabled the ordinance on May 19 specifically to hold an outside meeting with the Apartment Association before finalizing multifamily terms — pull the record of that meeting to confirm it wasn't used to negotiate terms outside the Texas Open Meetings Act.

Applies if: Your project is classified as a large-volume or industrial water customer in Corpus Christi

Context: Vote data show the large-volume framework passed 7-2 on May 12 with no further floor amendments, while multifamily provisions were tabled twice more (May 19, June 2) pending Apartment Association talks.

Recommended: Baseline usage and curtailment percentages for large-volume customers were set on May 12 and carried through unchanged to final passage on June 2, so industrial or high-demand projects can budget against a fixed water curtailment rate now, while multifamily and wholesale rates still await a 60-day staff follow-up.

Context: Vote data show Carried 8-1 with Cantu as the sole dissent, despite Cantu authoring the May 19 motion that sent the ordinance back for Apartment Association negotiations.

Recommended: Eric Cantu requested the Apartment Association meeting that shaped the final ordinance, yet he was the only council member to vote against it on June 2 — ask what changed in the multifamily terms between his tabling motion and the final vote.

Applies if: You represent apartment complex or wholesale water customer interests in Corpus Christi

Context: Council Member Hernandez's approval motion, seconded by Barrera, specifically tasked staff with returning apartment complex and wholesaler information within 60 days of the June 2 vote.

Recommended: Council's June 2 approval directs COO Nick Winkelmann's office to deliver a follow-up report on apartment complex and wholesale curtailment within 60 days — reach Winkelmann and Council Members Hernandez and Barrera, who carried the final motion, before that report is drafted rather than after it's presented as final.

Context: Mayor Guajardo's May 12 floor amendment added the hand-held-hose-with-shut-off-nozzle exception for vehicle and boat washing, and the ordinance separately sets a monthly surcharge structure for use above baseline.

Recommended: Under the ordinance adopted June 2, you may only wash a vehicle or boat with a hand-held hose fitted with a positive shut-off nozzle — sprinkler-style or unattended-hose washing is no longer allowed, and exceeding your assigned baseline can trigger a monthly surcharge.

Context: COO Nick Winkelmann told Council on 5/19 the item needed to be tabled specifically pending that CCAA meeting before the 6/2 vote.

Recommended: File a records request for the City's meeting with the Corpus Christi Apartment Association that occurred between the 5/19 tabling and 6/2 adoption, since any verbal commitments made there that aren't written into the adopted resolution create an enforceability gap for multifamily clients billed under it.

Context: The Corpus Christi Apartment Association's concerns were specifically why Council tabled this item 9-0 on 5/19 before adopting it 8-1 on 6/2.

Recommended: Before pricing utility costs into any new Corpus Christi multifamily pro forma, pull the adopted Level 1 surcharge resolution's baseline usage allocation for master-metered accounts — if apartment complexes are billed on a single account-level baseline like a single-family home, per-unit water costs could run well above typical assumptions.

Context: Item 4 carried 8-1 on 6/2 with Cantu as the sole recorded no vote, after the identical item was tabled 9-0 on 5/19.

Recommended: Council Member Eric Cantu cast the lone dissenting vote on an item that otherwise passed 8-1 after being tabled twice for apartment-industry input — ask him whether the final surcharge structure changed enough to satisfy CCAA or was adopted largely unchanged from the version tabled on 5/19.

Context: Council adopted the Level 1 Water Emergency surcharge resolution 8-1 on 6/2 after tabling it on 5/19 pending industry input.

Recommended: Level 1 Water Emergency curtailment, baseline usage limits, and monthly surcharges took effect with the 6/2 adoption — check your account's specific baseline allocation and watering schedule so you aren't hit with surcharges on your next billing cycle.