Gov. Katie Hobbs signs bill to restore Rio Verde Foothills water service, vetoes culture war measures

Residents of Rio Verde Foothills left scrambling to find a water source earlier this year will get a reprieve under a bill Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed into law on Monday.

The governor signed the bill, which she previously signaled she would support, and 14 others on Monday while vetoing six measures on her desk.

Hobbs' veto stamp was busy again Friday and Monday after lawmakers returned from a summer break to hold two days of voting last week, sending the Democratic governor a cascade of bills that wade into the culture war.

Her single-year veto record climbed even higher, to 125 vetoes this year, a reflection of divided government at Arizona's Capitol.

In a statement, Hobbs declared the Rio Verde water bill, House Bill 2561/Senate Bill 1432, a victory of bipartisanship. Having been introduced by members of the Legislature's farthest right flank, the Freedom Caucus, the bill passed with supermajority support, meaning it will become law immediately.

"This bipartisan bill shows that when we put politics aside, we can come together to solve problems for everyday Arizonans," the governor said. "While it isn't perfect, I'm glad we were able to deliver relief for the residents of Rio Verde Foothills."

The bill will keep water flowing to the Rio Verde Foothills subdivision for at least three years under terms of an agreement and a new government entity — called a standpipe district — that can enter into deals to help Rio Verde Foothills get water.

Scottsdale cut off Rio Verde from its water supply early this year, leaving residents in a panic and teeing up what has become a prominent issue for lawmakers, especially Republicans, at the Capitol.

"Every single citizen within our state should have access to clean drinking water," Sen. Justine Wadsack, R-Tucson and the bill sponsor, said in a statement, noting the "incredibly stressful and heartbreaking ordeal" experienced by hundreds of Rio Verde residents.

"I'm thankful our Legislators could come together in a bipartisan manner to get water flowing again for this community," she said. "This is just one of several water issues I know we can tackle as a team at the Legislature to provide security to all Arizona residents."

Rep. Alex Kolodin, R-Scottsdale and the sponsor of a similar bill in the House that was merged with Wadsack's, said in a statement, "The era of kicking the can down the road is over."

"Arizona's water issues are serious, but, today, we learned that they are also solvable," he said. "I look forward to that challenge."

After Hobbs said last week she would sign the bill, the Scottsdale city manager's office said in a statement it was "confident that this legislation protects Scottsdale residents and addresses the city's primary short-term concerns while placing the city back into a role as temporary provider of water for Rio Verde Foothills."

The city will be paid for its role in treating water that goes to the Rio Verde subdivision, according to the bill.

Bill sent to governor: 2nd legislative solution for Rio Verde Foothills water woes heads to Hobbs' desk

A prior version of the bill included a revamp of lot-splitting laws, which aimed to stop what are called "wildcat" subdivisions. That provision was removed from the bill, but Hobbs said last week that loophole needed to be closed.

"Rio Verde is a perfect example of why this loophole shouldn't exist, and we need to address it," the governor told reporters, adding that she hoped her Water Policy Council would address the lot split loophole as part of its mission to evaluate and update groundwater laws.

Bill signings and bill vetoes

Hobbs signed 16 bills on Friday and Monday, many of which deal with more nuanced aspects of government. One changed a reporting date for the Department of Water Resources and another requires Arizona to align with federal standards for disposing of sewage sludge used on land, such as fertilizer.

On Monday, Hobbs vetoed six bills, including those that awarded school board members access to district offices as if they were staff (House Bill 2210) and required county approval for solar or wind power plants (House Bill 2618).

On Friday, she killed eight bills that largely dealt with culture war issues, including a ban on public entities requiring contractors to have environmental, social or governance policies and a bill to allow election workers to hand-count ballots, a practice scholars have warned would be less accurate than machine counts.

Three bills — Senate Bill 1028, Senate Bill 1026 and Senate Bill 1030 — put restrictions on drag shows, "adult cabaret" and "sexually explicit performances." Senate Bill 1698 made it a felony crime and required sex offender registration for anyone who took a child to an "adult oriented business," a term so vague legislative lawyers warned it could have unintended legal ramifications.

Hobbs charged in her veto letter that those four bills were attempts to "criminalize free expression and ostracize the LGBTQIA+ community" by including language that could be "weaponized by those who choose hate over acceptance."

"Intolerance has no place in Arizona, despite the legislature's frequent attempts to pass legislation that says otherwise," the governor wrote.

Hobbs is expected to soon veto a GOP-backed plan to extend a half-cent sales tax for transportation projects in Maricopa County but has not yet done so. The Democratic governor made clear within minutes of Republicans passing the extension of what is known as Proposition 400 last week that it would die on her desk.

Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com or 480-416-5669. Follow her on Twitter @sbarchenger.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Gov. Hobbs signs bill to restore water service to Rio Verde Foothills