Peoria Develops Draft Ordinance to Ensure Renewable Water Supply for New Growth
To ensure the City of Peoria can supply new growth with a renewable water supply, city management has developed a draft ordinance for non-residential customers (e.g., commercial, institutional, industrial) that use a relatively high volume of water.
Staff presented details of a draft Large Water User Ordinance to the City Council in a Tuesday evening Study Session.
The draft ordinance would require future customers, and existing customers seeking to significantly increase their water use, to apply for a city-issued permit before beginning or expanding water service. Such users would include:
· Customers who use more than 50,000 gallons per day on average over a one-year period; or,
· Customers who use more than 100,000 gallons in any 24-hour period; or,
· Those customers that are classified as a water intensive user
This ordinance would support the city’s 100-year Designation of Assured Water Supply and Integrated Water Resources Master Plan, and ensure best practices are in place for minimizing consumption, maximizing recycling and reducing water loss.
While Peoria initiated this concept in the late 2000’s, it is revisiting the policy after other Valley municipalities have successfully crafted similar ordinances including Chandler, Mesa, Gilbert, and Phoenix.
The city will engage with various stakeholders over the next few weeks seeking feedback on the draft proposal, before bringing a final item back to Council for possible consideration and action.
MCSO Cracking Down on DUI Warrants
With an additional $46,000 in their pocket, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Vehicular Crimes Unit is looking for individuals with outstanding warrants related to driving while under the influence. Thanks to the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, MCSO now has the funds to target those individuals who have not presented themselves for warrants including DUI, aggravated DUI, endangerment, aggravated assault and vehicular homicide.
35% of all traffic deaths in Arizona involve alcohol, which is higher than the national average of 32%. Despite Arizona’s stringent DUI laws, we have seen a growing problem with drivers operating vehicles under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Phoenix Public Transit Receives a Federal Grant
The Phoenix Public Transit Department recently received a $12.9 million congestion relief grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. The grant will go to fund Project EASE, also known as Effective Access Solutions for Easing congestion in the city.
Phoenix Public Transit has partnered with Via Transportation to implement microtransit services (more flexible, on demand transit options) and evaluate the effectiveness of the city’s current commuter bus program. The project will also work to discover new ways to decrease congestion within notoriously high congestion zones.
Project EASE is a three-pronged “congestion mitigation initiative” designed to provide options for passengers using public transit. According to a statement made by the city the program includes:
• Implementing three strategically placed microtransit zones in Phoenix over a three-year period.
• Augmenting existing RAPID commuter bus service that will complement the new microtransit zones.
• Integrating new and existing microtransit services into the regional transit software application for trip planning, real-time vehicle tracking and fare payments.
Currently the project is estimated at approximately $16.2 million, with the city providing a match of $3.2 million. More community engagement and outreach efforts will be made by the city beginning in 2025 to help gather public feedback and opinions on implementing the service.
