Tribunal hears weeks of testimony in City Council’s impeachment proceedings over Homewood Suites incentive

The City of Corpus Christi’s tribunal on July 22 resumed a contentious, multi‑day hearing arising from allegations that the Homewood Suites incentive package was supported by misleading materials and improper procedures. Petitioners and the mayor’s defense sparred over dozens of exhibits, motions to quash subpoenas and whether a FEMA website screenshot used in earlier presentations had been altered.

Leah Pagan Oliveri, former chair of the Type B economic development corporation, testified at length that the Type B board’s rationale was to spur street‑level activation and retail downtown — not to provide a standing fund for general FEMA compliance. “My sense is that we are doing this not because of the additional flood or FEMA or any of that,” Oliveri said in public Type B remarks that were played in the hearing. Counsel and staff disagreed about which documents should be admitted; the tribunal overruled several objections and admitted multiple exhibits, while some depositions and deed exhibits were deferred for rebuttal.

The hearing also included testimony about subpoenas and compliance. Respondent counsel’s motion to quash a subpoena was denied by the tribunal; counsel later offered an affidavit of compliance and production materials while reserving objections about completeness. City staff and outside investigators also reviewed allegations that a presentation slide was altered; those reports and a later city vote to issue a notice of default to the developer are now part of the public record. The tribunal preserved contested testimony and expects additional hearings to complete witness testimony and to address the legal questions remaining.