SAN TAN VALLEY, AZ — The San Tan Valley sales tax is not active yet. Residents charged the new 2.25% town tax should ask the business to refund it. Town Manager Brent Billingsley delivered that message at the Town Council meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 2. During his report, he also addressed Flock cameras, a new sheriff’s bureau for the town and a November ballot measure. The report was an informational item only, so the council did not discuss or act on it.
San Tan Valley Sales Tax Awaits State Implementation
The council set the general sales tax rate at 2.25% when it approved a model city tax code on July 1. However, the Arizona Department of Revenue must implement the tax before it takes effect. Billingsley said the town hopes the tax will take effect in October.
Meanwhile, Billingsley said the town has been told that some local businesses are already adding the town tax to receipts. “If you’re paying a sales tax rate on a receipt for purchases in San Tan Valley, it’s not valid,” he said. “You need to go back to that vendor and ask for that tax back because our tax is not active yet.”
He also responded to online claims that the town’s rate is 10.3% and the highest in Pinal County. “That could not be farther from the truth,” he said. According to Billingsley, the 2.25% rate is the second-lowest local sales tax rate among Pinal County cities and towns, behind only Casa Grande. For comparison, he listed the local rates in Maricopa at 2.5%, Coolidge and Eloy at 3%, Florence at 3.5%, and Kearny and Mammoth at 4%.
Town Has No Flock Camera Agreements
“The town has zero agreements with Flock,” Billingsley said. “We’ve never had an agreement with Flock, nor have we had an application provided to us from Flock.” He said he addressed the topic because social media posts about Flock cameras in San Tan Valley have spread incorrect information.
Using the cameras would require two separate agreements, he explained. The first would be a council contract for cameras inside town limits. The second would be a right-of-way use agreement allowing them on town property. The town has neither.
Additionally, Billingsley said the sheriff’s office has notified the town that it will let its Flock contract expire. As Pinal Post previously reported, that contract ends Sept. 29. The county Board of Supervisors also voted Aug. 12 to end the separate agreement that lets Flock place cameras on county property, and county staff will set a removal schedule. Those steps matter locally because 22 of the 45 sheriff’s office cameras sit inside San Tan Valley town limits.
Later in the meeting, San Tan Valley resident Karen Oliver spoke during the call to the public. She praised the town, county and sheriff for moving away from what she called mass surveillance by automated license plate readers, or ALPRs. With the county contract ending this month, she offered two suggestions. First, she asked the town to use the removal procedures in the county’s contract or notify Flock that the cameras will be removed and stored for pickup. If Flock leaves the poles behind, she suggested repurposing them for banners with the new town logo. Second, she urged the council to address ALPRs as it develops town ordinances. She left the clerk a copy of a proposed Chandler ordinance, which she said the ACLU and East Valley Unite developed, and suggested the town attorney adapt it for San Tan Valley.
Sheriff’s Office to Create San Tan Bureau
San Tan Valley will get its own division of the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office. Billingsley said the sheriff will soon announce a reorganization that creates the San Tan Bureau, the agency’s first new bureau in 20 years. Hunter Rankin will serve as its commander, a role Billingsley described as the town’s police chief. Lt. Danny Tabor and Lt. Michael Benedict, the current interim chief for San Tan Valley, will make up his command staff.
In addition, the sheriff’s office will create a Criminal Investigations Unit dedicated to San Tan Valley. Previously, the town shared investigators with the entire county. Billingsley said the new unit will operate out of the San Tan Valley County Complex.
Permanent Base Adjustment Explained Ahead of November Vote
Voters will decide in November whether to approve a permanent base adjustment for the town. Billingsley said he was not advocating for or against it, but he wanted to correct false information online. In simple terms, the measure would permanently raise the town’s spending cap.
That cap comes from a provision Arizona voters added to the state Constitution in 1980. It uses 1979-80 spending as the starting point for cities and towns that existed then. However, San Tan Valley did not exist then. As a result, the state calculated a starting figure for the town using a formula for new towns. It then adjusts that figure each year for inflation and population growth. Billingsley said the town cannot operate under those numbers without an adjustment.
He stressed that the measure is not a tax increase and does not give the town authority to take on additional debt. “It’s simply giving the town local control to set their expenditure cap based on their revenues,” Billingsley said. State law still requires cities and towns to have a balanced budget.
Billingsley did not cite specific figures. However, the ballot resolution the council approved on Aug. 7 spells them out, as Pinal Post previously reported. The state-imposed cap stands at about $91 million for the current fiscal year. If voters approve the measure, the town estimates its limit at $850 million for fiscal year 2028. Both figures are spending ceilings, not planned spending. If voters reject it, the resolution states the town may be legally prohibited from spending revenue it receives, even when budgeted.
Put simply, the cap limits spending, not income. The town keeps receiving its share of state sales, income and vehicle taxes regardless of the vote. It just cannot spend above the cap, and any extra money sits in the bank. Finance Director Gabe Garcia described the problem during budget talks in May. “We could collect $500 million next year, but we can only spend the state-imposed amount,” he said.
Business License Letters Coming to Local Owners
San Tan Valley business owners will receive two letters in the near future, Billingsley said. The first, from the town, will describe its upcoming business license process, which Town Clerk Dana DeLong will handle. It will also explain how to register with the Arizona Department of Revenue. The state, not the town, collects the San Tan Valley sales tax. The letter will list contacts and available resources.
The second letter will come from the state Department of Revenue and repeat much of the same information, he said. Town staff met with state officials on Monday, and the state will include the town’s business license details in its letter. Billingsley acknowledged the two letters will be somewhat redundant.
Pancake Breakfast to Mark One Year Since Incorporation Vote
The town will host an incorporation celebration on Saturday, Sept. 19. It marks one year since the Sept. 17, 2025, vote that created the Town of San Tan Valley. Rural Metro will assist with the event, a pancake breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. at Mountain View Church in San Tan Valley. Residents who want more information can contact Janet Dayer, who is planning the event, Billingsley said. He also noted that town offices will be closed Monday, Sept. 7, for Labor Day.
Town Joins Central Arizona Governments
San Tan Valley is now officially a member of Central Arizona Governments, or CAG. Billingsley said the town belongs to two regional government groups, CAG and the Maricopa Association of Governments, or MAG.
The most important CAG committee is the Regional Council, according to Billingsley. He said it includes mayors or vice mayors from across Pinal and Gila counties. The town’s five CAG committee appointments are:
- Regional Council: Vice Mayor Tyler Hudgins
- Management Committee: Town Manager Brent Billingsley
- Transportation Advisory Committee: Public Works Director Chris Wanamaker
- Environmental Planning Committee: Tyler Tissot, Public Works Department
- Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Committee: Senior Planner Amy Patze
Town Logo and Branding Now Trademarked
The town has officially received trademarks for its branding, Billingsley said. The protection covers the logo on the town flag, signs and printed materials, along with its colors and fonts. As a result, anyone who wants to use the branding must first get the town’s permission. Staff learned of the approval two weeks ago.
Sales Tax Timing and November Ballot Ahead
The town hopes the San Tan Valley sales tax will take effect in October, but that depends on when the Arizona Department of Revenue implements it. Business owners will receive letters from the town and the state in the coming weeks, Billingsley said. Meanwhile, voters will see the permanent base adjustment question on the November ballot.
