NEARLY 30,000 PEOPLE HARMED EVERYDAY BY COTTONWOOD WATER BILL OVERCHARGES!!!

Something needs to be done at the State Capitol about the lack of regulation over cities’ and towns’ water and wastewater rate increases. We allege the City of Cottonwood’s anti-competitive, monopoly behavior has unfairly resulted in steeply higher tap water prices in the Arizona’s Verde Valley area for nearly 30,000 people since 2004. We contend the City of Cottonwood’s Water Utility practices have unjustly, and unfairly increased drinking water prices for Verde Valley area seniors and families living on low and fixed income which have irreparably harmed Arizonans. The cost of the minimum tap water bill for consumption of zero to 999 gallons per month inside the city of Cottonwood is $33.69 ( includes taxes) per month; and in Verde Village and Verde Santa Fe – two unincorporated suburbs outside city limits in Yavapai County, consumers pay a minimum $42.04 a month for Cottonwood water service including taxes, even if the faucet is never turned on! Even worse, if a low income Cottonwood water utility customer has his or her water turned out, to restore water service, they must pay a delinquent turn on fee of $160 plus their late water bill! Cottonwood has abused its government powers by throwing its weight around in tap water utility market like a private corporation, engaging in illegal water price increases that have irreparably harmed Arizona seniors and families. Because Arizona’s municipal water and wastewater utilities are not regulated or scrutinized under state law by the Arizona Corporation Commission, cities and towns get raise water and wastewater rates without any oversight. We believe Arizona’s self-regulating municipal water utilities should not be able to throttle water prices at the expense of Arizona’s seniors and families and that the State of Arizona should regulated Arizona cities’ and towns’ water and wastewater rates. The fact is, Cottonwood, AZ city officials drove up water rates by first creating allegedly an illegal tap water monopoly from 2004 to 2010 by condemning and acquiring six private water utilities without voter and state authorization, creating an AntiTrust Tap Water Monopoly in the Verde Valley area. These million-dollar capital purchases by issuing water utility revenue bond debts created a financial crisis for the Water Utility that caused the exploitation of almost 30,000 with monopoly water prices and alleged overcharges on city water utility bills FOR 13 YEARS. For years, State legislators and the Arizona Attorney General’s Office were notified but consumer complaints have gone unheard. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE AT THE STATE CAPITOL NOW. CITY AND TOWN WATER AND WASTEWATER UTILITIES NEED TO BE REGULATED!