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ANNEXATION 101 - The Basics
Annexation is a simple concept, but a complex issue. The following information is to help explain in general what annexation is, why and how it is accomplished, and what benefits there are.
What Is Annexation?
The Facts & Benefits
Why Annexation is Important
It is Critical to the Long-Term Health of our Community
The Annexation Process
What Is Annexation?
Annexation is the process by which a municipality, such as the City of Tucson, extends its boundary to include neighboring urban areas and future growth areas. Arizona Revised Statute 9-471 mandates how annexation is handled to protect the rights of citizens and to keep the process a democratic one.
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Facts & Benefits
When you join the City of Tucson, you gain access to a number of valuable, high quality benefits for about what you pay now to live in unincorporated Pima County. The following is a list of those benefits and links to web sites that can provide more information.
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FIRE PROTECTION & EMERGENCY MEDICAL RESPONSE: The Tucson Fire Department has approximately 500 firefighters and 20 fire stations. TFD’s modern equipment, excellent training programs and extensive fire hydrant system have earned it one of the best fire insurance ratings in the State and have helped the City gain international accreditation.
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POLICE PROTECTION: With over 1,000 highly trained officers using state-of-the-art equipment and technology, the Tucson Police Department is unmatched in our region in terms of equipment, training and staffing. Their average response time for Priority-1 calls is under five minutes.
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REFUSE & RECYCLING COLLECTION: The City’s weekly service includes one curbside collection of household garbage and one curbside collection of recyclables. The low monthly fee of $14 also covers other solid waste services such as twice-a-year curbside Brush & Bulky pickup, landfill operations, neighborhood cleanup, annual Christmas tree recycling and household hazardous waste events.
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STREET MAINTENANCE: Upon annexation, the City of Tucson assumes responsibility for repair, sweeping and maintenance of all paved public streets. Street name and traffic regulation signs also will be maintained and/or installed where appropriate.
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LOW PROPERTY TAXES: The City of Tucson has a low property tax rate of $1.24 per $100 of assessed valuation. (For example, a home valued at $300,000 would be charged $297.60 in City property tax per year.)
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NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES: The City of Tucson’s Neighborhood Resources Department helps residents build strong neighborhoods through notification of pending issues, neighborhood newsletters, neighborhood cleanups, and code enforcement.
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PARTICIPATION IN CITY ELECTIONS & DECISIONS: Joining the City of Tucson gives you a voice in decisions and issues that are governed by the City of Tucson, many of which impact the entire valley.
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WATER SERVICE: Water and wastewater (sewer) service for your area will not change when you join the City of Tucson.
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ZONING: After annexation, the City must establish zoning comparable to its County zoning designation.
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SCHOOL DISTRICTS: Your school district does not change when you join the City of Tucson.
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Why Annexation is Important
In general, cities annex land to allow for the long-term planning necessary to accommodate growth and to facilitate the planning and budgeting of infrastructure, such as roads and parks. Annexing developed land brings State revenue to Tucson and reduces some services that are provided by Pima County. In Tucson, annexation is considered to be a continual process. Tucson was originally only 2 square miles. Now, 215 annexation later, Tucson is 226 square miles.
Annexation Is Critical To The Long-Term Health Of Our Community
The City and suburb are linked: – No line on a map can separate our region. We need to recognize that we are truly one community, and the economic and social issues of Tucson affect everybody in this valley.
Return of State taxes to our region: Every year, $300 of your State tax money stays in Phoenix if you don’t live in a city or town. This $300 per-person-per-year could be used to make investments in our community, such as roads, parks, police and fire. Cities and towns are recognized by the State as the proper jurisdiction to provide municipal services.
Properly Planned Growth: Annexation of undeveloped land where growth will occur allows the City to properly plan the area and provide adequate roads, parks, and open space.
Allows high-level services & more resources for residents at low cost: Year-in, year-out, Tucson’s Mayor and Council have placed the highest priority on funding direct services to residents and businesses. As the largest provider of municipal services in the greater Tucson area, the City offers enhanced levels of service – including police, fire and trash collection – in an efficient, low-cost manner.
How the City Benefits from Annexation
Aside from an increased tax base, the City benefits by being able to control its fate – by being able to influence the type and quality of development that occurs and by being able to maintain that quality. The City also benefits because certain state and federal funding formulas are based on total population. For example, the state shares revenue with cities in the at about $300 per person per year that can be used to pay for basic city service like police, fire, road maintenance, and parks.
The City is funded primarily by sales tax and state shared revenue. City property tax, which is very small portion of your total property tax bill, is not a significant revenue source for the city. Annexing residential areas provides the City with additional state shared revenue and this funding generally covers the cost of providing services to the newly annexed areas.
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The Annexation Process
Annexation is a democratic process – the majority rules. State law (specifically Arizona Revised Statute 9-471) dictates a process requiring signatures of more than 50% of the number of property owners and owners of 50% or more of the assessed valuation in the area.
The City of Tucson will attempt to meet individually with each property owner in an annexation area to answer annexation questions and ask them if they would like to sign a petition in favor of annexation. If the required signatures are gathered, the Mayor and Council will vote to adopt an ordinance officially annexing the area into the City of Tucson.
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The annexed area must be contiguous to (directly bordering on) a current City limit for at least 300 feet
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The annexed area must be at least 200 ft. in all places
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The area’s length (extending out from the City limit) may be no more than twice the distance of its width (adjacent to the City limit). For example, if the area is contiguous for 300 feet, the annexation can extend outward for up to 600 feet from the current City limit.
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The area must make sense in terms of City services delivery (annexation of an entire residential subdivision would be pursued rather than a single lot)
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How Property is Annexed: An annexation can be initiated by property owners or by the City of Tucson. Once it has been determined that all of the above criteria have been met, City staff will work with the property owners in order to develop the boundaries of the annexation area, also called an annexation district.
State law governs the annexation process. Annexation is a democratic process and requires consent of property owners. State law requires signatures of more than 50% of the number of property owners and owners of 50% or more of the assessed valuation in the area. For example, if an area has 10 property owners and an assessed value of $1,000,000, we must get signatures from at least 6 property owners and the value of their property must be at least $500,000.
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Updated 8/15/05 |
