Rio Verde Foothills has been working on a new long-term water source since Scottsdale notified the community that it would no longer supply them.
The City of Scottsdale had long warned the community about cutting off the water supply to the area as part of its Drought Management Plan.
The cutoff happened in early 2023, but then the water was turned back on temporarily last October through an agreement with Scottsdale.
A short while later, the Arizona Corporation Commission approved an application for the company EPCOR to provide water to the area permanently through a pipeline which could take years.
On Wednesday, March 27, the Arizona Corporation Commission held a meeting where EPCOR proposed a rate increase for several of the districts it manages, along with possibly consolidating them into one lone district.
The districts include the Arizona Wastewater District, Luke 303 Wastewater District, and Rio Verde Water and Wastewater districts. Customers of both the Rio Verde Water District and Rio Verde Wastewater District are located south of Rio Verde Foothills.
To clarify, the upcoming vote is separate from the Rio Verde Foothills water standpipe.
Rio Verde community representatives in attendance were on board with the proposed rate increase for their water, 13.68%, and wastewater, 27.4%.
Arizona Corporation Commission Chairman Jim O'Connor says the proposed rate hike of 355% for the Luke 303 Wastewater District, near Luke Air Force Base and Loop 303, is too much of a burden on the customers there.
"While I am supportive of the concept of consolidating the Arizona and Rio Verde districts, I am not supportive of doing so with the current spread of Luke 303 expenses burdened on those ratepayers who received none of the benefits of Luke 303 Wastewater Treatment Plant," remarked Chairman O'Connor during the meeting.
The final vote on the EPCOR rate increase, therefore, has been delayed until April 9.
