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EDC witnesses say Homewood Suites project scored for $1.04M; presentation used altered FEMA slide, testimony shows
Summary
CCREDC staff told the tribunal their RIMS 2 analysis recommended about $1,043,000 for the Homewood Suites project; depositions and staff testimony show the applicant presented a FEMA screenshot with missing dates/reference that changed the FEMA-based rationale for a $2,000,000 ask.
Witnesses from the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation and the Type B board described the agency’s usual economic criteria and how this project was evaluated. Paul Michael Culbertson said staff used a RIMS 2 model and recommended $1,043,433 based on payback and ROI criteria; the developer later sought $2,000,000, saying FEMA-related requirements raised unexpected costs.
Multiple witnesses testified the PowerPoint slide shown to the Type B board and the council lacked the FEMA release dates and a release/reference number that appear on the FEMA portal. Alan Wilson and Heather Hurlburt recounted being told by the applicant that those FEMA changes were unanticipated; both witnesses said the maps and related notice had been publicly available well before the project’s timeline and that the slide’s omissions changed the narrative presented to decision‑makers. "If it's material, no," Wilson said when asked whether a falsified federal screenshot should have prevented a vote; Culbertson agreed the presentation was misleading after the missing date was pointed out.
