Town ‘in the water business’
Staff reports

CAVE CREEK – The Town of Cave Creek on Monday took another giant step toward being in the water and waste‑water business.

By unanimous vote, town council approved seeking a $6.5 million loan from the state’s Water Infrastructure Finance Authority to buy 80 acres of state‑owned land as the site of a future waste‑water plant.

“This is an important step for the future,” said Councilman Thomas McGuire as he cast his vote.

In a separate measure, the council voted unanimously to transfer assets to the town from Desert Hills Water Co.

Earlier this year, the town bought the troubled water provider for $2.5 million in an effort to gain control over future development, according to town officials. Before the asset transfer can be finalized, however, the Arizona Corporation Commission must grant approval. The matter is pending.

Commenting after the council vote, Vice Mayor Dick Esser said: “Well, we’re in the water business. In my view, that’s a good thing.”

In other news, the council unanimously voted to accept $110,000 from Maricopa County to pay for improvements to Carefree Highway at Cave Creek Road. Council also approved paying $134,783 for a traffic engineering study for that intersection. The contract was awarded to Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Town Engineer Wayne Anderson said the county is currently conducting a corridor study of the intersection and plans are underway to expand the road from four lanes to six lanes. He told council he expects the engineering study to start in one or two months and take seven months to complete.

Councilman Wayne Bunch said after the vote, “I’m thrilled to see us move forward on improvements. It’s been a problem for a while.”