What Pinal County legislators are working on
by Madelaine Braggs | Rose Law Group Reporter
Representative David Cook (R) and Senator T.J. Shope (R) say they’re working across chambers to make sure Pinal County is getting equal attention in the state legislature.
Pinal Partnership hosted an event Friday at the Windmill Winery in Florence, inviting the Arizona lawmakers to give the community an update on local legislature. Representative Cook and Senator Shope were interviewed by Rose Law Group and founder and president Jordan Rose, where they discussed top priorities like water, transportation infrastructure, legalized sports betting and education.
“Water is the #1 question developers have when coming to Pinal County.” – Rep. David Cook
Cook says it evened the playing field to get Governor Doug Ducey to sign a bill giving Pinal County a better grip on the water situation. He says many people don’t realize how much the water issues were moving development projects down their timeline and the solution was almost held up in the House by one vote, until they got on the phone for hours to turn that nay into a yay.
For a time, when developers had to make changes or redo a plat, the Department of Water Resources would automatically move them to the back of the line for approval. But Cook and Shope worked to change that with a measure that made Pinal County the only place in Arizona where a development project wouldn’t lose its place in line if the adjustments meant there would be less water usage. Cook says once other counties realized that was happening in Pinal, they advocated for the same regulation changes across Arizona, which were supported by the governor.
Related: Cook, Shope discuss efforts to find ‘new water’ for Pinal County
Pinal Partnership members can view a recording of the event for free. Reach out to Melissa Johnson if you are a member needing the access code or if you are a non-member interested in learning more about joining. You can view our various membership opportunities here.
