Supporters say Prop B would make industrial water users pay their fair share during drought, while opponents say it could potentially shift costs to ratepayers.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As early voting begins in Corpus Christi, Proposition B is drawing debate over how large industrial water users should pay for water during drought conditions.
Also known as the Fair Water Amendment, Proposition B is one of two measures on the city’s November ballot. The citizen-initiated City Charter amendment would eliminate the city’s Drought Surcharge Exemption Fee program and establish mandatory drought surcharges for large industrial water users.
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Supporters say the measure would ensure large water users pay their fair share, while opponents worry eliminating the fee could complicate water policy and potentially affect water rates for residents and businesses.
“When the largest water users conserve, water lasts longer for all of us,” Corpus Christi City Councilwoman Sylvia Campos said.
Armon Alex, director of the Fair Water Amendment, said all water users rely on the same water.
“We all depend on the same reservoirs, pipelines and limited water supply,” Alex said.
He argued that requiring industrial users to pay drought surcharges instead of the exemption fee could generate more revenue for the city’s water projects.
“$32 million dollars. So $32 million compared to what we could have seen if that program didn’t exist and they were paying the applicable surcharge rates as residents and small businesses already have to do, we’re looking at just from one year between 2024 to 2025, $310 million. That is revenue that we are missing out on,” Alex said.
But not everyone supports Proposition B.
Dolly Gonzales Trolley, Executive Director of Voices for Coastal Bend Energy, said she is concerned that eliminating the program could affect how the city funds water infrastructure, potentially shifting costs to residents and businesses.
“If we lose $6 million a year that’s going to water infrastructure, it has to be made up somewhere. The city’s using that money right now. And so, while we don’t know the details of where that’s going to be made up, logic tells us that it’s going to probably be made up by the ratepayers,” Gonzalez Trolley said.
Bob Paulison, Executive Director of the Coastal Bend Industry Association, also expressed concerns about putting the amendment in the City Charter.
“Passage of Prop B makes our ability to respond to drought and to develop the water system much more complicated, and there are other ways that you can achieve the same goals,” Paulison said.
Early voting began Monday and goes until October 30, with 20 polling locations across the city.
Voters can find a list of polling places on the Nueces County website to locate the site nearest them.