Prescott Valley planning commission forwards ‘Government Tank’ mine rezoning to council after contentious hearing

The Prescott Valley Planning and Zoning Commission voted 3–2 on Dec. 8, 2025, to forward a recommendation to the Town Council to approve a major General Plan amendment and a zone map change that would allow the Government Tank aggregate site to operate on a 40‑acre parcel with an accompanying development agreement.

The commission’s action is advisory to the Town Council; council approval would be required before mining activity could begin and would be subject to referendum under Arizona law. The hearing drew more than a dozen public speakers, repeated questions from commissioners about water, dust and blasting, and detailed assurances from the applicant and its counsel about mitigation measures.

Bill Lally, counsel for the applicant, told commissioners the site was chosen to keep hauling costs low and to provide a replacement site near the operation’s existing processing plant. Lally said the development agreement incorporates “very limited blasting,” restricts hours of operation to 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, prohibits new groundwater wells on the Government Tank parcel and requires robust dust‑control measures including water trucks and soil stabilizers. He described a proposed gift of roughly 80 acres to the town that would be…