Applauding a Vote for Accountability
This week a majority of the Corpus Christi City Council took a vital step toward restoring public trust by passing Item 19, a resolution to revoke the city manager’s unchecked authority over the controversial Inner Harbor desalination plant. While this was not yet – and was not intended by the resolution’s sponsors to be – a vote to stop desalination, it was nonetheless a vote to reassert democratic control over a massively expensive project that our coalition believes is not only unnecessary to meet the needs of residents and local business, but also presents a grave danger to the health of the Corpus Christi Bay.
For years, the proposed Inner Harbor plant has moved forward with minimal transparency, persistent environmental concerns, total disregard for the impact on the Hillcrest neighborhood, and of course mounting costs. While the latest “official” cost estimate remains $757 million, it’s no secret that the ultimate price tag is certain to rise well beyond $1 billion. Contracts have been signed. Equipment has been ordered. Yet Corpus Christi residents and our elected representatives have been left in the dark by City Manager Peter Zanoni, Corpus Water staff, and the project’s contractors. That’s why this week’s decision to reclaim oversight was not just welcome, it was essential.
Time and again during Tuesday’s meeting, council members expressed concern that they could not even say with certainty how much money has been spent so far. Council Member Gil Hernandez noted that he and other elected officials are required to file ethics reports to disclose any possible conflicts of interest, yet staff have been able to approve and manage untold millions of dollars in taxpayer funds for the desal project without facing that same scrutiny. Council Member Carolyn Vaughn also described receiving pressure and threats from powerful interests to abandon the resolution that she co-sponsored. What kind of project needs bullying and secrecy to survive?
Indeed, some council members, city officials and industry representatives claimed that the resolution would “undermine progress.” It would be impossible to make a more cynical argument, unless you actually believe that “progress” means bypassing the will of the people and our representatives. But our view is that the success of Item 19 rightfully gives council members the authority they need and deserve to demand real answers about the desalination plant, and to protect the public interest.
Our coalition strongly opposes the Inner Harbor desalination plant not only because of the already enormous expense, but also because it forces residents to finance industry’s water (an increase of at least 88% in residential water bills is now projected to supply industrial users who consume as much as 80% of the region’s water), because of its impact on the Hillcrest neighborhood, and because of the extreme ecological risk. There are better ways forward. Expanded groundwater wells, regional partnerships, and conservation measures can meet the current and future water needs of residents and local businesses without endangering our bay or mortgaging our future. And yet, as Council Member Eric Cantu rightly notes, city staff have shown far more enthusiasm for desal than for exploring these alternatives.
While the city council’s ultimate decision about the Inner Harbor plant remains forthcoming, we applaud the five council members – Carolyn Vaughn, Gil Hernandez, Eric Cantu, Kaylynn Paxson, and Sylvia Campos – who stood up this week for transparency and accountability. Passing Item 19 restored a simple but powerful principle: that Corpus Christi’s water future should be decided out in the open, not behind closed doors.