During the annual State of the Town Address on April 26, Marana Mayor Ed Honea said Marana will continue to stay true to its core mission, which is devoted to strong public infrastructure, public safety and public services.

After a March election that demonstrated overwhelming support for a town-owned wastewater treatment facility, members of the Marana Citizen’s Forum are looking at the next logical step forward for this session’s topic – the development of North Marana.

Marana voters spoke loud and clear in the town’s March 12 Primary Election.

The Town of Marana has hosted a pair of open houses — the most recent last week at Wheeler Taft Abbett Sr. Library on N. Schisler Drive, to help educate the public about the town’s pursuit of a wastewater system.

Water is and always will be our most precious natural resource. We live in a state where acquiring water is challenging, expensive and, sometimes, almost impossible.

While the Town of Oro Valley will retain all current council members until at least June of next year, the Town of Marana will have a busy election season come March, when four incumbents and two challengers will compete to earn a seat on council. 

After years of dispute over control of the Marana Wastewater Reclamation Facility, the Pima County Board of Supervisors is calling for an end to further litigation with the Town of Marana, recently extending two separate settlement offers.

The Arizona Supreme Court has declined to hear the Town of Marana’s case relating to a ballot measure that would have allowed the municipality to own and operate a wastewater facility without seeking voter approval in next year’s town elections. 

While the fate of the Marana Wastewater Treatment Facility has yet to be legally determined, Pima County and the Town of Marana continue to disagree on issues outside of the courtroom. 

As litigation continues over control of the Marana Wastewater Treatment Facility, the Town of Marana has put together some numbers to demonstrate the perks of providing residents with a town-owned wastewater facility.

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Name: Vic Williams

Name: Mike Hellon

The ongoing litigation between the Town of Marana and Pima County regarding control of  the Marana Wastewater Treatment Facility is headed to the Arizona Supreme Court.

Following the latest ruling by the Arizona Court of Appeals,  the Town of Marana may take litigation to the Arizona Supreme Court in its battle with Pima County over control of the Marana Wastewater Treatment Facility.

It might surprise you that I agree with Marana Town Manager Gilbert Davidson regarding the importance of managing water resources.  Water is a vital resource for future growth and development.  However, I completely disagree with the Town’s strategy to take over Pima County’s wastewater facilities for this purpose.

For the past five years, the Town has worked to gain control of wastewater service. There have been several successes along the way, including the Town’s acquisition of the Marana Wastewater Treatment Facility in January.

Officials from the Town of Marana and Pima County are still looking at what will happen next following a ruling last week, where the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled the town’s takeover of a wastewater plant is invalid.

In a recent update to the Pima County Board of Supervisors, Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said another lawsuit will be filed against the Town of Marana if they don’t pay the more than $18 million owed for the wastewater treatment facility.

Over the last year, it’s becoming more and more alarming to see how some politicians are “serving constituents” in Congress, and the Arizona Legislature. I am not talking about the bills being passed, even though there are plenty of them that are just ridiculous. No, I am talking about behavior.

Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry was disappointed in the Arizona Legislature’s approval to audit county bond practices. After passing both the House and Senate, Gov. Jan Brewer signed House Bill 2408 into law on March 29.