CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Amid a flurry of activity this week, Corpus Christi City Council has voted to increase fees for some city services.
Although some of the areas included have not seen an adjustment in years, it still means more money out of pocket for those who live and work here.
What’s going up?
For one, the price of parking at the Corpus Christi International Airport.
Whether you need long-term or short-term service, the cost will be raised by a dollar in most cases, beginning Oct. 1.
There will also be more money coming into the City’s Parks and Recreation Department, including an increase in fees for children enrolled in summer recreational programs or after-school programs, adding $5 to $10 per child depending on the program.
That, too, will begin in October.
In addition, the council amended fees for things like food health permits, vendor permits and food handler certificates.
It is an area that has not seen an adjustment since 2006.
Robert Guzman is the owner of Taco Guzman, a food truck that operates here in the city. He told 3NEWS that when the costs go up for the health and vending permits that he needs in order to run his business, it’s hard to stay afloat without passing the cost on to his customers.
District 4 Councilmember Dan Suckley said that when the cost of providing a service goes up, the City has to at least look at making changes.
“Nobody wants to raise fees," Suckley said. "You know, a lot of those fees, as I think was articulated last week, a lot of them had not been raised in a good number of years. I think one of them was even mentioned that it hadn’t been raised in 20 years.”
The increase in this area is expected to bring in another $167,000 in revenue.