CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — The Corpus Christi City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to move public comment back to noon and extend speaking time to three minutes for all in-person registered speakers, reversing a change made six months ago.
The new policy, which takes effect January 27, marks a return to the council's previous noon schedule after the body moved public comment to 5:30 p.m. in July 2025. The change was requested by council members Eric Cantu (District 3), Carolyn Vaughn (At-Large), and Sylvia Campos (District 2).
"I think the public has a right to speak to us and voice their concerns," Cantu said during Tuesday's meeting. "That's what we signed up for."
The council also voted to extend speaking time from one minute to three minutes for non-residents who appear in person, addressing complaints that the previous one-minute limit was insufficient for speakers from communities like Portland and Sinton who receive water from Corpus Christi.
Time limit debate
The council debated but ultimately rejected a proposal to cap the total public comment period at 90 minutes. An amendment by At-Large Councilman Roland Barrera to establish the time limit failed in a 7-2 vote, with only Barrera and At-Large Councilman Mark Scott voting in favor.
City Manager Peter Zanoni had expressed support for establishing a time limit, emphasizing the impact lengthy sessions can have on the council's ability to make sound decisions.
"When we recommended moving it to 5:30, I agreed because what was happening at that time is we want public comment, but there was long duration of public comment, which was exhausting the council to where millions of dollars of business decisions were at a late, late hour with an exhausted set of board members, i.e., the council," Zanoni said.
Zanoni stressed that the council's primary function is to conduct city business, not solely to hold public comment sessions. "The city council is acting like the board of the city, and there's important business decisions that have to be made up here," he said.
He emphasized that council meetings are not the only avenue for residents to provide feedback. "The council doesn't convene to listen exclusively to comments, because you can hear that anytime, anywhere," Zanoni said. "I take phone calls, I take texts, I take appointments. And the council should, too. So the meeting format is not the only time we can ever listen to a resident."
"But the council only has this one time a week, three times a month, to conduct extensive business for the community," he added. "If you have a tired board of directors, i.e. council, we're not making good decisions for the community."
At-Large Councilwoman Carolyn Vaughn echoed those concerns, recalling previous challenges with lengthy public comment sessions. "The meetings got out of control with the audience, up here, they were out of control, and we were spending three to four hours every meeting for public comment," Vaughn said. "And we were exhausted by the end of the day, and we—you can't make good decisions when you're tired."
Vaughn also noted other ways residents can communicate with the council. "You can talk to them after, you can talk to them email, you can talk to them in phone. I get texts all the time," she said.
However, Cantu pushed back on assertions about alternative methods of contact. "I know Peter said there's other ways to get ahold of us through text, phone, emails, but honestly, how many times do we really respond to the public through emails and texting people back?" Cantu asked. "I really feel that we need to hear the people out."
Under the approved policy, residents can speak either during the noon public comment period or during specific agenda items, but not both on the same issue. Speakers participating virtually will continue to receive one minute for their comments.
