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Council narrows city manager authority for Inner Harbor desal spending, asks for regular accounting
Summary
After heated public comment and a lengthy council debate about transparency and cost, the City Council voted 5–4 to require the city manager to follow normal procurement procedures and to provide council an accounting of funds spent and encumbered for the Inner Harbor seawater desalination project.
City Council members voted on June 24 to change how future purchases, contracts and contract amendments for the Inner Harbor seawater desalination treatment plant are authorized and reported.
The 5–4 decision requires the city manager to follow “normal procurement procedures for all future purchases, contracts, and amendments” related to the desalination project and directs staff to provide “accurate accounting to council for all funding spent and encumbered” on the project. Councilman Gil Hernandez moved the change; council recorded the motion as approved 5–4 after an extended discussion.
Why it mattered: The council action followed weeks of public scrutiny of the desalination program’s scope and cost estimates, questions about…
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