Why is the city seeking annexation of county islands?

As Peoria’s municipal boundaries have grown over the years, “county islands” – unincorporated areas wholly within the City boundaries – have been created. These county islands have become more and more isolated as the Valley’s municipalities have expanded. This isolation, combined with the overall population growth of Maricopa County, has resulted in degraded levels of service – particularly in the areas of fire and police protection – for residents within county islands.

The City of Peoria is seeking the support of county island residents for annexation of these areas into the municipal boundaries. Why? The City of Peoria’s primary goal is to provide efficient delivery of urban services and to protect the health and safety of Peoria residents. It is becoming increasingly difficult for residents of county islands to receive responsive, effective service from their local government – Maricopa County. More than ever, county island residents expect the local government closest to them - the City of Peoria - to meet their service needs.

From both policy and financial perspectives however, it is difficult for the City of Peoria to justify providing services to residents who aren’t part of the City. From the City’s point of view, annexation of county islands makes sense. Despite the service level advantages that come with living in a municipal area, attempts by the City to annex county islands sometimes lack support. Often, this lack of support is based upon perceptions about the costs of living in a City, or about the City’s regulations on land use.

These pages address the perceptions about annexation, and provide the facts behind the City’s desire to annex unincorporated county islands.

Questions? e-mail annexation@peoriaaz.gov, or call 623-773-7107