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Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
San Tan Valley incorporation committee claims victory in campaign to become a town
Arizona's largest unincorporated community appears to be on its way to becoming Arizona's next town. The San Tan Valley incorporation committee claimed victory and lauded voters' 'landmark decision' in the Aug. 5 election. It stated its lead was 'mathematically insurmountable' in an Aug. 6 news release. 'We have planted the flag as Arizona's 92nd municipality — making our community the largest incorporation in state history. It's a powerful example of what happens when neighbors come together with a shared vision and unwavering belief in our future,' said Tyler Hudgins, the committee's chairman, in the news release. The community located in Pinal County, south of Queen Creek, has grown to more than 100,000 residents. It would become the largest municipality in the county. It also would be among the 15 most populated towns and cities in the state. Over the past 15 years, several incorporation efforts had been launched, but none had ever been placed on a ballot and sent to the voters. By the afternoon of Aug. 6, the proposition was passing, with 66% of residents voting in favor of becoming a town. About 1,820 provisional and late early ballot drop-offs remained to be tabulated, according to a Pinal County spokesperson. The next update will be Aug. 7. Arizona allows voters to drop off early ballots at the polls on Election Day, and those ballots must be processed and verified before they can be tallied. Election results in Arizona are unofficial until local officials have tabulated and canvassed the results. It's unknown how many ballots remain to be counted. The Pinal County Board of Supervisors was scheduled to canvass the election results on Aug. 18. "We've heard loud and clear from the public that they want to be able to govern themselves," he said. Board member Mike Goodman, who represents the San Tan Valley area, was thrilled with the unofficial results. He said the residents will be able to take responsibility for their own growth, and he will do everything in his power to support them. San Tan Valley will also be another partner in regional planning, he said. "It's going to provide them lobbying power when they go to the state of Arizona to get their portion of the tax dollars," he said. After the election is canvassed, the Board of Supervisors will meet to discuss the next steps in transitioning the unincorporated community into a town with its own council. San Tan Valley will take local control in July 2026, at the beginning of the next fiscal year. Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek and can be reached at or 480-271-0646. Follow her on X @maritzacdom. Like this story? Get more East Valley news straight into your email inbox by signing up for our free weekly East Valley Newsletter, which comes out on Wednesdays. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: San Tan Valley committee claims victory in bid to become a town Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
06-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
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
