San Tan Valley Council Sets Future Mayor and Council Pay, Adopts Impact Fee Study Framework
Council Pay
The San Tan Valley Town Council set annual pay for the town's future elected leaders at its July 15 meeting: $45,000 for the mayor, $35,000 for the vice mayor, and $30,000 for each councilmember. The pay does not apply to the current council — under Arizona's Constitution, sitting members cannot set their own salaries — so the amounts take effect only when the next council is seated after the November 2026 election. Council members have served without pay since the town incorporated. The vote took two tries: a motion to set vice mayor pay at $38,000 failed, and a second motion setting it at $35,000 passed with Vice Mayor Tyler Hudgins casting the only no vote.
Development Impact Fee Framework
The council also voted unanimously to adopt Resolution 2026-42, the land use assumptions and infrastructure improvements plan underlying the town's development impact fee study. Impact fees are one-time charges on new construction that help fund the roads and parks growth requires; they do not apply to existing homes and businesses. The study, presented by consulting firm TischlerBise, projects about 17,400 more residents and roughly 1,700 to 1,800 more jobs over the next 10 years, requiring about 18.5 new lane miles of roads and growth's share — about three acres — of a planned 20-acre park.
Most Proposed Fees Currently Start at Zero
The town's construction sales tax rate is 5%, while most other business activity is taxed at 2.25%. State law requires that difference to be credited against impact fees, which wipes out the proposed fees for single-family homes, apartments and commercial buildings, leaving only a fee of about $2,500 on mobile homes. Town Manager Brent Billingsley said the study puts the legal framework in place: if a future council lowers the construction sales tax — something he said he has committed to revisiting in roughly 24 to 30 months — the impact fees would rise to offset the difference. The town cannot charge the new fees on projects Pinal County approved before July 1, which covers an estimated 6,000 to 7,000 residential lots.
What's Next
The full development fee report goes to a public hearing September 2, moved from August 19 due to a scheduling conflict. The fees would take effect December 21.
Source: SanTanValley.com, “San Tan Valley Town Council Sets Pay for Future Mayor and Council,” July 16, 2026.