CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — In a move that could ripple through Corpus Christi’s already controversial desalination project, City Council has voted to strip the city manager of his authority to approve project expenses over $50,000.
The shift comes as cost estimates for the long-awaited plant have surged from $785 million to more than $1.2 billion and councilmembers say it’s time to shine a light on where that money is going.
“We started seeing the prices going up, and that was a concern to me,” said Councilwoman Carolyn Vaughn. “You have to be accountable to the public. They need to know everything that’s been spent. It’s not to stop desal, it’s just saying you have to tell us what you’re spending so the public can see it.”…