CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — While the American Bank Center expansion was the focal point of Tuesday's Corpus Christi City Council vote for a special election Nov. 7, it isn't the only thing councilmembers are looking to put on the ballot.
Regional city parks, different types of streets, and new destinations for the Corpus Christi International Airport are other areas where officials hope to reallocate Type A sales taxes from the City's multipurpose arena and the Seawall.
"You can think of it as, we are expanding the uses of our current tax," said Corpus Christi Asst. City Manager Heather Hurlbert.
If sales taxes are reallocated to a project such as the airport, Corpus Christi District 4 City Councilmember Dan Suckley said it could allow the City to reach a larger market and attract it here for conventions.
"Flying out of Corpus Christi, you end up typically being a connection somewhere," Suckley said. "We'd like to find some other alternatives that folks can fly direct to other destinations."
New destinations at CCIA also includes incentives to bring in new regional airlines and capital improvements needed to support new routes. Hurlbert said adding more routes could lower flight prices for everyone.
"Looking to get service to Orlando -- New Orleans -- is another one that we have a lot of demand for, Las Vegas and then also Denver," Hurlbert said.
Hurlbert said parks across the city also would be eligible to receive funding from a sales-tax reallocation. That includes costs for construction and adding amenities and improvements.
"Anytime we put money into our parks, that is not only for our citizens but also for our visitors who come to the city," she said. "In addition to making sure that we have good roads to transport people."
Commercial and industrial streets could also benefit, including arterial and collector streets, but not residential ones.
She said improving those streets can help transport people to and from the airport, and across the city.
Suckley said improvements from the sales tax reallocation could be a huge economic driver for the area.
"People that come in for those conventions, they're going to have more things to do Downtown," he said. "But it's also going to keep people in town for additional days, hopefully, because there are additional amenities in our community."
While the Seawall tax would be reallocated for new purposes, city officials said there will still be funds available for supporting the Seawall.
The City estimates the overall project for the convention center complex, hotel and entertainment district will take about 3-5 years if the November election is successful.