Johnson Utilities Lawsuit and Settlement Issues
- Three people filed a lawsuit against Johnson Utilities due to poor water quality and improper waste disposal
- The plaintiffs received a $10,000 settlement while several other people got credit on their water bills, though some residents never received any credit
- Stockton argues that with municipal oversight, settlement money would have been distributed equitably to all ratepayers rather than benefiting only the lawsuit plaintiffs
- She expresses concern about individuals capitalizing on community-wide problems
Current Representation Through ACC Commissioner
- Nick Myers, a local resident, serves on the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) and has worked to improve transparency compared to previous years
- The ACC has become more transparent since Myers and the other commissioners have worked to overcome past issues compared to when Stockton first moved to the area
- Stockton acknowledges Myers’ good work but argues that 120,000 people deserve direct municipal representation rather than relying on one individual
Historical ACC and ADEQ Response Problems
- The ACC and ADEQ initially showed little concern for the 100 and some thousand residents affected by Johnson Utilities issues
- State agencies only took action after Supervisor Goodman forced a town hall held over three nights with about 500 or 600 people attending
- Federal indictment charges filed against a couple of people brought additional attention to the problems, though the indictment fell by the wayside with nothing coming of it
- The federal charges brought attention to Johnson Utilities and how the utility company was being run
Inadequate Regulatory Enforcement
- Johnson Utilities made promises to ADEQ to fix infrastructure issues but stopped implementing improvements once regulators returned to Phoenix
- The utility operated without consistent local oversight as a private business
- EPCOR has improved operations since taking over from Johnson Utilities
Municipal Oversight Advantages
- Municipalities typically oversee their utility companies directly, while private utilities in unincorporated areas lack local supervision
- Stockton believes private utilities only have to report water quality once a month, creating potential 30-day gaps in detecting problems like E.coli contamination
- A municipality could implement more frequent oversight and faster response protocols
Political Voice and Representation
- Municipal incorporation would provide San Tan Valley with stronger advocacy to influence ADEQ and ACC on utility oversight issues
- Current unincorporated status leaves the community politically marginalized and underrepresented