Pinal Partnership outlines water wins, energy shift and $1.3M regional transportation study

Craig McFarland, a representative of the Pinal Partnership, told the Casa Grande City Council on June 2 that the countywide nonprofit has expanded its membership and lobbying activity and expects several water- and transportation-related initiatives to reach the Legislature and local decision-makers.

McFarland said the Pinal Partnership, a nonprofit with more than 200 members, hired a lobbying firm this year and "we were able to get a, 1 1 bill passed. We have another 1 that's very close to being completed." He identified the enacted measure as House Bill 2753 and said it "allows or includes Pinal County now in the water augmentation that Maricopa County already had." He credited legislators and partnership members for removing problematic language during the process.

The nut graf: The presentation laid out near-term policy work the Partnership says could affect local infrastructure planning and financing: water augmentation authority changes, a pending bill to give a Pinal County augmentation authority bonding power for water infrastructure, a broader energy focus for the Partnership's energy committee, and a $1.3 million regional-transportation study using Arizona State University's Decision Theater.

McFarland said the water committee meets weekly and that the Partnership's lobbying helped advance three water priorities. He told the council the Partnership expects to move a Pinal augmentation authority bill that would permit that authority to bond for water infrastructure and that those actions represent the organization's first successful water legislation in about five years.

On energy, McFarland said the group is renaming its Renewable Energy Committee to the Energy Committee to reflect the need to address overall energy capacity as local population and industry grow. "If you listen to SRP, it's taken them 100 years to get to where they're at today in terms of their energy output. They need to double that in the next 10 years," he said.

McFarland also described a proposed partnership with Arizona State University's Decision Theater to produce a regional transportation plan. He said the study will require about $1,300,000 and that the county is "all in" to help fund the work. The study, he said, would inform whether the county will pursue voter approval of a Pinal Regional Transportation Authority (PRTA) and a long-term, 40- to 50-year road-building strategy.

Council members asked logistical questions and confirmed that the Partnership's regular breakfasts are open to the public and generally sell out. McFarland noted the Partnership hosts monthly breakfasts (the first Friday of the month, except July) and maintains eight committees, including a technical water committee that meets weekly.

Ending: McFarland said the Partnership is also planning events on education and workforce development and a second annual golf tournament benefiting United Way, and he invited the council to advise staff if support letters or other assistance are needed.