When many residents turn on the faucets, the water that comes out is provided by the Camp Verde Water System.
It’s the only water utility in town.
Even so, voters still have to approve allowing the company access to certain public rights of way, effectively giving the water company permission to continue to operate in what’s called a franchise agreement.
It may be beneficial to town residents who depend on the water company to grant that permission, but the voting is still a requirement.
The company supplies about half of the water used in town, with much of the rest coming from other ditches and wells.
The Camp Verde Town Council still has to sign off on the agreement to be put before voters.
The idea is to get the measure on the ballot in a special election Tuesday, March 8, Mayor Charlie German said.
The Town Council hoped to have the matter approved last week but has had to delay approval slightly.
“We found a couple of issues,” German said. “We weren’t working off the same document.”
German said that the water system was using paperwork slightly different from what the town was looking at.
German said that lawyers for the town and the water company were working together to make sure everything is in order for approval to put the franchise agreement before voters.
“It’s a boilerplate document but it needed to be changed,” German said, noting that some language was a bit out of date.
The Town Council will be looking at the franchise agreement again at its Wednesday, Dec. 16, meeting.
German said the deadline to get this issue on the March 8 ballot is quickly approaching and without approval, the matter would have to be shifted to the ballot in August, adding some extra expense to the process.
German said the issue was almost a technicality.
“They’re the only ones who can [provide the water],” German said. “If it wasn’t approved, there’s no one else.”
The Town of Camp Verde is still interested in eventually obtaining the water company and making it a municipal utility.
It’s been on the town’s list of future goals for years.
This month, the Town Council made exploring the possibility of moving forward with that idea a goal for Town Manager Russ Martin, directing him to talk with the water company and explore the current feasibility of that plan.
