Arizona panel OKs secrecy in negotiations to import water using taxpayer money
A Senate panel voted to shut the public out of the key business of the state agency tasked with finding new water for Arizona. HB 2014 authorizes the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority to enter into agreements to facilitate the construction of a project that would bring water from outside the state into Arizona. It also empowers the agency to negotiate deals with others to agree to purchase the water once it becomes available. But what HB 2014 also would do is exempt all communications and information gathered related to water augmentation from all provisions of the state’s Public Records Law. And the only time anyone could get information would be “on the consent of the authority.”