A state law limiting government spending was enacted just a few years before Queen Creek was incorporated, but it still governs how the town builds its budget.
The town has overridden the limit by having home rule elections every four years, but that could change soon.
Currently, the town uses a formula based on the 1978 population and 1979-80 “base limit.” The base adjusts every year for population and inflation. Queen Creek’s “base” formula is a 2,525 population and $818,277 annual expenditures. The town’s annual expenditures are significanlty higher now as Queen Creek has grown, so every four years residents have to override the base limit through a home rule election.
