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Clarkdale council ratifies $12,500 Nature Conservancy grant to update drought plan and adopt water-conservation code
Summary
The Clarkdale Town Council unanimously approved ratifying a $12,500 grant from The Nature Conservancy to fund a rewrite of Article 19-11 (drought and water-shortage preparedness) and create a new water-conservation code, with Arduro performing the draft work and TNC providing input toward a spring 2026 adoption timeline.
The Clarkdale Town Council voted unanimously Oct. 28 to ratify a $12,500 grant from The Nature Conservancy to support an update of town code Article 19-11 (drought and water-shortage preparedness) and to develop a new water-conservation code. The motion, made by Council Member Babett Pierce and seconded by Council Member O'Neal, authorized the town manager to execute all necessary documents.
Virginia Smith, who wrote the grant application, told the council the effort responds to a 20-year-old drought-preparedness section in the code that staff and consultants found disjointed and in need of reorganization. "We went to Ardura ... and they returned with an additional service agreement," Smith said, describing Arduro’s role to draft the rewrite and integrate best practices. Smith said The Nature Conservancy will review drafts and offer input before a final version is brought back to council.
Council members praised the collaboration. One member said the provision ties into the town’s broader water-management goals and welcomed the partnership to bring the code into alignment with current practices. The town aims to have the revised code prepared and codified before May 1, 2026, ahead of the summer water season, and staff said available local conservation-fee funds and the TNC award will cover part of the consultant agreement.
The council’s recorded motion referenced the grant award amount and the specific code article to be updated; the vote was announced as "I" from all present and the motion carried. No amendments were made at the meeting.
