By Adam Gaub
Maricopa Monitor
A task force meeting held Wednesday to gauge the attitude of both residents and several members of City Council in regards to the recent Global Water rate increase proposals left little doubt as to what path will be taken.
Less than three years after a decision by the Arizona Corporation Commission left Global Water with a fairly substantial increase to sewer and water rates in Maricopa, the privately-held utility is asking for more, as opposition has quickly formed against.
“These egregious requests they make are outrageous and they have to stop,” said councilmember Marvin Brown, who sat on a council task force more than two year ago that negotiated a memorandum of understanding between the City and the utility. “We can make a very viable argument against substantial rate increases.”
The increases being asked for by Global Water would bump up water rates by just more than 50 percent and sewer rates by slightly more than 25 percent, though at a maximum increase per year of only 5 percent, meaning the hikes would be incurred over a period of several years. As part of the MOU between Global and the City, the utility gave Maricopa a heads up last summer before filing the request for a rate increase.
Mayor Christian Price and District 11 Rep. Steve Smith, R-Maricopa, took part in initial meetings with Global Water in attempt to convince them not to ask for the increase.
