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Results: Voters weigh in on San Tan Valley becoming a town

The Brief Voters in San Tan Valley are deciding on Proposition 495, which would incorporate the community into a town and make it the largest in Pinal County. Supporters of incorporation, like the nonprofit STV Inc., say it would bring in state shared revenue and improve quality of life, while opponents argue it would lead to increased taxes and other fees. SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. - Residents of San Tan Valley are deciding whether to incorporate as a town, which would make it the largest town in Pinal County. Now that the polls closed on Tuesday night, more than 7,120 voters voted "yes" to incorporate, and more than 3,300 voted "no." So far, there are just over 10,500 total voters. Not all votes have been counted. What we know STV Inc., a nonprofit, submitted nearly 11,000 signatures to get Proposition 495 on the ballot. The election was held on Aug. 5, and polls closed at 7 p.m. "Our goal has been to give residents that democratic choice to be able to vote yes or no on incorporation," said Tyler Hudgins, chairman of STV Inc., during an Aug. 5 election watch party hosted at the Rural Metro Fire Station. He says becoming a town would improve the quality of life for the estimated 100,000 residents. According to Hudgins, incorporation itself would not increase taxes, but a future town council could pass a sales tax. "The Arizona state shared revenue they talked about earlier will start to come here. It's about $50 million that we'll get to use for the first year or two," Hudgins said. "Property taxes cannot increase unless a future council decided to send that to the ballot. And the voters have to decide to tax themselves." Mike Schumal, a San Tan Valley resident since 2005, wrote a letter to the editor strongly against the proposition. He says he chose to live in the community because of its affordability. "Currently, the only things that we're really having to pay for are Pinal County taxes and Rural Metro for fire service," Schumal said. He argued that incorporation would lead to added costs, including a potential sales tax and other fees that would be passed on to consumers. STV Inc. says it will support the voters' decision and just wanted to ensure both sides of the issue were heard. What's next The ballot curing deadline for this election is Aug. 8. What you can do Click here to see the latest election results. Solve the daily Crossword