Sun, Jul 05, 2009
Patty Kelley, right, owner of Vail Feed Store, would like to see Vail incorporate rather than be annexed by the city of Tucson.
James Gregg / Arizona Daily Star
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Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.25.2007
Vail could become Pima County's newest town if a group of area residents succeeds in incorporating the community.
Organizers admit they're just getting started and have a lot to learn.
"We are still in talking stages," said Pat Rumer, one of several people who have been posting comments in an online forum on the VailAZ Web site.
But they're enthusiastic, they said, because they believe incorporating would bring many improvements to the "town between the tracks," as residents of the rapidly growing community like to call Vail.
The town of Vail could repair roads more quickly than the county can and could do a better job of designing road-improvement projects, said Rob Samuelsen, another resident involved in the effort.
"People are frustrated with the infrastructure out here," he said. "Roads are in poor shape, and traffic is heavy."
Not so fast, say officials with the city of Tucson — Vail residents should consider the benefits of being annexed by the big city before they try to form their own town.
"If someone is considering incorporation, they ought to look into annexation, too — get the facts about everything and make an informed decision," said Albert Elias, Tucson's planning director.
But incorporation fever seems to be running high among Vail residents, said Samuelsen, who heads a homeowner association in the Wingview neighborhood of Rancho del Lago, a 3,600-home development.
"I could give you the names of another hundred people that I've talked with who agree," he said.
That would include J.J. Lamb, another longtime resident and community leader.
"I think it's a long shot," she said. "But would I like to see it happen? Absolutely! I'm definitely ready to sign up."
Loyalty to the community is a big motivator among those who favor incorporation, Samuelsen said.
"We're interested in what's going on in our community, and we want to make sure things are planned properly," he said.
"People feel like they'd have more control," he said, "and I think people are interested in Vail having its own identity."
Lamb agreed.
"I'm a native Tucsonan," she said. "I think it (Tucson) is a great place. But I also think when a city gets too large, the government can't be as responsive for people in the outlying areas.
"And I think there's a culture that grows in some of those outlying areas that makes people not want to be part of the big city," she said. "People who move into the country are independent-minded. They moved out here to be a part of the country, not the city."
Chris Kaselemis, planning administrator in the Tucson Department of Urban Planning and Design, said city officials are interested in annexing rapidly growing areas like Vail and Corona de Tucson. Mayor Bob Walkup and other city officials have for years looked to areas on the city's fringes, such as Vail and Corona, as annexation targets.
But the city of Tucson would not annex an area unless the majority of property owners agreed, as the law requires, Kaselemis said.
"The city is not interested in imposing its will on people who don't want us, he said.
Samuelsen said he believes most Vail residents do not want to be annexed into Tucson. But, he said, "I think that's something that needs to be looked into more closely."
Kaselemis said Tucson officials would have to study the area to determine whether the city could provide services such as police and fire protection, public works, trash collection and planning and zoning.
Elias said city officials also would have to determine whether it's cost-effective to annex and assume the responsibility of providing services to the new residents. That must be balanced against the revenue the new area would generate — from state-shared revenue that is distributed according to population, for example, as well as possible tax revenue and fees the new residents would pay.
"It's got to work for both the property owners and the city," he said.
Kaselemis said Tucson might be hard-pressed to provide services to far-flung areas. On the other hand, it probably could handily serve Rancho del Lago — "that's a fairly compact area and adjacent to the city."
The city already has annexed a couple of areas bordering Vail, including almost all of Mary Ann Cleveland Way, nearly to Cienega High School. Just to the south, across the twin sets of Union Pacific Railroad tracks, there's a swath of city land that crosses Colossal Cave Road just north of the Interstate 10-Vail Road interchange.
Because the city limits are within six miles of the area likely to be incorporated, Vail residents would have to get permission from Tucson to incorporate, said Tom Belshe, deputy director of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns.
Kaselemis said the City Council would have to decide whether to grant permission.
Patty Kelley, co-owner of Vail Feed Store and a 30-year resident, said she, too, would prefer to see Vail incorporate rather than be annexed into Tucson.
But it's going to take a lot of work, and it's going to take a unified effort by everyone, newcomers and old-timers alike, she said.
"I don't know if we're closely knit enough yet to band together to incorporate," she said. "I'm going to wait and see how it goes."
● Contact reporter Tim Ellis at 807-8414 or at tellis@azstarnet.com.
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