Where the city should invest millions of taxpayer dollars will soon be the topic of lengthy talks leading up to the November election.

The Corpus Christi City Council will launch discussions Tuesday about which bond projects may be brought to voters in the fall – and how much to spend on them.

Although the talks are very early in the process, councilmembers have some streets in mind for roadwork and ideas for bringing parks plans to fruition, as well as some potential projects that haven’t been previously among those that were included in bond programs.

Those include potential consideration of funding that would be earmarked for sidewalk improvements and capital needs that would make a low-barrier shelter possible.

Although other projects are expected in the program, “streets and public safety will be the priorities of that bond,” Mayor Paulette Guajardo said, describing the discussion Tuesday as providing a good overview.

It will be months before a final program has been refined and goes before the council for approval ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

An agenda item shows the ground anticipated to be covered Tuesday will include a months-long schedule of meetings and presentations through the program’s finalization in August, as well as the recent history of bond allocation and funding capacity.

Among plans are community meetings, held by each of the five districts, as well as stakeholder meetings for input on the proposed bond projects, City Manager Peter Zanoni said.

Each district holding a bond workshop as a platform for public feedback is “of great importance,” Guajardo said.

The types of projects that will be in consideration would be largescale and broken down by four categories: streets, public safety, parks, and library and community centers, according to documents.

It is likely this year, like others, that street improvements will top the list of proposed projects, often most requested by voters.

City Councilman Michael Hunter said what will be key is fair distribution of funding for streets – whether that means breaking it down by a percentage of funding for each district, or possibly by population.

“Everyone is interested in that topic,” he said. “I just want to be sure that’s allocated equally.”

City Councilman Dan Suckley said Thursday that one project he has in mind for his district would be roadwork to improve Yorktown Boulevard from the Mud Bridge into Flour Bluff.

It would be a continuation of work funded in a previous bond election set aside for reconstruction of Yorktown Boulevard between Rodd Field Road and Oso Bridge.

City Councilman Gil Hernandez also has his eye on potential roadwork, including portions of Lipes Boulevard, Cimarron Boulevard, Acushnet Drive and Marseille Drive, he said. There are others, he added, but much will depend on the size of the bond package.

City Councilwoman Sylvia Campos named exploration of a potential bond for street improvements as one that she has been hoping for.

Campos said she often hears complaints about the condition of the sidewalks in her district, and said improvements are needed.

They’re “really a quality of life and a safety issue,” she added.

City Councilman Mike Pusley named among his highest priorities funding the master plan that has been set at Sherrill Veterans Memorial Park, a project with which he has long been involved.

City Councilman Jim Klein said he would like to see bond money invested in capital improvements that would facilitate a low-barrier shelter.

“We need to do much better at providing services to the unhoused population,” he said.

The 2018 bond proposal weighed-in at about $75 million, and the Bond 2022 proposal at $152 million, according to records.

A debt management briefing is anticipated later this month, a draft presentation shows.

Community buy-in for the city’s past bond programs has been noteworthy, Suckley said.

“Hopefully the taxpayers pass (the bond program) again,” he said. “The city has been very fortunate.”

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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Talks underway for Corpus Christi bond 2024