Brownsville votes to disannex SpaceX land to fund $220M water upgrades

Brownsville city commissioners unanimously disannexed more than 444 acres of land at SpaceX’s urging in a six-hour special meeting, in exchange for a $220 million funding agreement to upgrade the city’s water system. The funds would support two projects: expanding brackish-water filtration from about 7.5 million to 20 million gallons per day, and developing a method to turn treated sewage back into potable water, boosting overall capacity. The vote came amid heated public debate over SpaceX’s influence and the expedited process, but supporters argued the deal would secure water for generations.