PHOENIX — San Tan Valley officially became Arizona’s newest town on Wednesday.
The long effort to incorporate finally became a reality after Pinal County leaders selected San Tan Valley’s inaugural, seven-person town council.
Before their historic decision, the Pinal County Board of Supervisors interviewed 13 candidates on Monday.
Tyler Hudgins is among the first members of the San Tan Valley Town Council. He led the push to incorporate the northern Pinal County community, which has a population of about 100,000.
What’s the historical significance of San Tan Valley incorporating into a town?
This marks the fruition of decades of political efforts dating all the way back to residents’ first attempt to incorporate in 2005, Hudgins said.
“We are now officially the 92nd municipality in the state of Arizona,” Hudgins told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Wednesday. “There’s a lot of work ahead of us, and I believe this council is ready to roll up its sleeves.”
San Tan Valley, which gets its name from the nearby San Tan Mountains, is around 47 miles southeast of downtown Phoenix, beyond the southeast Valley suburb of Queen Creek.
In addition to Hudgins, the other members of the San Tan Valley Town Council are Bryan Hunt, Gia Jenkins, Daniel Oakes, Daren Schnepf, Brian Tyler and Rupert Wolfert.
What’s next now that San Tan Valley is officially Arizona’s newest town?
The members will take part in a ceremonial swearing-in event on Sept. 25 at Central Arizona College – San Tan Campus.
“We have less than a year, as the inaugural council, before there’s a newly elected council that will come in,” Hudgins said. “One of the top things that needs to be done is finding a town manager.”
A local newspaper will soon open, and Hudgins expects more economic activity as the town establishes itself. But before that, there’s a lot of work leaders have to do.
“Getting our governmental functions in place: town clerk, town attorney and getting a location where residents can come and meet their town clerk and their local government,” he said.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Balin Overstolz McNair contributed to this report.
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