For the third time in the area鈥檚 history, Vail voters rejected incorporating the area southeast of Tucson into an official town.
Tuesday鈥檚 election showed a 60-40 split against the incorporation effort.
鈥淲ell, obviously we鈥檙e disappointed,鈥 said Incorporate Vail Arizona President David Hook. 鈥淏ut we understand that that鈥檚 what the community wants.鈥
Previous attempts in 1995 and 2013 returned the same results.
When asked Wednesday about the possibility of future attempts, Hook suggested the group might consider it. 鈥淲e haven鈥檛 met to decide what the next steps are, so I wouldn鈥檛 rule it out,鈥 he said.
While the group hailed incorporation as a way for the historically rural area to gain local control, many dissenters aired concerns about higher taxes and uncontrolled growth.
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If Vail incorporated it would be responsible for its own municipal services such as law enforcement, transportation and public works that Pima County government now provides.
Dissenters said incorporation would put residents on the hook for millions in new expenses, providing what they saw as many redundant services already provided by the county.
But the Incorporate Vail Arizona group told voters incorporation gives residents local control of the area instead of relying on the county to provide adequate services and divvy out its portion of state-shared funding to benefit the community.
As its own town, Vail would instead receive millions in state-shared funding for its own use.
Despite the failed vote, Hook said there were silver linings to be found.
The incorporation debate galvanized the community, fostering passionate engagement and strengthening relationships, both in favor of incorporation and just as neighbors, he said.
鈥淭here were a lot of new friends made and there were a lot of relationships that were solidified,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 think whenever you have people in a community come together for any reason, I think it鈥檚 good for your community.鈥
He reiterated that the incorporation effort was about giving the town the power to determine its own future, rather than making specific promises. 鈥淎ll it does is give them a voice, but you can鈥檛 tell them what that voice is going to say,鈥 he said.
鈥淭he opposition was very, very forceful,鈥 he added.
Eddie Celaya is a breaking news reporter and host of the 鈥淗ere Weed Go!鈥 podcast. He graduated from Pima Community College and the University of Arizona and has been with the 蜜桃影像AV since May 2019.