Signature collection begins for San Tan Valley incorporation effort

The effort to collect enough signatures to put San Tan Valley incorporation on the ballot in 2025 is underway, and organizers say they're off to a strong start.

Why it matters: Municipalities have more control over public services and tax revenue than unincorporated communities.

• San Tan Valley residents currently depend on Pinal County for many services, and the county and state collect and spend tax revenue from the community.
• Under the proposed municipal boundaries, San Tan Valley would have about 91,000 residents, according to incorporation committee chair Tyler Hudgins.

State of play: STV Inc., the incorporation campaign, estimates it needs 6,441 signatures to put the issue on the Aug. 5, 2025 ballot, Hudgins said.

• The campaign says it's collected nearly 1,600 signatures over the past two weeks since the Pinal County Board of Supervisors approved its application to circulate petitions.
• They have a six-month window, ending April 28.
• The county estimated the campaign needs around 7,000 signatures based on some areas that weren't ultimately included in the proposed boundaries, Hudgins said. The campaign intends to talk with the county about revising the number.

Catch up quick: San Tan Valley residents have unsuccessfully sought to incorporate several times in the past 20 years.

• The most recent effort fell flat in 2018 after Shea Homes told the county it hadn't given permission for one of its subdivisions to be included in the proposed boundaries.
• The town of Florence blocked a 2010 effort over concerns about the loss of shared tax revenue from the state.
• Previous attempts in 2004 and 2005 failed to collect enough signatures.

Between the lines: STV Inc. originally hoped to put incorporation on the ballot this year, but delayed its plans so Pinal County and the Arizona State Land Department could resolve issues over state land that the campaign sought to include in the proposed boundaries.

• Hudgins tells Axios the issues have been resolved, and the boundaries now include two chunks of state land. One is a large parcel in the middle of San Tan Valley, and the other is a smaller piece on the southern part of the map that the campaign considers "strategically important for commercial and industrial development."

What they're saying: Hudgins said San Tan Valley residents have been eager to sign the campaign's petitions, and the enthusiasm they're seeing "just shows that there's just a lot of people who want something different for the community."