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Historical Perspective Regarding Regional Water and Sewer Rates Established by Pima County and City of Tucson's Mayor and Council
Staff recommends the Board of Supervisors take the following actions:
1. Respectfully ask the City of Tucson Mayor and Council to rescind their actions of June 22, 2021 adopting a discriminatory differential water rate for only customers in the unincorporated area of Pima County.
2. Request the City of Tucson Mayor and Council assume a leadership role in regional water resource management as envisioned by past Mayors and Councils of the City of Tucson, including substantial revision to their service area policy, reflecting the originally contemplated regional water entity.
3. Allow Pima County to participate in a legitimate cost of service study to determine if differential water rates for unincorporated customers meet the "just and reasonable test" for establishing differential water rates for only unincorporated area customers.
4. Commit to establishing a zone or cost of service rate structure where similarly situated users pay the same water rate for service regardless of jurisdictional boundary, including those customers within the City of Tucson. Otherwise, charge a uniform service rate for all customers regardless of their jurisdictional location.
5. Request the City of Tucson establish a Water Sustainability Fund transferring the City of Tucson overhead and service cost paid by Tucson Water customers (subject to audit); said fund to be used to supplement the water supply for the region. If committed to do so by the City of Tucson, Pima County also commits to establish a Water Sustainability Fund for those same charges applied by Pima County to our wastewater utility.
6. All funding from the City of Tucson and Pima County paid into the Water Sustainability Fund is to be used to purchase "drought insurance" by acquiring Central Arizona Project surface water supplies and recharging same in Pima County regional aquifers, ...
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