San Tan Valley to be the next City In Pinal County

“What’s good about all of this is it’s the first time it’s ever been put before the citizens in ballot form,” Mike Goodman, R-San Tan Valley, said at the Board of Supervisors meeting. “… And they’ve tried to make this happen since 2010. The process to reach a vote took efforts of citizens gathering enough signatures on petitions asking the Board to approve an election. In the past, cities nearby would protest and campaign against the incorporation as they would lose state revenue sharing funds. Estimates are that the city of Maricopa will lose about $3 Million and Florence, about $1 Million. 

“So the success of this has actually stood on the shoulders of many great people who were willing to take the risk and get out and let people know over the years,” Goodman said. “So my hat’s off to all of them. … It finally got before the people and the people have spoken.”

Goodman continued that the Supervisors will help the new town become established.

This process will still take some time, as the incorporation won’t go into effect until July 1, 2026.

In 2017 Pinal County made a special area plan for San Tan Valley, and much has happened since then, Goodman said. The board watched a Pinal-produced video on the growth of San Tan Valley.

Pinal County Manager Leo Lew said one of the board’s main statutory responsibilities for San Tan Valley will be to appoint its first Town Council. He said county staff will work with the board soon “to go over what that looks like and how you all want to go about that.”

The process, which could begin as early as Aug. 26 but has not yet been decided, will include opening up applications to any San Tan resident who would like to be a part of the council, but the board still has to decide who will review those applications, interview the candidates and ultimately make recommendations to the supervisors of who to appoint.

The county will continue to provide services as normal in San Tan until July 1. Just as what happened when Maricopa incorporated in 2002, and Queen Creek before that, the new town will then likely reach agreements with Pinal County to continue providing services such as law enforcement, road maintenance, courts and more until its own departments are established.

Creating the town’s departments will take money, of course, but the new tax rates will not be set until the town council is seated on July 1.

Lew thanked Pinal County Recorder Dana Lewis “for her leadership and the excellent work of her team” on Tuesday’s special election.