The Arizona House gave preliminary approval to legislation aimed at blocking officials in existing towns from being able to veto a neighboring community’s ability to incorporate.
Currently, Arizona law gives cities and towns a "planning area'' out several miles beyond its boundaries. If a new community wants to incorporate within that area the existing city has the right to veto.
Rep. Eddie Farnsworth, who supports the bill, uses the example of the San Tan Valley. He argued the current 100,000 people who live there should be more than enough to incorporate. The neighboring city of Florence, however, has been blocking the move.
"So what this does is says simply this: If you have an area that wants to incorporate and they have 15,000 people, a smaller municipality cannot prohibit them from pursuing incorporation," Farnsworth said.
Opponents of the move say no one is blocking the San Tan valley from incorporating, arguing they are free to draw their boundaries outside the planning area and then move to annex the adjacent land later.
The legislation still requires a final roll call House vote before moving to the Senate.