Mayor Paulette Guajardo has called for an emergency city council meeting to vote on the Inner Harbor Desalination Project after Governor Greg Abbott warned that the state of Texas could take over management of Corpus Christi if city leaders do not act on the water crisis.
Abbott's comments put city leaders on a tight timeline, drawing a mix of calls for unity and pushback from council members over how state funding has been handled.
Guajardo said the city needs to move quickly.
"We don't have time to play. The Governor wants to see a water project that he has given funding towards. He wants to see our community and our region prosper," Guajardo said.
Abbott issued a stark warning about the city's pace of action.
"We can only give them a little time more before the state of Texas takes over and micromanages that city," Abbott said.
The governor also criticized how the city has managed state funding allocated for the water crisis.
"We provided them with $750 million dollars... they squandered it," Abbott said.
Council members disputed that characterization. City Councilmember at-large Carolyn Vaughn pushed back on the governor's word choice.
"Squander is a bad word because $750 million the city has not gotten," Vaughn said.
City Councilmember for District 5, Gil Hernandez, offered a more detailed breakdown of the funding.
"That $750 million dollars is a SWIFT loan. We pulled $220 million of it but we didn't spend it all. It's still sitting in an account. The other $500 million we haven't even taken yet," Hernandez said.
City Councilmember for District 3, Eric Cantu, also weighed in on the funding dispute.
"If he had given us $750 million dollars right now free money for the people of Corpus Christi. It's approved let's do it it would be a done deal," Cantu said.
Councilmember at-large Roland Barrera acknowledged some missteps while calling for accountability.
"It's true we haven't really used that money but we've probably squandered 50 to 60 million," Barrera said.
In the wake of Abbott's comments, some council members called for the community to come together. Vaughn stressed the need for collaboration.
"I think the dialogue is that we've got to come together as a community and we've got to work together," Vaughn said.
Barrera echoed that sentiment, urging leaders to set aside personal interests.
"Ego needs to get out of the way and we to understand that we have a responsibility to fulfill," Barrera said.
Multiple council members said the desalination project is a long-term solution, and that the city has already made plans to address more immediate water needs. Hernandez outlined several of those projects.
"The Evangeline project, the groundwater projects in Nueces County around Bluntzer, the wastewater re-use project. There are projects in place that will get us water sooner than the Inner Harbor Desal," Hernandez said.
Guajardo framed the emergency meeting as a direct response to the governor's pressure, saying the city cannot afford to wait.
"Let's show the region and really the entire world... that we're serious about water security and we're not making this political," Guajardo said.
The mayor said the date for the emergency meeting will be set by Friday.
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