April 10, 2019 • Vol. 17, No. 21
POSTAL PATRON CAVE CREEK
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Anthem | Black Canyon City | Carefree | Cave Creek | Desert Hills | New River| North Phoenix | Tramonto | Peoria
Local voters in New River, Desert Hills could see incorporation on the ballot this November BY TARA ALATORRE
A preliminary map released earlier this year by NRDHIC that shows the border of the potential city if an incorporation measure is placed on the ballot and approved by voters this November. (Map courtesy of NRDHIC )
NEW RIVER –The New River Desert Hills Incorporation Committee (NRDHIC) recently completed an official land survey and filed a legal description and petition with the Maricopa County Elections Department in its attempt to make the rural community of about 15,000 residents into a city. If successfully placed on the ballot, the incorporation measure would ask residents to decide whether they want to make New River-Desert Hills a self-governed city, or remain as unincorporated Maricopa County land. In an effort to stave off the encroaching urban sprawl and gain local control over growth, NRDHIC has worked for the last 18-months researching the feasibility of creating a city. It would be located on the northern fringes of Maricopa County, bordering the Carefree Highway and Interstate 17 north of Phoenix, near the masterplanned community of Anthem. According to the county, the area NRDHIC is looking to incorporate has lost nearly 25 percent of its land to annexation. The grassroots group is now one step closer to making its goal a reality. NRDHIC will have to collect petition signatures from 10 percent of the residents who are registered voters living within defined legal description before the incorporation measure can be placed on the ballot this November. Residents living in
PHOENIX:
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Development could bring
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American Legion, District 8
1,400 homes near preserve
with Teddy Roosevelt
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Anthem properties are excluded and therefore will not be eligible to sign the petition or vote on the incorporation measure. The group says it has hired a lawyer, sent letters and the legal description of its borders to neighboring cities and has begun collecting signatures for the petition. “It’s do or die time,” NRDHIC President Laurie Ricci said in an interview with The Foothills Focus. “We’ll be posted up at multiple locations with volunteers to collect signatures and of course we are trying to collect more signatures than the mandatory 10 percent just to be sure.” Although NRDHIC only has until May 1, to gather the 1,100 resident signatures for its petition to place incorporation on the ballot, its core members of about 20 people have a passion for their community, driving them to accomplish big goals against the all the odds. However, even if NRDHIC does collect enough signatures in the next few weeks it does not guarantee that the incorporation measure will go to a citizen vote. Any neighboring municipality surrounding the potential town within six-miles must have the local government sign and pass a resolution giving official permission for the new city to be created, which includes, Phoenix, Peoria and Scottsdale. Over the last year members of NRDHIC have had
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