Local opinion: Tucson water rate hikes are an unequal tax on county residents

As a small business owner operating on a county island just outside Tucson city limits, I, like many others in unincorporated Pima County, depend on the City of Tucson for water and the County for sewer. This decades-old regional arrangement has long worked, until now. The City is using its control over water to push an agenda that is not only unfair, but deeply political.

This is not the first time the City of Tucson has tried to impose differential water rates on unincorporated residents. A judge already ruled against the City in a prior legal challenge. This time, the approach is even more calculated. The City has exempted the County itself as a ratepayer, intentionally removing “standing” for the County to sue again. And despite the court’s earlier decision, county residents were never reimbursed for the overcharges.

Tucson Water’s new “differential” rate structure raises costs by 16 to 23 percent exclusively for unincorporated residents and businesses. We don’t have a vote in city government. We have no representation on the Tucson City Council. Yet we are being asked to pay significantly more for the exact same service.

This isn’t a routine cost-of-service adjustment. It’s a targeted increase: a tax without representation.

At the May 6 Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisor Steve Christy said it plainly: “If you don’t like high water rates, there’s a cure for that — allow the City of Tucson to annex you.” He called the tactic what it is: “blackmail.”

That same day, the Pima County Board of Supervisors debated Resolution 2025-10, which would have formally opposed these differential rates and directed County staff to support legal challenges brought by residents or associations. Supervisor Rex Scott, who sponsored the resolution, called the City’s plan “inherently discriminatory and unfair.”

Scott explained that nearly one-third of Tucson Water’s customers live in the unincorporated county. “They began with an end in mind,” he said, “jacking up rates solely on customers in the unincorporated county.” He and Christy were the only two supervisors to vote in favor.

The resolution failed in a 2–3 vote. Supervisors Andrés Cano, Jennifer Allen, and Matt Heinz voted against it — even though all three represent unincorporated areas. In fact, Allen openly acknowledged, “Nearly 60% of my constituents live in unincorporated areas,” yet still opposed the measure, calling its tone “confrontational.”

Supervisor Cano defended the city’s actions, stating, “Tucson Water is organized as an enterprise … Water efficiency programs are not only smart, they’re economical.” But those words ring hollow to businesses and families now paying more simply because they’re not inside city limits.

Supervisor Heinz declined to take any stand at all. “I don’t support legal action … but I support dialogue,” he said. “Are we even paying enough for water in the desert?”

These are not serious responses to a serious problem. These are elected officials deflecting from their responsibility to defend the people they serve.

Meanwhile, Pima County is not growing. The region has seen stagnant population numbers for years. Yet instead of pursuing real economic development, the same supervisors who refused to stand up to the City are advancing policies under their Pima Prospers plan that will almost certainly lead to higher taxes on County residents. With talk of property tax increases already circulating, these water rate hikes are just the beginning.

Differential rates will leave thousands of families and businesses with higher bills and no recourse. This is not just flawed policy, it is a failure of representation. The Board of Supervisors was not created to act as an extension of the City Council.

Supervisors Scott and Christy deserve credit for standing their ground and defending their constituents. They stood for fairness and transparency. The rest chose loyalty to City Hall over the people who elected them.

Water is not a political weapon. But in Tucson, it’s being used as one, a tax on county residents that advances the City of Tucson’s agenda.

As the old saying goes, “Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting.” That appears to be the law of the land in the Old Pueblo once again.