Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Sinking Support

Posted By on Tue, Oct 2, 2007 at 4:48 PM

The Pima County Democratic Party is the latest bunch to come out against Prop 200, the Tucson Water Users' Bill of Rights, which city voters will decide in November.

The initiative, written by erstwhile state lawmaker John Kromko, would repeal the city's $14-a-month trash fee; prevent Tucson Water from adding any new customers without voter approval once it begins delivering 140,000 acre-feet of water each year; and ban the recharge of treated effluent for future home delivery.

The Dems say:

The Executive Committee of the Pima County Democratic Party voted last night to oppose Proposition 200 as deceptive, misleading and guaranteed to generate sprawl.

“It is a bait and switch initiative that looks like it would limit growth but really does just the opposite,” said Vince Rabago, Pima County Democratic Party Chairman. “By limiting Tucson Water hookups inside the City, Prop 200 would drive growth outside the city—generating sprawl. Plus, it favors big developers (who can pay to sink their own wells into our aquifer) over individual homeowners. It’s terrible policy with a catchy slogan. Once voters know what Prop 200 would really do to our city, we’re confident they’ll reject it.”

Additional reasons cited to oppose the measure were:

• The wording is “a mess” that would tie up the City in litigation for years—essentially a “Lawyer’s Full Employment Act.”

• Prop 200 would make construction of affordable housing in the City difficult or impossible.

• It would severely restrict Tucson Water’s ability to promote water conservation.

• Prop 200 would hinder popular recharge projects that preserve riparian habitat vital to wildlife.

Shazam! No wonder Kromko joined the Greens, who remain the only political party to get behind Prop 200. The Pima County Republican Party Executive Committee has already come out against it.

Want to know more? Kromko's side here (isn't it time to update that Web page?); The city's FAQ here.