Council grills administration over Miami fact‑finding trip as city readies water ban
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Summary
Finance Committee members pressed the mayor and CFO about a fact‑finding trip to Aquaria (Dighton desalination) and a possible purchase; administration said the exploratory trip cost about $1,700 for staff, identified it as necessary for evaluating options, and DPW announced an outside‑watering ban effective Oct. 8 while ramping Aquaria to about 3.81 million gpd.
The Brockton Finance Committee on Oct. 6 spent more than an hour questioning the administration about an August fact‑finding trip to meet Aquaria representatives about a potential purchase of the Dighton desalination plant and a successor operating contract.
CFO Dr. Troy Clarkson said the trip was exploratory: "Our objective for the trip is to discuss the remaining years in the contract, begin to understand what a successor contract might look like and also explore the possibility of a purchase," he told the committee. Clarkson said the visit "conformed with those objectives." He later said the administration's out‑of‑pocket cost for flight and hotel for staff was about $1,700; Councilor Rodriguez paid his own way.
Councilors raised concerns the trip was selective or politically timed and asked why the city solicitor was not present. Mayor Robert Sullivan and Dr. Clarkson said no negotiations occurred on the trip and that the principals at Aquaria had asked for a face‑to‑face meeting; they said legal counsel would be engaged if negotiations advanced. The mayor also said prior price discussions had changed over time and that acquisition remains only one of several options.
DPW Commissioner Patrick Hill described plant life‑cycle and maintenance considerations and briefed the committee on Silver Lake levels. He announced a citywide outside‑watering ban effective Oct. 8 and said Aquaria would be ramped up to a maximum rate of 3,810,000 gallons per day to offset low lake levels. Hill said 30 days at that pumping rate would cost roughly $200,000.
Councilors debated whether the city should pursue purchase, renegotiate a successor contract or continue the current approach; several asked for more documentation from the Miami trip, and one councilor said he had submitted a public records request for any notes or materials. The committee voted to recommend the resolve (to bring the mayor, CFO, DPW commissioner and city solicitor before the committee) favorably.
Next steps: administration agreed to provide receipts, notes and any materials from the trip and to return with additional financial and engineering analysis if purchase discussions proceed.
