It’s possible that Corpus Christi voters may make their wills known on the Inner Harbor seawater desalination project at the ballot box in November.
Whether the City Council would approve bringing the question before the public may be determined Aug. 11, the last council meeting before the Aug. 17 deadline to finalize election documents.
City Councilman Eric Cantu raised the issue of potentially putting the Inner Harbor project before voters in the council’s July 28 meeting, which had included election-based items, as well as discussions on the plant. Cantu said he had been told of a poll showing 60% of residents supporting Inner Harbor desalination, but questioned who had been polled.
“I know the people I talk to in my district don't want this,”
he said. “They don't want to pay for it. But if their [poll is] at 60%, well, then they shouldn’t have a problem. They should say, ‘Hey, put it on the ballot, let's call it a day and let's get it done and go to start building next year.’”
The topic arose in the midst of debate over whether to accept private financing that would have covered the costs of professional services and staff time to prepare an application for federal grants totaling as much as $120 million — although what would actually be allocated, if funding was won, has been disputed among council members.
Polarizing project
The council has long been divided on the Inner Harbor initiative — many votes falling on 5-4 lines — and whether to proceed with construction of the plant, planned to generate as much as 30 million gallons of treated water per day.
Prospective contractor Corpus Christi Desal Partners has estimated development of the facility at about $979 million.
Council members who have endorsed the project have cited a need to bolster water supply to sustain the region and foster a healthy economy.
Opponents have largely centered arguments on the price tag as well as disagreement over whether environmental studies have adequately resolved questions on how, or if, desalination operations may affect the bay system.
Last month, the council voted 5-4 to postpone a scheduled vote that would have advanced an agreement with CCDP for continued work on the endeavor.
Several weeks later, the council also voted 5-4 to pass on pursuit of federal grants.
The July 28 vote rejecting acceptance of private donations for the preparation of a federal grant application was, again, 5-4.
Closing in on a year ago, council members had voted 6-3 to end design work with then-contractor Kiewit Infrastructure South Co.
How it could go to voters
There would be two ways a vote on desalination projects could make it to the ballot, if the council opted to go that route, city officials have said.
However, what form that may take, if at all, is pending council decision-making on policy, according to City Manager Peter Zanoni.
There hasn’t been robust conversation on that yet, he said.
There would need to be determinations on whether verbiage on a potential ballot item would be general or if it would be more specific, to include a desalination project’s location and capacity, he said.
One way to put the question to voters would be to pose it as a potential charter amendment, according to city officials.
In that case, the vote would authorize a council action, but it would not mandate it without funding certification, Zanoni said.
Another option would be to propose it as a bond project, he said, which could be more binding, although there could still be “some level of provisionalism to it because the council still would have to execute contracts.”
As an example, a contract amount could come in higher than available funds, he said.
'Banging our heads'
City Councilman Everett Roy backed Cantu’s position on July 28, saying that if there is opportunity, the matter should be taken to voters.
He noted division in community sentiment, adding that the council has “already demonstrated we’re not going to agree.”
“I think that we're just kind of banging our heads against the wall, and I think if we have the opportunity to do anything, [an election is] what we should be doing,” Roy said. “Because at this point in time, I think the only way we're going to be able to get to the third base is to be able to have the people vote for it, and so I strongly recommend that.”
Cantu said he was considering submitting a three-signature memo that would place an item on the council’s Aug. 11 agenda related to putting desalination on the ballot.
Roy said he would sign the memo.
City Councilwoman Kaylynn Paxson on July 28 had a different take, objecting to taking the subject to a vote.
“There has been this false synonymous creation where desal equals Inner Harbor,” she said. “And then we're going to go and put this forward — ‘do you want desal, do you want Inner Harbor?’ We've created confusion. That's the problem and there are great desalination projects and I would hate for those to be slighted.”
Kirsten Crow covers city government and water news. Have a story idea? Contact her at kirsten.crow@caller.com.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Inner Harbor desalination may be up to Corpus Christi voters
