Gov. Greg Abbott’s office issued a blistering response Wednesday after the Corpus Christi City Council rejected plans to advance the Inner Harbor desalination project on Tuesday night.

Abbott’s chief of staff, Robert Black, sent the following statement to 3NEWS after Tuesday’s 5-3 vote:

“It is clear that the current Corpus Christi City Council does not possess the courage to lead nor the will to govern and has once again failed to secure reliable water for their citizens. The State has done its part. The Texas Water Development Board approved $757 million in SWIFT financing for the Inner Harbor plant, and TCEQ fully permitted the facility. Going forward, Governor Abbott will utilize all necessary tools to ensure the Corpus Christi area has a safe, reliable long term water supply.”

What those tools are, or what can be done, remains to be seen.

The statement continues a prolonged dispute between Abbott’s office and city leaders over the Inner Harbor Desalination Project.

The council voted Tuesday night against awarding a design-build contract to Corpus Christi Desalination Partners LLC that would have advanced the proposed plant to 60% design.

Council members Roland Barrera, Everett Roy and Mark Scott supported the proposal. Council members Sylvia Campos, Eric Cantu, Gil Hernandez, Kaylynn Paxson and Carolyn Vaughn opposed it.

The project would not return for another council vote unless the November election changes the makeup of the council and a new majority supports moving forward.

Paxson said she believes residents do not want the Inner Harbor project.

“I am always going to put my vote behind what the people want, and I do believe the citizens of this city do not want the Inner Harbor desalination,” Paxson said.

Paxson supports a proposed Harbor Island desalination facility. The city has agreed to pay the Nueces River Authority more than $2 million to reserve up to 50 million gallons of water per day from that project.

City staff recommended that the council move forward with the Inner Harbor project. Barrera said a future council should follow staff recommendations and rely on the professionals hired to oversee the project.

“Let city staff do their job, listen to the professionals,” Barrera said. “We pay these people six figures for a reason, and unfortunately, you have nine laymen trying to direct it based on emotion, cronyism and ambition.”

Scott raised concerns about the potential financial consequences of stopping the project. He said the state could potentially declare the city in default on the $230 million in loans it received for the plant.

“I think it is within the purview of the state to declare us in default of those loans, which I think will lead to a downgrade in our bond rating again, and it will increase the cost to the taxpayers as we go out for new projects,” Scott said.

The Coastal Bend Coalition, a political action committee that supports the Inner Harbor project, is now turning its attention to the November election.

Executive Director Deeanna Heavilin said the group is supporting candidates who back the project and want to address what she described as instability at City Hall.

“We are supporting the candidates who are willing to invest in our water security through Inner Harbor, to restore normalcy and take out some of the chaos on the dais at City Hall,” Heavilin said.

The coalition plans to announce its candidate endorsements next week.

Heavilin said the PAC commissioned a poll asking residents whether they support the Inner Harbor project. She said its results showed support by a 3-to-1 margin.

“Three to one, people from all over the community support Inner Harbor,” Heavilin said.

The project’s future will now largely depend on the November election and the makeup of the City Council that takes office in January.