Fountain Hills Omits Finance Rules From Election Notice | The Locally Times
A public notice for the August 2026 election requires candidates to file a financial disclosure statement but does not provide the form or specific guidelines, mandating in-person submission.
A public notice posted by the Town of Fountain Hills on January 22, 2026, for its August 4 Primary Election requires candidates to file a financial disclosure statement but omits the form and specific guidelines for doing so. The election will select a Mayor for a two-year term and three Councilmembers for four-year terms. The notice does not define the scope of the financial statement or detail what information must be disclosed. Instead, the document directs prospective candidates to obtain packets from the Town Clerk’s Office or to find information on a general Town's Elections webpage, for which a direct link is not provided. ## Filing Mandated In-Person, Office Hours Unlisted Fountain Hills has established an in-person requirement for all candidate paperwork. The town’s election notice specifies that all required forms, including the financial disclosure statement, must be submitted in person to the Town Clerk’s Office. The document specifies that electronic submissions will not be accepted. The filing period for candidates runs from March 7, 2026, to 5:00 p.m. on April 6, 2026. To qualify, a candidate must be at least 18 years old, a qualified elector, and have resided in Fountain Hills for at least one year before the election. The notice provides contact information for Town Clerk Bev Bender and Deputy Town Clerk Angela Padgett-Espiritu for those seeking a candidate packet. The operational hours and accessibility of the Town Clerk's Office are not specified in the announcement. ## Neighboring Cities Offer More Online Access Public election notices from other municipalities show different approaches to candidate information. A notice from the City of Casa Grande regarding its July 21, 2026, primary election states that information and candidate packets are available at the City Clerk’s Office and are also posted on the city’s website. This provides an explicit online access option not guaranteed in the Fountain Hills notice. Casa Grande's announcement does not, however, make specific mention of a financial disclosure requirement. An announcement for the City of Litchfield Park’s August 4, 2026, primary election is more concise. The public record simply states that candidate packets are available, offering no further details on required documents or filing procedures. Without the form or guidelines, the public cannot know what financial information Fountain Hills candidates must report or how to review disclosures for potential conflicts of interest.