Islands Without Water in Mesa??? (Chandler, Tempe: house, neighborhood, buyers)

[Captain Bill]

Islands Without Water in Mesa???

That’s right, and they’re called “County Islands”. These Islands are all over Maricopa County. I just mention Mesa because I've been involved in a few of them recently in Mesa.

A County Island is a section of land within a city that has not been annexed into the City within which it resides. When one buys a home in Mesa, Gilbert, or other cities where there are sections of County Islands, it’s important to check to learn in advance if the home being purchased is located in one of these islands.

The County Islands will have an address of the city, such as Mesa, or Gilbert, but that’s all. The city does not provide city services to the County Islands. The Maricopa Sheriff is the police department servicing the islands. The Mesa police do not respond, except that they may respond as backup if needed in certain cases.

The Mesa fire department does not respond to the fire reports, although if the fire was next door to a home that is in the City of Mesa, they may respond to protect that home from fire that could spill over. However, they cannot put out the fire of the house in the County Island.

In Mesa, the responding fire department is the Rural Metro Fire Department. They have an annual fee of $395 that must be paid.

Here is a link to the City of Mesa Map showing the County Islands. They’re in light gray background, and you’ll notice that most of the un-annexed sections are in East Mesa.

To determine if a home is in Mesa or a County Island, type the street address into the box at the top right. A note will pop up on the left side of the map stating if the home is in Mesa or in Maricopa County and if city services are available.

If it is in the city of Mesa, a box will state the Council District Number and provide other information about city services.

Other cities may have the same type map, and if there is a question, one can always call the city to find out if an address is in the city or in a County Island.

http://gis.mesaaz.gov/AddressSearch/

[PoppySead]

Good to list this!

[ReadyFreddy]

I've heard of buyers preferring county islands, especially people looking for a more rural/less 'managed' type experience. Usually there's a water source of some sort and a septic tank in place of sewer. There are actually close-in Mesa developments on septic, too.

[maverick974]

I bought in a county island. Other than having to pay for fire and the Sheriffs come out instead of the Mesa police, you wouldn't know the difference.
I have a septic so I don't pay for sewer so that almost makes up for the cost of fire dept.

[bgray9]

Yes. I know some folks who live on a large lot on a county island are say they prefer it. One would definitely want to understand the pros and cons before doing it, but in general I've heard good things about it over the years.

[Captain Bill]

The property taxes should be a little cheaper also because there should not be any city taxes.

The point of the thread is to make people aware in advance that these county islands exist so they can make an educated decision.

[RLV]

I know this is an older thread ,,, but it is exactly what I am looking for. I read the pros/cons for county island, but still have a question. If the home that I am looking at is directly across the street from a large community that is part of Mesa, would it be an impossible process to annex into Mesa? Would this be an unwise decision and I should just stick with the well and septic. I read that they sometimes annex for hardship on the mesa city website. My only concern is a well going dry.

[wheatlady]

Originally Posted by RLV

I know this is an older thread ,,, but it is exactly what I am looking for. I read the pros/cons for county island, but still have a question. If the home that I am looking at is directly across the street from a large community that is part of Mesa, would it be an impossible process to annex into Mesa? Would this be an unwise decision and I should just stick with the well and septic. I read that they sometimes annex for hardship on the mesa city website. My only concern is a well going dry.

RLV this is a very late answer to your question but you never know.....so I will take a shot.
If your home is in a county island and it is directly across from a large community that is part of Mesa, I don't think it would be impossible to annex it into Mesa, but it is not likely. Most cities don't want to upset the current residents that have a lifestyle...that neighborhood is most likely established and may have animals, etc. I don't live in Mesa but I do sell horse property all over the Valley and have never see this happen where it was a hardship or the well dried up. As a matter of fact, I live on horse property in Gilbert and we were annexed by the city of Gilbert, many of the neighbors fought it for a time and in my opinion it has been great. We now have bulk trash pickup and cable in the area...also we don't have to pay for trash and fire...it is part of our water bill. I am happy they annexed.

I hope this helps.

Michelle Shelton

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by wheatlady

RLV this is a very late answer to your question but you never know.....so I will take a shot.
If your home is in a county island and it is directly across from a large community that is part of Mesa, I don't think it would be impossible to annex it into Mesa, but it is not likely. Most cities don't want to upset the current residents that have a lifestyle...that neighborhood is most likely established and may have animals, etc. I don't live in Mesa but I do sell horse property all over the Valley and have never see this happen where it was a hardship or the well dried up. As a matter of fact, I live on horse property in Gilbert and we were annexed by the city of Gilbert, many of the neighbors fought it for a time and in my opinion it has been great. We now have bulk trash pickup and cable in the area...also we don't have to pay for trash and fire...it is part of our water bill. I am happy they annexed.

I hope this helps.

Michelle Shelton

Note that for fire service, county islands within the municipal planning areas of Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, and Queen Creek (the latter only in the Maricopa County portions) are now part of fire districts where the municipal fire departments serve those areas without annexation. Costs for those fire districts are paid through property taxes.

However, no such fire district exists for the county islands within the Mesa planning area, and are still served by Rural/Metro.

[hikernut]

We have a Gilbert address but are in a county island. We get water from the City of Gilbert, but not trash service or sewer (we have a septic system). Fire protection is paid through property taxes, not separately. We also get irrigation water through Roosevelt Water District.

I think the key is to understand how each of these services are provided before you close on a property. I wouldn't just rely on some rule of thumb.

hikernut