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By Sasha Hupka|| The Arizona Republic
No name-calling. No muttering rude comments. Certainly, no shouting. And please, turn your phone to silent.
With those rules, Rio Verde Foothills residents on Tuesday evening kicked off another community meeting — the third in three weeks.
But this time, they had a new potential plan on the table: a proposal from Rep. Alexander Kolodin, R-Scottsdale, who represents the community in the Legislature. Through legislation, he endeavors to create a new type of government entity that could enter into agreements to help the community get water.
“The end idea is called a standpipe district,” Kolodin said.
Unlike the water-taxing district previously proposed by some community members, the standpipe district’s power would be limited solely to creating and executing a temporary agreement to get water to the Foothills, Kolodin said.
His proposal comes as the community has been in search of a fix for its water woes for more than a year without success, in large part because neighbors — and the involved governmental entities, Maricopa County and Scottsdale — cannot agree on a common solution.
Residents need a short-term agreement to temporarily provide them with water as a long-term solution is hashed out. The quest for an immediate fix has become more urgent in recent months after Scottsdale cut off the community at the start of the year.
Kolodin believes his idea might be palatable to both factions of the divided community. As he fielded questions, he made clear that his proposed legislation is a work in progress.
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