CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - As the Corpus Christi City Council prepares to consider two major issues Tuesday, attention is focused on both the proposed Inner Harbor desalination project and the ongoing effort to remove Mayor Paulette Guajardo from office.

Before council members vote on the desalination project, they are scheduled to hold a pre-trial hearing Tuesday morning related to the petition seeking Guajardo's removal, a process that previous city leaders say is largely unprecedented in Corpus Christi politics.

The proceedings have prompted debate over whether the city is following the appropriate process and whether some council members who were witnesses in the previous Homewood Suites investigation should recuse themselves from participating.