Town of Buckeye Voting on Becoming a City

While voters in cities around the Valley are voting on local issues, voters in the Town of Buckeye are voting on a rare question -- whether it should become the City of Buckeye.A town needs to have 3,000 people before it can ask voters to decide on becoming a city,...

By Matthew Hendley

November 5, 2013

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While voters in cities around the Valley are voting on local issues, voters in the Town of Buckeye are voting on a rare question -- whether it should become the City of Buckeye.

A town needs to have 3,000 people before it can ask voters to decide on becoming a city, and Buckeye has that secured by about, oh, 50,000 people.

So, what's the difference? It's not nothing, but it's very close to it.

This is part of the explanation the town gave to voters:

Changing the status from a town to a city will not change the governing function of Buckeye, council, code, services, or taxes. As municipalities grow they may wish to be a city in order to attract growth.

State law outlines "additional powers of cities," which includes authorities such as planting trees, prohibiting an "unwholesome business," regulating the sale of lard, cheese, and other products, among other things.

That sounds a whole lot like nothing, other than "city" sounding less hokey than "town."

Decisions, decisions.

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Follow Matthew Hendley on Twitter at @MatthewHendley.

Matthew Hendley

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