The Corpus Christi City Council voted 5-4 to reject a $60,000 gift intended to cover the cost of applying for a federal grant to help build a city-owned water treatment plant. The Tuesday night vote confirms the strength of the anti-desalination bloc in the City Council, a month before members are expected to vote on whether to revive plans to build the $978.8 million Inner Harbor desalination plant. Business and community leaders pledged the money in hopes of moving forward on a desalination plant capable of providing a drought-resistant water supply by removing salt from seawater collected from Corpus Christi Bay. The same five council members voted Tuesday to turn down the $60,000 gift to put toward application costs. Source: Colleen DeGuzman, The Texas TribunePhoto Credit: Shoreline Boulevard along the Corpus Christi Bay near downtown Corpus Christi on March 19, 2026.