San Tan Valley — Time to Suit Up and Protect Yourself
Because this is your first time, and they’re not going to be gentle… so neither should you.
San Tan Valley, did you know you can put on some serious protection before we start messing around with our future?
And trust me — the people coming for your wallet, your water, and your neighborhood aren’t planning on being romantic about it.
This is our first time writing a Town Charter — our constitution, our rules, our boundaries. And if we let the wrong people set the terms, we’re going to wake up with a lifetime of regret and bills we can’t pay.
So man up (or woman up, or just “citizen up”) — and learn what policies we need from day one.
Why This Matters
The minute we find out who the seven (or more) people are who want to be your first mayor and town council, you need to show up with questions sharper than a lobbyist’s manicure:
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Which lobbyists are you connected to?
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Will you protect our aquifers from “crap water” injection?
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Do you support endless HOA sprawl, or do you think neighborhoods can survive without a gate, a turf lawn rule, and a $400 fine for painting your fence the wrong shade of beige?
Your Charter = Your Protection
If our charter is strong, it works like a giant protection shield — blocking 99% of lobbyist attacks, shady developer deals, and backroom giveaways. If it’s weak, it’s basically an open bar for every corporate parasite from here to Scottsdale.
And believe me, once they’ve got control, they’re not buying you a drink first.
San Tan Valley Citizen Charter Protection Checklist
The 40 Rules That Protect You from Lobbyists, Crap Water, and HOA Sprawl
I. Elected Officials & Staff Compensation — No Free Rides
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Term Limits – Max 2 consecutive terms for mayor/council. No lifers.
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No Pensions – Only 401(a)/457(b)-style retirement. Build your own nest egg.
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Salary Caps – Peg mayor/council pay to median town income.
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No Automatic Raises – Pay changes only by voter approval.
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Ban Golden Parachutes – No fat severance checks or special retirement tricks.
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Expense Transparency – Post travel, meals, and reimbursements online monthly.
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No Vehicle Allowances – Mileage reimbursement only, with receipts.
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No Double-Dipping Jobs – Can’t work for the town and its vendors at the same time.
II. Lobbyist & Special Interest Controls — Sunlight Kills Parasites
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Lobbyist Registration – Must register and list all clients.
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Meeting Logs – Post all lobbyist/developer meetings online within 48 hours.
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Gift Ban – No free lunches, trips, swag, or “favors.”
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5-Year Cooling-Off Period – No lobbying the town after leaving office.
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Mandatory Disclosure of Developer Contacts – Even “casual” coffee meetings get logged.
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Developer Meeting Notes – Names, topics, and outcomes posted online.
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Ban Bundled Donations – No PAC money tied to contractors or developers.
III. Transparency & Public Records — No Secrets, No Surprises
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Free FOIA Requests – No fees for residents to access public records.
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Public Phones & Emails – All town-issued devices are FOIA-accessible.
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72-Hour Meeting Minutes – Drafts posted within 3 days.
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Document Everything – No “off the books” policy discussions.
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Contracts Online – Searchable database of all active contracts.
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Voting Records Posted – Track how each member votes.
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Budget Transparency Portal – Every payment and vendor check viewable online.
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Minimum Public Comment – Guarantee public input time for all ordinances.
IV. Fiscal Controls — Protect the Piggy Bank
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Debt Cap – Limit total town debt to a % of revenue.
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Voter Approval for Bonds – No borrowing without a public vote.
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Balanced Budget Only – No deficit spending.
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No Developer Subsidies Without Vote – No free infrastructure giveaways.
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Competitive Bidding Rule – All contracts above set dollar amount require bids.
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Emergency Contract Restrictions – True emergencies only, with proof.
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Independent Annual Audit – Done by a firm with no ties to donors or vendors.
V. Land Use & Development — Build Smart, Not Stupid
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Strict 100-Year Water Proof – No loopholes, no effluent recharge games.
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Full Impact Fees – Developers pay for their own roads, schools, and parks.
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Infrastructure-First Rule – Utilities and roads in place before building starts.
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Mandatory Impact Studies – Traffic, environment, and water impacts reviewed publicly.
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Public Land Sales Require Vote – No quiet sell-offs to friends of council.
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No General Plan Changes Without Vote – Citizens decide the growth map.
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HOA Accountability – HOAs follow open records and budget transparency rules.
VI. Ethics & Governance — Keep it Clean
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Independent Ethics Board – Citizen-run, with teeth to investigate.
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Conflict-of-Interest Ban – Can’t vote on matters involving donors/employers.
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Resign to Run Rule – Step down before running for another office.
How to Use This List
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Print it – Bring it to every candidate event.
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Ask direct – “Will you support these in our charter? Yes or no?”
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Mark the liars – If they dodge or won’t commit, they’ve shown you who they really work for.
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Share it – Post it online, give it to neighbors, mail it to your HOA newsletter if you have to.
Why We Need This Now
Lobbyists like Rose Law Group will be in the room before the ink is dry on the election results. They’ll whisper “flexibility” and “partnerships” while they write the town’s rules to suit themselves.
If we’re not in the room too — with our Protection List in hand — the first charter will be a Trojan Horse rolled right into our front yard. Inside?
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Crap water pipelines
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HOA kingdoms
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Developer subsidies
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And decades of political debt
The Game Plan
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Print This List – Put it in your glovebox, purse, or phone.
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Show Up to Candidate Events – These aren’t meet-and-greets, they’re job interviews.
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Ask the Hard Questions – Make them go on record in front of witnesses.
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Spread the Word – Share the list online, in Facebook groups, over the fence with your neighbor.
Bottom Line
This is our first time — and if we don’t protect ourselves, it’s going to hurt for a long time.
Suit up, San Tan Valley. Demand policies that protect citizens’ futures, not lobbyists’ profit margins.
Because if we don’t write the rules…
They will.