San Tan Valley voters heavily supporting incorporation as new town
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After years of unsuccessful attempts to incorporate, San Tan Valley is poised to become Arizona's newest municipality.
Why it matters: Municipalities have more control over public services and tax revenue than unincorporated communities.
- San Tan Valley residents currently rely on Pinal County for many services.
- An incorporated town can collect and spend tax dollars and receive shared tax revenue from the state.
Driving the news: Proposition 495, to incorporate San Tan Valley as a town, led with nearly 67% — a 4,092-vote lead out of 12,338 counted — as of Tuesday night.
- It's unclear how many ballots are left to count.
What they're saying: "In our view, it's over," Tyler Hudgins, chair of the pro-incorporation STV Inc. campaign, told Axios.
The big picture: STV estimates that the new town would have about 100,000 residents.
- San Tan Valley would be the largest municipality in Arizona history to incorporate, according to Pinal County.
What's next: Pinal County would maintain effective control and continue to provide services through July 1, 2026, county spokesperson James Daniels told Axios.
- The county would likely continue providing services like law enforcement, road maintenance, planning, and animal control for years to come through an intergovernmental services agreement with the town, he added.
- The Board of Supervisors would appoint town council members, who won't meet until next July.
Catch up quick: STV launched its campaign two years ago to put the issue on the 2024 ballot.
- Land issues delayed things, but the campaign began collecting signatures last fall, ultimately submitting about 10,500 in April.
Flashback: The most recent attempt to incorporate San Tan Valley collapsed in 2018 after Shea Homes informed the county it did not give permission for its Encanterra subdivision to be part of the proposed boundaries.
- The town of Florence scuttled a 2010 effort over concerns it would lose about $1 million in shared tax revenue from the state per year.
- Incorporation efforts in 2004 and 2005 failed to collect enough signatures.
- Former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation in 2017 eliminating nearby cities' ability to block incorporation of new municipalities and in 2022 allowing master-planned communities to remove themselves from proposed municipal boundaries without killing an incorporation effort.