Anthem continues push for lower water rates

Marc Buckhout ~ The Foothills Focus~ 11/2/2011

The Anthem Community Council is still seeking a way to get a bigger flood of residents to step forward against their rising water rates, a push dating back to July of 2009.
Roger Willis of the Water Rate Committee offered an update on the latest meeting with the Arizona Corporation Commission at the Oct. 27 Anthem Community Council meeting.
Anthem’s residents on the east side of I-17 are pushing for deconsolidation from the Agua Fria Waste Water District, which serves north Peoria residents in Corta Bella, Verrado and Russell Ranch.
Anthem, which was previously in favor of state-wide consolidation, saw that effort rejected by the Arizona Corporation Commission last year.
While last month’s public opportunity to speak on the issue, before the ACC, saw the Agua Fria customers show up in greater numbers Anthem believes precedents is on their size.
The community is counting on the Arizona Corporation Commission to remain consistent in their rulings. Willis points out that none of the four systems associated with the Agua Fria system are in close proximity to Anthem.
After seeing water rates go up by 50 percent compared to 2010 beginning in January, Anthem residents could see the level come down to only 15 percent more than what they were paying in 2010 should the ACC rule in favor of deconsolidation with Agua Fria.
That’s why they encourage Anthem residents to be more involved in signing petitions or attending a 10 a.m. formal hearing on Nov. 14 in downtown Phoenix.
While some members of the audience claimed word about the meetings weren’t getting circulated well enough, some suggested apathy from Anthem resident was an issue. Board member Tim Fyke said making it to downtown Phoenix in the middle of the week simply isn’t a realistic expectation for young, working families.
Some suggested signing petitions might be a route to take. Fyke proposed gathering residents in Anthem Park for some type of video presentation that could be sent to the commission or posted on onlineatanthem.com might be a powerful visual.
To sign a petition to support deconsolidation go to onlineatanthem.com/content/petition-in-support-of-deconsolidation.
Other highlights of the meeting included:
- The council unanimously approving the 2012 budget, one that includes $600,000 in savings from 2011. Community Executive Officer Jenna Kollings said residents will receive the budgets in the mail before Thanksgiving.
- Kollings outlined an action plan for Anthem staff heading into 2012 that she titled Enhance and Advance Anthem. The plan highlights seven areas of focus with short-term and long-term efforts included. Listed in order of priority are: facility planning, law enforcement concerns, service delivery by Anthem staff to Anthem residents, updating, modifying and clarifying Anthem’s governing documents, marketing and economic development, partnership building and finally water and wastewater issues.
- Board member Ron Jerich asked that a review of Freedom Way Magazine be put on the agenda for the 6:30 p.m., Nov. 16 Anthem Community Council meeting. This summer the Anthem Community Council voted to discontinue printing of the magazine as of Jan. 2012, deciding to go to an online only version. They agreed with a panel’s assessment that staff’s time could be more valuably spent working on other projects to market the community.
Jerich said a petition with 500 plus signatures from residents is proof that the decision was a poor one.
“Personally I believe the board raised a fire storm with a bad decision, to get rid of a magazine which is really the face of Anthem,” he said. “I really feel we have the opportunity to right a wrong.”
- Frank Young, the Parks and Facilities Director announced that the tennis courts, that were resurfaced, should be ready for play this week. He also said the community lake will be stocked with fish this week.
-Anthem resident Penny Long said she enjoyed the festivities associated with Autumnfest, but said the money spent on advertising, in efforts to draw an outside audience to Anthem, wasn’t leveraged very well without an Anthem booth giving outsiders a chance to pickup a brochure about the community and talk to an Anthem representative about what the community has to offer.
“We spent a lot of money advertising in the Arizona Republic and other avenues, but there was no council presence,” she said. “There was nothing showing off Anthem businesses. There was no opportunity to sign a water petition or to support the Anthem Memorial. Spending marketing dollars and then not leveraging those dollars doesn’t make sense. You’re throwing money away if you advertise to get people here and then don’t sell Anthem at the event. Are we going to do any cost benefit analysis on these events? We could have had displays with maps of the community. To work to get people from outside Anthem here for the event and then not at least have the Experience Anthem brochures available I think was money down the drain.”
Members on the board and from the Anthem staff agreed to some degree, but a number pointed out that they were in attendance and talked to a number of attendees.
- Ron Tucker offered an update about Anthem Memorial, stating that the marble, the last piece of the puzzle, was expected to arrive from Washington by the end of the week and everything would be in place in time for the Nov. 11 Veterans Day ceremony.
The next Anthem Community Council meeting is set for 6:30 p.m., Nov. 16 at the Anthem Community Center.