COTTONWOOD -- A double rainbow graced the Mingus foothills Friday morning, giving significance to a mutual agreement over future annexations by Cottonwood and Clarkdale. The two municipalities signed the agreement at the Verde Valley Guidance Center.
The Boundary Agreement signed by mayors would keep the two municipalities separate, ease fears of future annexations and put into practice a regional land use plan.
Doug Von Gausig, Mayor of Clarkdale, called it a "very simple elegant agreement that says that Cottonwood agrees not to annex west of these lines and Clarkdale agrees not to annex east of these lines. It doesn't try to make land use planning decisions on either side. It doesn't say that either town wants to annex on their side of the line. It just says what we won't do."
"It takes the pressure off thinking about annexing, which is the goal," said Cottonwood Mayor Diane Joens.
"That is what we want to tell the public," said Karen Pfeifer, of Cottonwood. "The creation of this Boundary Agreement will prevent a rush to annexation of open lands because there is no need to. I think a lot of people may construe that we are going to annex everything to the west and they are going to annex everything to the east. That is not the point."
Both councils have said they want the lands outside their communities to remain open space.
The agreement was negotiated by Karen Pfeifer of Cottonwood and Richard Dehnert of Clarkdale along with managers Doug Bartosh and Gayle Mabery.
The proposed map went back and forth several times, according to the gathering.
The final map shows the boundary line passing through an 8-acre forest tract that Cottonwood had wanted to annex. On the south side, the line takes off from a former Clarkdale annexation.
Dehnert says from Oct. 2, when he and Karen Pfeifer first talked, it was 40 days until the document was signed.
In government work, "That is light speed," said Von Gausig.
Joens remarked that she would like Cottonwood to be in on the decision-making for some of these view-sheds and work with Clarkdale to get these view-sheds transferred to some place else in the Verde Valley so that "we don't have houses up there on the mountainside." She pointed toward the area of a former Clarkdale annexation that emerged from the Yavapai Ranch Land Exchange.
Von Gausig believes that the agreement can be replicated throughout the Verde Valley.
"I think this agreement can become a model for all communities in the Verde Valley. I think Clarkdale and Jerome both want to work on an agreement that would ease fears on both our communities' parts. There are opportunities for Sedona and Camp Verde also."
"Once we can all sit down at the table, this will become a standard and solidify the language of that Regional Land Use Plan that is now over six years old. I look forward to that day when nobody has to worry about annexation fears."
"This is a big step to taking the pressure off, " Pfeifer noted.
One weak point could be a requirement that the agreement be renewed every two years, to avoid binding the acts of future councils.
The document states that it would renew automatically, though each council may give notice otherwise 180 days in advance of the renewal.
The legal wording is still being reviewed by Cottonwood's attorney.
"We hope to work to strengthen the agreement before the renewal," Joens said.
