Top 10 stories of 2010

Maricopa experienced some dramatic highs and lows during the past year. Here is a look at 10 key events, ranked according to the results of a poll in which readers voted on the top story of 2010.

1. Global Water increases rates
Global Water’s 2010 rate increase generated great controversy. HOAs, government leaders and individual homeowners throughout the city decried the company’s initial rate increase proposal as catastrophic. Heated public meetings and several legal hearings followed, resulting in rate increases that, while still painful to many, were considerably lower than first planned. 

The final increase will up the average home water/sewer bill in Maricopa from $76 to $96 by Jan. 1, 2012. The increase, while significant, is nearly $40 a month less than what Global originally requested. The future rate increase for reclaimed water, which HOAs use to irrigate green belts, was also reduced, from a proposed $2 per 1,000 gallons to 57 cents, up from the current 33 cents per 1,000.

2. Fragrant feedlot shuts down
In July, the city council approved a deal that removed one feedlot from the city and set the stage for a future employment center.

The city purchased 68 acres of a 900-acre parcel for $3 million to use for the construction of a railroad overpass at White and Parker Road. In turn, the owner of the 900 acres, El Dorado Holdings, canceled Maricopa Feedlot’s lease, and agreed to the rezoning of 50 acres in the parcel from residential to commercial use.

“This is a landmark change for the city of Maricopa,” said Mayor Anthony Smith. “It is as important for the city as the expansion of State Route 347 from two to four lanes was.”

The feedlot was scheduled to vacate Maricopa by the end of 2010, reducing the cow population of Maricopa from 84,000 to about 50,000.

3. Republicans sweep Pinal County races
November brought a red tide as Republicans Steve Smith, Frank Pratt and John Fillmore led a sweep of the State Legislative District 23. It marked the first time in the county’s history the district was controlled by a trio of Republicans.

4. Real estate market fails to revive
The real estate market was awful in 2009, but there were signs of a recovery – with sales and prices increasing modestly – and hopes were high that 2010 would be significantly better.

It wasn’t. Once the first-time homebuyer tax credit expired last fall, unsold inventory and foreclosures went up and prices went down. In the fall, new home sales, which had been weak all year, ground almost to a halt with only two permits pulled in October. Through the first two weeks of December, Maricopa averaged only 16 new home permits per month.

5. Two hotels promised to Maricopa
Mayor Smith announced in February that a Holiday Inn Express was on its way to Maricopa, with a planned completion date of November 2010. However, construction was delayed because of issues with the Arizona Department of Transportation and the project is now scheduled forcompletion in late 2011, according to Larry Miller manager of Matrixx Management, the company behind the hotel development.

While the Holiday Inn is still a drawing, construction of a 152-room addition to Harrah’s Ak Chin Casino broke ground in June and is slated for completion in July 2011.

“This is going to be a fabulous addition,” said Geoff Andres, then general manager at Harrah’s Ak-Chin, noting that the $20-million project will create needed space at the resort, which is booked to capacity on a nightly basis.

6. CAC plans campus
In one of the year’s brightest moments, Central Arizona College’s Governing Board voted unanimously in August to purchase 217 acres of vacant land south of Bowlin Road and west of White and Parker Road for construction of a full-scale college campus that will eventually serve 15,000 students and employ thousands of faculty and staff. The new campus will replace the college’s Maricopa Center, a small storefront location at 20800 N. John Wayne Parkway. The college closed on the land in December and construction is expected to start sometime in late 2011.

7. City Manager Kevin Evans steps down
The Maricopa City Council voted Sept. 29 to grant City Manager Kevin Evans the severance agreement he requested. During his three-year tenure, Evans oversaw a critical phase of Maricopa’s growth. Accomplishments included implementing a strategic plan, creating the Maricopa Economic Development Foundation, establishing communications with neighboring tribal governments and passing a $65 million parks, recreation and library bond package.

“When Kevin Evans first arrived this city was just a baby learning to crawl, and while we may not be running yet, we are certainly walking now, thanks to him,” said Vice-Mayor Edward Farrell.

8. City employees bring suits, face indictment
2010 was full of drama involving current and former city employees:

Aki Stant The Maricopa Police sergeant’s turbulent career with the city came to an end June 21 for failure to comply with an internal investigation into the actions of one of his subordinates, officer Elliot Sneezy, who was being investigated for sending an e-mail while off duty to city council questioning the police department’s lack of an investigation into Sgt. James Hudspeth. Stant has since filed a $1.5 million claim against the city alleging violation of his constitutional due process rights.

James Hudspeth Hudspeth was demoted from sergeant to officer in May at the recommendation of Chief Kirk Fitch and Director of Public Safety Patrick Melvin after he violated department policy by taking property from a suspect’s vehicle. Hudspeth contested the demotion and the city Merit Board ultimately sided with him, giving him back his sergeant’s stripes.

Marty McDonald Fired in 2009 from his position as director of community services, Marty McDonald fought off legal charges that he used the city’s FedEx discount to ship personal items.

In 2010 McDonald was hit with three new felony charges alleging that he stole by fraud nearly $8,000 from the Friends of the Maricopa Public Library and then fabricated documentation to have the fraud charge dismissed. McDonald continues to maintain his innocence of all charges and has filed two suits against the city, one for $500,000 in 2009 and another for $50,000 this year.

9. MUSD override fails
The Maricopa Unified School District made headlines throughout the year due to budget reductions imposed by the state and the repeated failure of an override continuation measure. Cuts in fiscal 2009-2010 totaled more than $5 million and led to the elimination of 10 custodians, two groundskeepers, three bus drivers, a shop supervisor, a handful of teachers and 23 paraprofessionals. Hours and benefits were reduced for all remaining paraprofessionals along with the amount of money paid to teachers to coach sports. Making matters worse, the district now faces an additional $4 million to $5 million in cuts during the next fiscal year due to state revenue shortfalls and continued expiration of the override.

10. Biomass plant comes to town
The city received a second piece of excellent economic news when Pinal Power announced it would build a 30 megawatt renewable energy power plant in Maricopa. The plant, which will generate enough juice to light 35,000 homes, will employ 125 during construction and create 25 permanent full-time jobs in the city. Construction is scheduled to start soon and the plant is expected to be operational by the latter part of 2012.