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Corpus Christi, Texas

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Budget Y
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Meetings Y
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Elected Officials Y
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Administrative Officials Y
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Permits, zoning Y
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Audits Y
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Contracts Y
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Lobbying N
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Public records P
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Local taxes Y
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School district websites
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Transparency grading process

Contents

Corpus Christi is a city in Nueces County, Aransas County, and San Patricio County, Texas.

[edit] Website evaluation

Last rated on Jan. 12, 2012

[edit] The good

  • The website for Corpus Christi Texas includes the names and contact information of all city council members.[1]
  • City council meeting Agendas and Minutes are published.[2]
  • Administrative officials are listed with contact information.[3]
  • The current budget is published.[4]
  • Audit is posted.[5]
  • Zoning information is available in municipal code.[6]
  • Information on contracts is posted.[7]
  • Tax information is posted.[8]
  • Building permit information is available.[9]
  • Check register is posted.[10]

[edit] The bad

  • Open records request information is only available for the police department.[11]
  • The city does have a Department of Intergovernmental Relations but it does not offer any specifics on lobbying.[12]

[edit] Lobbying

The city spent $600,000 on taxpayer-funded lobbying by August 2010, the largest spender was the authority for the Port of Corpus Christi whom spent $500,000.[13]

“If you don’t have people in D.C. to protect yourself, you’re going to be in trouble,” John LaRue, the port's executive director, said. “We’re not talking hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake, we’re talking about hundreds of millions.”[14]

The lobbying activity achieved a provision in a bill, allowing the U.S. Navy to deed 500 acres of the former Naval Station Ingleside to the port for free.[13]

The city has spent $80,000 on lobbying this year.[13]

[edit] Public records

Corpus Christi has a poor record of responding to requests for public records in a timely manner. The City Council is in the process of evaluating how the city processes open records requests. "Having heard complaints, council members strongly suspect there's a problem." [15]

Other reports have said the city council deliberately uses a white board in order to not have public records for the media or citizens to request.[16][17] The City Attorney, Carlos Valdez, has also issued a memo that said city council members texting each other during meetings was a violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act.[18]

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[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ↑ City Council
  2. ↑ Agendas and Minutes
  3. ↑ Org Chart
  4. ↑ Financial Dept
  5. ↑ CAFR
  6. ↑ Municipal Code
  7. ↑ Purchasing
  8. ↑ Property Taxes
  9. ↑ Permits
  10. ↑ Check Register
  11. ↑ Police Department open records
  12. ↑ Department of Intergovernmental Relations
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Texas Watchdog, Port of Corpus Christi spending $500,000 this year on lobbyists to D.C., Aug. 2, 2010
  14. ↑ The Caller, Port of Corpus Christi prospers from lobbying, Aug. 1, 2010
  15. ↑ Requests for public data lead to frustrating waits, Caller-Times, January 11, 2009
  16. ↑ Texas Watchdog, Port Corpus Christi's bid-ranking matrix eludes the public, Aug. 12, 2010
  17. ↑ Caller, Port panel erases its evaluation process, Aug. 9, 2010
  18. ↑ Texas Watchdog, Corpus Christi city attorney cautions officials against texting in meetings, Sept. 10, 2010
Retrieved from "http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/Corpus_Christi,_Texas"
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