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have little leverage to renegotiate terms. The only public agency positioned to absorb those areas is the Thunderbird Fire District, a voter-approved special taxing district that serves Thunderbird Farms. District leaders have argued that as dormant projects come back online, residents could petition to join the district and receive tax- funded fire protection instead of relying on a private assessment structure. But because the original subdivision approvals predate current service realities, the district cannot unilaterally expand; property owners must initiate the change. “These developments were approved 20 years ago,” Thunderbird Fire District member Carol Shrock told an audience at the Thunderbird Farms Fire Hall late last year. “If they build exactly what they were entitled to back then, there’s not much we can do.” Fire protection, however, cannot wait. The December letter rejected claims of double billing, arguing that because fire service in unincorporated Pinal County is not funded through property taxes, the private assessment replaces what would otherwise be a public tax. But unlike a tax, the assessment is enforced privately, through liens and, ultimately, foreclosure authority. As development resumed, SMFA also moved to protect its service territory. Thunderbird Fire officials say SMFA sent the district multiple cease-and-desist letters over several years, warning it to stop responding to calls or pursuing boundary expansion into developments governed by SMFA’s covenants. SMFA has acknowledged sending the letters, saying they were necessary to preserve the private agreements that fund fire protection in those subdivisions. Taxes and territory The dispute reflects two competing funding models. SMFA collects mandatory private assessments tied to deed restrictions — just like a homeowner’s association — and contracts with the City of Maricopa for service. The Thunderbird Fire District, by contrast, is funded through property taxes. No court ruling ever resolved the boundary question. No regulator intervened. Residents could petition to join the district, but no expansion has been approved. Thus, the competing service models remained in place. Asked to explain the association’s current posture, SMFA declined. Acting
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Dr. Kelvin Crezee
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ROC 222192 (CR-65)
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InMaricopa.com | March 2026
March 2026 | InMaricopa.com
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