Pima County residents facing higher water bills
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) — The Tucson City Council discussed a measure which could impact how much you could pay for your water. It will depend on where you live.
In September 2023, a Maricopa judge ruled against the City of Tucson after they tried to charge people living in unincorporated areas of the county more for their water.
The City of Tucson will move forward with their plans, with Ward 2 Councilmember Paul Cunningham telling 13 News they have addressed the judge’s ruling.
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and other city council members approved sending a notice to people living in unincorporated county areas to let them know their water bill will be impacted.
“When we went down this path, we were very deliberate, ensuring that this was done within the parameters of the ruling that we had a few years ago,” Cunningham said during Tuesday’s meeting.
The councilmember told 13 News the city tried to charge a pre-determined rate to the residents, which a judge deemed wrong.
This time, the city and Tucson Water says they can prove based on infrastructure requirements and water usage that a differential water increase is justified.
“Those findings, can determine whether you can charge differential rate and for how much,” Cunningham told 13 News. “So, we went through that process and I feel very confident in the recommendations from staff.”
Not everyone agrees with this initiative.
Pima County filed a lawsuit against the City of Tucson over the differential water rate, where a Maricopa judge ruled people living in unincorporated areas of Pima County were being overcharged for their water.
District 1 Supervisor Rex Scott participated in the lawsuit.
While he was unavailable for an interview with 13 News, he provided this statement:
“The City of Tucson had an end in mind: to raise rates on the third of their customers who live in the unincorporated county. They have crafted a methodology that seeks to address potential objections. However, what they propose is discriminatory, unfair and is not based on a holistic cost of service study of their entire system.”
In December 2024, Pima County filed a petition with the Arizona Supreme Court hoping to get the City of Tucson to give back funds to people living in unincorporated areas who paid more for their water.
The city council and Tucson Water there are eight cities in Arizona with differential rates, including Phoenix, Flagstaff and Yuma.
A public hearing on this topic scheduled for June 17th, and rates could go into effect as early as August 2025.
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