County Division Bill, 1913

-Secretary George T. Peabody and President Dougherty of the Mesa Commercial Club presented arguments for and against the dividing of Maricopa County for the legislative committee in Phoenix.

Ten Chandler citizens and others from Temp showed up against the division while Mesa had Dougherty and a group for the division.  Witnesses said that Mr. Peabody offered the better case.

Mr. Peabody argued that the southern part of the county was not settled sufficiently to warrant a division at this time.  Phoenix and Maricopa receive advertising thanks to the Roosevelt Dam and the Salt River Valley Project.  They would loose some of it to the division.  Phoenix pays two-thirds of the taxes, and is valued at $29,000,000 while Mesa district including Chandler, Kyrene, and Gilbert was worth $6,000,000 which would be the new county.

The road tax of 25 cents on every $100 raises $9,500 but spends $21,000.

It would mean hardship for the farmers in Chandler who owe money for the land for the next ten years would have two to two and a half dollars added.

The cost of administration wouldn't change.  (Chandler Arizonan 3/7/1913)

-Mesa forced a new amended county division bill through the state senate.  This causing the other districts to petition and fight harder to kill the bill.  (Chandler Arizonan 3/14/1913)

-The senate has killed the bill indefinitely for the division of the county.  (Chandler Arizonan 3/21/1913)

-A new county division bill has been passed into law.  It says any county wishing to be divided needs to put it into a vote of the people in the county.  (Chandler Arizonan 4/4/1913)