By Sasha Hupka | Arizona Central
Scottsdale leaders voted unanimously Tuesday to engage in talks with Maricopa County on providing water to Rio Verde Foothills, the first step in a potential temporary agreement on the issue.
The item came onto the Scottsdale City Council agenda last week after a series of talks with state Rep. David Cook, R-Globe, and a pressure campaign from Rio Verde Foothills residents and some Republican state lawmakers. The unincorporated community, which lies just outside city boundaries, has been without a stable water supply since the start of the year.
But the negotiations have a long way to go for city and county officials to come to consensus ― and it’s unclear whether they are starting off on the same page. Scottsdale officials displayed a proposed agreement at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, but county officials said they weren’t involved in writing several of its provisions.
Maricopa County Supervisor Tom Galvin, who represents the district encompassing Rio Verde Foothills, wrote a letter to Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega on Tuesday afternoon asking about a plan he proposed last year that would have the city partner with Epcor, a private water utility, to provide water to Rio Verde Foothills residents.
In the same letter, he said he had “questions” about Scottsdale’s draft agreement, particularly in regard to the source of the water and its costs.
“The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has not yet had an opportunity to discuss the document drafted by the City of Scottsdale,” he wrote. “I anticipate, however, that my colleagues will share my concerns and questions about the proposed agreement, which will need to be discussed, addressed, and rectified, as part of a negotiation process, if the proposal is to move forward.”
