Council approves payment of $935,552 convention-center invoice amid lingering questions, moves to seek county sign‑off and public input

The South Padre Island City Council approved a $434,083 budget amendment and authorized payment of a $935,552 invoice for professional services related to the convention center renovation, but the decision followed hours of questioning about missing invoices, subcontractor charges and reimbursable travel costs.

Wendy Delgado, the city’s director of operations, told the council the invoice (listed in the packet as 7R) represents consolidated charges for design and consultant services and that the city had a contractual obligation to pay: “This invoice is for the full scope of the convention center that includes, all the components, the ballroom, the theater, the expanded exhibit space and their meeting rooms,” she said.

The request prompted sharp questioning from several council members about why earlier invoices were not submitted in a timely way, and whether sufficient backup for reimbursable expenses — including travel and consultant fees — was included in the packet. One council member said the backup in the packet did not clearly reconcile to the invoice and asked for line-item justification for travel and additional services.

An outside review by Broadus & Associates, which the city hired to assess whether deliverables matched billed work, concluded the design team had produced the expected deliverables. A Broadus representative told the council their review focused on the design deliverables and contract directives and that the work product supported the invoiced pay app.

Still, council members pressed for more documentation. One member asked why theater-consultant travel and reimbursables totaling in the tens of thousands of dollars were included without clearer backup; another asked whether value-engineering steps had removed major systems. Raymond Janak, the architect introduced in the meeting, and a Broadus reviewer responded that multiple site visits and phased work had occurred and that the package covered prior and revised billings.

Budget and financing questions were also central to the debate. Council members discussed existing venue-tax reserves and bond capacity, with figures cited by council staff during the meeting (venue-tax reserves and excess reserves were discussed in the packet and at the dais). One council member called for a forensic audit of the city's convention-center accounts for 2023–2025 before approving further work, citing concerns about late invoices and procurement oversight. That request did not prevent the council from voting.

After discussion, the council approved the budget amendment to cover the shortfall and authorized payment of $935,552.41 for the outstanding invoice.

Following the payment vote, the council also approved related next steps for the project. By a 5–1 vote the body authorized Broadus & Associates to submit plans for the exhibit-hall annex and renovation to the Cameron County commissioners court for acknowledgment and to request county-appointed representation on a project workgroup. The council then set a public workshop to solicit residents’ input on the exhibit-hall annex and authorized issuance of an RFQ for professional project management to oversee the next design and construction phases.

What’s next: council members said the county could name representatives to participate on the project team and the city will hold a workshop to gather public input and return with more-detailed cost estimates and procurement steps. Several council members said they would continue to press for clearer backup and, if necessary, an outside audit of prior years’ project billing and approvals.