Mesa del Sol seeks city annexation
Group to make request before council on Wednesday
Members of the Mesa del Sol Homeowners Association are expected to make a request for annexation before the Yuma City Council during the Wednesday meeting.
“They have written a formal letter to the city to request it. They will present first at the meeting,” City Administrator Greg Wilkinson said.
Mesa del Sol is currently under the jurisdiction of Yuma County. Annexation is the process by which a city assumes jurisdiction over unincorporated territory adjacent to its boundaries, according to the League of Arizona Cities and Towns.
If Mesa del Sol residents are successful in their annexation bid, the subdivision would come under city jurisdiction, which would include receiving water/ sewer, police and fire services as well as having to pay city property taxes.
Wilkinson confirmed that the annexation in Yuma requires the consent of the owners of at least one-half of the dollar value of the real and personal property and one-half plus one of the property owners in the territory to be annexed as shown by the last assessment. In addition, the consent of the City Council is required.
The city has been looking into buying Far West Water and Sewer in case the residents of Mesa del Sol go through the annexation process, according to city spokesman Dave Nash. Far West currently serves Mesa del Sol and the Foothills/ Fortuna area.
The Wednesday meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 1 City Plaza.
But the council will first meet in a work session at 6 p.m. Tuesday, also in the chambers. During this session, Chuck Finnila, president of the Yuma Territory Live Steamers, and John Schwartz, vice president, will present an update on the current and future activities of the group.
The council will then review the regular agenda for the Wednesday meeting, which includes job order contracts for transportation facilities, pathways and pavement with several contractors, including Cactus Asphalt of Tolleson; Cemex Materials South of Yuma; DPE Construction of Yuma; Sunland Asphalt of Phoenix; and SWP Contracting and Paving of Yuma.
The consent agenda includes an intergovernmental agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations-Phoenix for use of the city’s Public Safety Training Facility.
The council will also consider an IGA with the Yuma County Airport Authority for use of city right-of-way adjacent to the airport for the installation of public art and airport signs.
Six resolutions are on the agenda, including one that would declare as public record a revision to Chapter 191, which covers industrial wastes and other wastewater discharges. The city is seeking to amend the chapter because inspections by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and Environmental Protection Agency have noted that Yuma’s sewer use code does not meet the requirements of the current state and federal pretreatment regulations. ADEQ has directed the city to update its code.
Other resolutions would authorize the deferment of development fees and water and sewer capacity charges for the Park West Unit No. 4 Subdivision, Desert Sky Unit No. 1 Subdivision and Desert Oasis Unit No. 3 Subdivision.
The final resolution would authorize a preannexation development agreement with Timothy and Tabor Samuelson for property located at 851 S. Avenue C.
Ordinances up for adoption include several amendments to the city’s building code. One ordinance will be introduced; it calls for the adoption of the National Fire Protection Association Fire Code 2018.
To view the complete agenda, go to www.yumaaz.gov.