CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Corpus Christi City Council voted to delay a decision on whether to give CC Desal Partners the green light to begin design and contracting work on the Inner Harbor desalination project, pushing the vote to Sept. 1 and triggering a sharp rebuke from Governor Greg Abbott's office.
The delay also raised questions about the city's credit rating. Council member Carolyn Vaughn asked City Manager Peter Zanoni directly whether the council's inaction was connected to any credit rating concerns.
Zanoni said:
"I'm just repeating what they said, the inability for the council to not make decisions, that will help manage through the drought does give them concern — it was one of the factors in that report."
Mayor Paulette Guajardo expressed frustration with the repeated delays.
"It's frustrating, to continue to not take the vote and just move it forward," Mayor Guajardo said.
Following the vote to delay, Abbott's office issued a written statement:
"The moment for leadership arrived, but the Council met it with a whimper and a complaint. For the second time in six months, the Council could have taken meaningful steps to meet the long-term water needs of their citizens. Instead, they chose to bicker, blame, and hide behind excuses and 'studies' rather than take action. Governor Abbott and the State of Texas have done their part: we have expedited funding and permits for new wells, paid for pipeline upgrades, fully permitted the Inner Harbor Plant, and provided more than $800 million in funding for water projects. When courage and leadership were badly needed, the Corpus Christi City Council once again completely failed the citizens they represent."
Council member Everett Roy pushed back on the governor's criticism, drawing a comparison to Abbott's own legislative battles.
"When he had school choice, I think it took him several terms to be able to get that through and as a constituent, someone that supports the governor, I supported him through that, and I hope that the government will continue to support the city of Corpus Christi and I'm very hopeful that we will get the inner harbor passed," Roy said.
Council member Kaylynn Paxson defended the decision to wait, saying the delay was not a rejection of desalination.
"This is not an action against desalination. But it's our responsibility to make sure that we have all of these questions thoroughly answered before we act," Paxson said.
Council member Roland Barrera warned that the delay could carry a significant financial cost.
"We're in danger of losing the favorable financing that could cost to pursue the same project or the same amount of funding could cost the taxpayer or ratepayer another $240 million," Barrera said.
Vaughn also addressed the vote, framing the delay as a matter of responsible governance.
"The decision on the Inner Harbor Desalination Project reflects the commitment of seven council members to continue to ensure due diligence as we move forward. If we miss a step, we can't just undo it. That's why we ask questions. Building confidence that has the best information available shows we are doing our jobs," Vaughn said.
Council members who voted to delay cited concerns over the Far Field Study, which is examining the potential environmental impact of the Inner Harbor project. A key concern was that the study is not expected to be completed until the end of June, 2026.
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