CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Nueces County Commissioners voted Wednesday to eliminate the Nueces County Development Commission (NCDC), along with the county department supporting the commission in a unanimous vote.
The commission was created as an industrial commission in February 2019 by a unanimous vote of the court, with board member appointments made by former Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales.
Since the development of the commission, the Port of Corpus Christi Authority has helped support this commission. That funding source expired at the end of 2022, according to Prec. 4 Commissioner Brent Chesney.
Given the lack of funding from the Port, and the pre-existing relationship with the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation and Robstown Improvement Development Corporation, Chesney argued that continuing the NCDC did not make fiscal sense.
Prec. 3 Commissioner John Marez asked to table the item and said the item did not have any documentation and he wanted a plan for who would represent the county's interests when major businesses, such as Tesla, are interested in the area.
Chesney disagreed and said a plan was in place and asked what kind of documentation Marez would have wanted.
County Judge Connie Scott agreed with Marez but was concerned with the lack of funding. And echoed Chesney's statements that methods for economic development are already in place.
Commissioners voted unanimously to eliminate the commission, and the county department, which currently has one full-time employee.
That employee will be offered other positions within the county.
Most board members on the NCDC are serving expired terms. County Attorney Jenny Dorsey has been tasked with any legal processes for the members whose terms have not expired.
