Queen Creek now shares regional future with town of San Tan Valley

With the town of San Tan Valley now officially created Queen Creek — as its closest neighbor — will be experiencing some changes too.

“The incorporation of San Tan Valley will bring both opportunities and challenges to the region,” Queen Creek Council Member Jeff Brown said.

On Aug. 5, residents of a portion of unincorporated San Tan Valley in Pinal County went to the polls to vote on creating the town of San Tan Valley. The “yes” vote won by an about two-to-one margin.

The “yes” votes for incorporation came in at 10,133, or 66.5%, with the “no” votes at 5,083, or 33.3%.

On Aug. 18, the Pinal County Board of Supervisors voted to approve the results of the election.

The supervisors will next work toward appointing leaders to get the new town of San Tan valley government up and running using $51 million in state-shared revenue.

The county will pass all responsibility for the area to the new town leaders on July 1, 2026.

Attempts at incorporation
Past efforts to incorporate San Tan Valley failed in 2004, 2010 and 2017. But in the past few years, support for the establishment of the new town from surrounding municipalities grew, especially in Queen Creek.

“The town of Queen Creek has historically supported San Tan Valley’s effort to place the incorporation question on the ballot, supporting a neighboring area’s ability to have self-determination,” Queen Creek Mayor Julia Wheatley said the morning after the election.

In 2018, the Queen Creek Town Council voted to file a lawsuit against an incorporation effort led by the Vote San Tan Valley Steering Committee because its map for the proposed town included parts of Queen Creek.

In 2023, after the group spearheading the current successful drive — San Tan Valley Inc. — presented a new map, the council unanimously passed a resolution in support of the incorporation.

“The incorporation of an appropriately designated portion of San Tan Valley could have positive impacts on the East Valley area including increased opportunities for regional partnerships and transportation funding to help support regional solutions and provide traffic options other than the use of major north-south arterials,” according to a council staff report detailing the resolution.

Regional reinvestment
From the jump, the town of San Tan Valley will have a larger population than Queen Creek at 100,000.

“We believe that the continued population growth in both the town of Queen Creek and San Tan Valley area will continue to support our economic and commercial activities,” Brown said.

As the 92nd municipality in Arizona, the town of San Tan Valley will now get a piece of state-shared revenue. Of course, another town means that other municipalities in the state will get a smaller slice of the state-shared revenue pie.

The League of Arizona Cities and Towns estimates that Scottsdale's state-shared revenue for fiscal year 2026 will be more than $117 million. Scottsdale City Manager Greg Caton estimates that San Tan Valley incorporation will cost the city $1.5 million in state-shared-revenue for the upcoming year.

In contrast, the League of Arizona Cities and Towns estimates that Queen Creek's state-shared revenue for fiscal year 2026 will be more than $40 million. According to Queen Creek officials, state-shared revenue is expected to drop by $527,000 during the town of San Tan Valley's first year.

But, Brown said that’s not necessarily bad news for Queen Creek.

“While there will be a slight reduction in the town of Queen Creek’s allocation of state-shared revenues, it is important to recognize that the funds collected by the newly established municipality will remain in the area,” Brown said.

Tyler Hudgins, chairman of San Tan Valley Inc., has said that of the about $51 million in state-shared revenue generated by the San Tan region, $10.5 million of it currently goes to the city of Phoenix. That money will now stay right next door to Queen Creek.

“This reinvestment has the potential to strengthen the broader region by supporting improvements in critical areas such as transportation infrastructure, public safety services and economic development,” Brown said.

To see the regional benefits of incorporation, one need only look at Queen Creek’s evolution since its incorporation in 1989.

“A key example of this foresight was the expansion of Ellsworth Loop Road, which was intentionally designed to attract and support regional retail and shopping destinations,” Brown said. “This type of long-range planning has positioned Queen Creek as a leader in the East Valley for both livability and economic vitality.”

Wheatley and Brown said they both look forward to working with San Tan Valley on regional efforts, particularly transportation, as the two towns will now have a greater voice at the state Legislature.

“The impacts of incorporation will not be immediate, but the decisions made today will shape the future of San Tan Valley and the region as a whole,” Brown said.

Growing pains
A new town the size of San Tan Valley will undoubtedly experience growing pains. It could take years, even decades, for the town to achieve the functionality of its surrounding peers.

In the public safety area alone, the process of a new town establishing a fire department and police force can be a lengthy and expensive one.

For example, Queen Creek was incorporated in 1989, but it was not until 2008 that it launched its fire department. The Queen Creek Police Department hit the streets in 2022.

San Tan Valley will likely be working with Rural Metro for fire and emergency services.

Rural Metro Fire Department stated it has prepared a service proposal for “consideration and negotiation by any future San Tan Valley Council that outlines how Rural Metro will continue to provide fire coverage for all residents of the town,” according to a press release.

Currently, San Tan Valley residents are covered by Rural Metro if they subscribe to the service. Rural Metro does fight fires for nonsubscribers, but they are billed afterward.

The new town will also continue to work with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.

“With thoughtful planning, collaboration and an emphasis on balanced growth, the long-term outcomes can be transformative similar to what Queen Creek has experienced,” Brown said.

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