Mayor Duane Crocker appeared on the first episode of the new season of Town Talk, the podcast produced by the City of Victoria Communications & Public Affairs, to discuss big projects planned for 2026, including the first-ever Growing Victoria Summit.

Mayor Crocker tells the story of how the idea for the free summit originated, building on the existing State of the City address to highlight Victoria in a bigger, community-centric way. 

“We really want this to be for the community and be very community-based,” said the mayor. “It’ll be very local-based and really address, ‘These are concerns of our citizens. These are the questions they have. Let’s address those and talk about how we come together and move forward.’”

The summit will offer a series of informative guest speakers and panel discussions about how all levels of education, workforce development, business retention and infrastructure play a role in helping our community prosper; what our community leaders are already doing; and how residents can get involved in helping Victoria grow. 

The mayor also discussed projects budgeted for 2026, including planned improvements in parks, streets, utilities and the Victoria Community Center.

“Overall, there’s a lot of infrastructure work going in,” said Mayor Crocker. “We’re doing what we can where we can and just trying to move the needle towards growth.” 

The half-day summit will take place March 12. Residents who are interested in attending the Growing Victoria Summit can register at www.growingvictoriatx.com by March 6 to participate.

To learn more, watch or listen to the latest episode of Town Talk on YouTube at Victoria Texas Videos or on Spotify at Town Talk (City of Victoria).