The request follows a resignation letter raising concerns about budgeting practices, internal communication and information presented to leaders over key projects. <\/p>\n
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas \u2014 Texas Governor Greg Abbott<\/a> is calling for a thorough investigation into allegations involving the Nueces River Authority, urging its board to take swift action once a review is complete.<\/p>\n In a statement issued through his press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, the governor emphasized expectations for accountability.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery member of a Texas board or commission should uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in service of the people of Texas,\u201d Mahaleris said. \u201cThe Nueces River Authority Board of Directors is responsible for the governance and oversight of the Authority. Governor Abbott expects a thorough investigation into the allegations brought forth and for the Board to act swiftly once the investigation is complete.\u201d<\/p>\n The statement comes after concerns were raised by an executive within the Nueces River Authority<\/a>, who outlined issues related to leadership, financial information and internal operations in a letter shared with 3NEWS.<\/p>\n In that letter, Chief Operating Officer Travis Pruski said he could no longer remain in his role “in good conscience” citing concerns about \u201corganizational integrity, financial accountability, and the trust placed in the NRA by the communities we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n In the letter, Pruski alleged he was shut out of budget planning despite being responsible for executing those budgets — calling it \u201ca fundamental failure of operational oversight that has left the organization exposed.\u201d<\/p>\n He also claimed the board was given inaccurate information about water sales tied to a desalination project, writing that decisions were made based on information that \u201cdid not reflect operational reality.\u201d<\/p>\n Pruski further alleged he was directed not to speak with board members and raised concerns about communication within the agency, as well as the handling of a $30 million flood mitigation grant he said could be at risk.<\/p>\n The Nueces River Authority has said it is aware of the concerns and confirmed its Board of Directors has retained independent legal counsel to conduct a review.<\/p>\n Abbott\u2019s statement adds pressure at the state level, as questions continue surrounding oversight of the agency and its role in major regional water projects. This marks the second time in less than a month the Texas governor has weighed in on Coastal Bend politics. In early March, Abbott criticized Corpus Christi leaders<\/a> over their handling of the historic drought.<\/p>\n The City of Corpus Christi released a statement to 3NEWS regarding the situation on Thursday.<\/p>\n “The City is aware of the recent allegations and questions surrounding the Nueces River Authority (NRA). In light of this situation, we are currently reviewing the Harbor Island Desalination Reservation Fee Contract. The City views the current allegations as an internal administrative issue specific to the Nueces River Authority and expects the NRA to conduct its own internal investigation. While this investigation is ongoing, the City is unable to comment on specific claims. Meanwhile, we will continue to monitor the situation.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The request follows a resignation letter raising concerns about budgeting practices, internal communication and information presented to leaders…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":199260,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[155,157,156],"class_list":["post-233218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-corpus-christi","tag-corpus-christi","tag-corpus-christi-headlines","tag-corpus-christi-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233218"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233218\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/199260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}