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Nueces County approves temporary AEP Texas storage license for transmission upgrade
Summary
The Commissioners Court approved a license allowing AEP Texas to use county property as a temporary laydown yard while it upgrades a transmission line; the agreement runs through Dec. 31, 2023, and drew brief legal review and auditor confirmation on fund handling.
Nueces County Commissioners Court on a 5-0 vote approved a construction material storage license agreement allowing AEP Texas to temporarily store materials and equipment on county property for electric transmission-line upgrade work.
The item, announced by the County Judge and discussed in a brief executive session for legal advice, authorizes AEP Texas to use county-controlled land as a laydown yard while crews upgrade a transmission line. John Garcia, a supervisor in AEP Texas’s real estate group, told the court that "This use of the property is temporary, as you mentioned, through December 31, 2023," and that the work involves upgrading a line "from a 69 to 138 kV." He said materials already have been ordered and "time is of the essence" for starting site preparation.
The court heard that Coastal Parks representatives would be asked to sign the agreement and then ratify the action at the Coastal Parks board’s next open meeting. Jenny, the county auditor, confirmed that payments from the agreement would be recorded to department 180, the county’s coastal parks funds. The County Judge explained the process to Coastal Parks’ representatives and said that if the Coastal Parks board chose not to ratify it within 72 hours the process could be halted.
On valuation, Edward Herrera said he and Commissioner Chesney reviewed a prior agreement and provided numbers for comparison: in 2015 the board saw "about $20,000 for about 10 acres," and for the current request he said "16 acres, about $25,100 an acre including, increases due to the economy and stuff like that." The court recorded the motion to approve the license agreement, moved by Commissioner Gonzales and seconded by Commissioner Hernandez. After discussion, the County Judge announced, "Okay. It's a 5 O vote and the motion does pass."
AEP and county officials said the temporary staging area will support work in the Flower Bluff area and across the Intracoastal Waterway toward Mustang Island and the North Padre Island substation. The court’s confirmation followed a short legal consultation in executive session under the Texas Open Meetings Act; the judge said the county attorney advised staff before returning to open session for a vote.
The county did not provide contract dollar totals, an exact legal description of the parcels to be used, or the Coastal Parks board’s ratification date in the public record during the meeting. The court recessed after the vote and the County Judge closed the special session.
