Marana Earned a Aaa. One of Its Subdivisions Got Its Own Rating.
Moody's rated Marana Aaa on September 8, 2026. Here is what the town's four community facilities districts charge on a Pima County tax bill.
A growing town usually pays for roads and sewers with a property tax. Marana does not levy one. The financing districts inside its subdivisions do, and Pima County publishes each rate.
Two things are true about buying a house in Marana. The town charges no property tax — read down Pima County's list of taxing authorities and there is no Town of Marana line to find. And in three of its master-planned communities, a separate district on that same tax statement levies roughly three times what the City of Tucson levies on its own residents. On September 8 both halves of that arrangement were graded at once: Moody's Ratings assigned the Town of Marana a Aaa issuer rating, its top grade, and assigned Aa1 to the Gladden Farms (Phase II) Community Facilities District — some 633 acres of northwest Marana, established in 2007 to build infrastructure for one stretch of subdivision.
A Aaa for a Government That Isn't on Your Tax Bill
Marana's budget schedules say it flatly: "The city/town does not levy property taxes and does not have special assessment districts for which property taxes are levied." So the Aaa is a judgment about a government that finances itself without appearing on your property tax bill at all. Per the town's announcement, Moody's pointed to a significantly growing tax base, a strong financial position, low leverage and fixed costs, robust operating reserves and sound financial management, and expected housing demand and a large supply of undeveloped land to keep development coming. Town Manager Terry Rozema said the rating "confirms the Town's strong financial position and reflects the Council's consistent and responsible policy decisions over the many years they've served this community." By the town's count, Marana now sits with Scottsdale, Gilbert, Chandler and Paradise Valley among Arizona's highest-rated municipalities.
Where the Growth Money Actually Comes From
Streets, sewer, water lines and parks inside a new master-planned community still have to be paid for, and in Marana that job belongs to community facilities districts. Pima County describes a CFD as a special taxing district created under Arizona Revised Statutes Title 48, Chapter 4, Article 7 for master-planned communities of 600 acres or more, financed through taxes and assessments and required to be self-supporting — the district, the developer or the homeowners association carries the cost rather than the general public. Marana's finance department lists five: Gladden, Gladden II, Saguaro Springs, Mandarina and Cascada. The town puts the life of the bond payments at roughly 20 to 25 years.
- 2.8000
- FY 2026/27 rate per $100 of net assessed value, Gladden Farms Phase II CFD
- 2.2000
- Gladden Farms CFD rate, down from 2.5500 the year before
- +97.1%
- One-year change in Mandarina CFD's levy, at an unchanged rate
- $0
- Town of Marana property tax on a Pima County tax statement
What the Rate Sheet Shows
Pima County publishes every taxing authority with its levy and its rate, this year beside last. Three Marana districts sit at 2.8000 per $100 of net assessed value for FY 2026/27 — Gladden Farms Phase II, Saguaro Springs and Mandarina — each unchanged from the prior year. Gladden Farms itself came down to 2.2000 from 2.5500. Marana's own district budgets split the 2.8000 into $2.50 for debt service and $0.30 for operations and maintenance. Owner-occupied residential is assessed at 10 percent of value under A.R.S. §42-15003, so a parcel carrying $40,000 of net assessed value owes about $1,120 a year to a district levying 2.8000 — a line with nothing to do with the county, the school district or the town.
The Levy Column Is the Growth Signal
The rate says what a parcel pays. The levy says how much district there is to tax, and that is the column worth reading. Mandarina's levy nearly doubled in a year — up 97.1 percent, to $133,977 — at a rate that did not move, which means the base underneath it grew. Gladden Farms Phase II is up 22.8 percent to $1,250,099, also flat. Southeast of Tucson, the Rocking K South district rose 31.0 percent to $920,649, flat as well. Gladden Farms went the other way, its levy down 7.2 percent and its rate with it; its own board was told in May 2025 that the residential portion of the district is fully built out. A district that has finished building stops needing a bigger levy.
Quick reference (September 11, 2026): Moody's Ratings assigned the Town of Marana a Aaa issuer rating and the Gladden Farms (Phase II) Community Facilities District an Aa1, announced by the town on September 8, 2026. That district covers roughly 633 acres in northwest Marana and was established in 2007. Marana levies no town property tax. Pima County's FY 2026/27 rates per $100 of net assessed value: Gladden Farms Phase II 2.8000, Saguaro Springs 2.8000, Mandarina 2.8000, Gladden Farms 2.2000 (from 2.5500), Rocking K South 2.3800, Quail Creek 1.8219 (from 2.2576), Rancho Sahuarita 4.9900. Rates and levies are reset annually — confirm the current figures for a specific parcel before relying on any one of them.
Two Numbers, One Address
The credit rating and the district rate describe the same growth from opposite ends. One says a town can borrow cheaply to build ahead of the rooftops. The other says who repays the pipe already in the ground under a particular subdivision. Neither one appears in a listing photo, and the district line is the half that stays attached to the parcel after you close. So before writing an offer in a master-planned community anywhere in Pima County, do one thing: look the parcel up on the Pima County Assessor's site and read the list of taxing districts it sits inside. It takes two minutes, and it is the difference between a payment you planned for and one you inherit.
Sources
Town of Marana — "Town of Marana receives Aaa credit rating" — maranaaz.gov/Newsroom-Entries/2026/Town-of-Marana-receives-Aaa-credit-rating — published September 8, 2026, accessed September 11, 2026 (for the Aaa issuer rating from Moody's Ratings and the Aa1 assigned to the Gladden Farms (Phase II) Community Facilities District; the district's approximately 633 acres in northwest Marana and its 2007 establishment; Moody's cited reasoning on tax base, financial position, leverage and fixed costs, operating reserves, financial management, housing demand and undeveloped land; the Terry Rozema quotation; and the comparison to Scottsdale, Gilbert, Chandler and Paradise Valley).
Pima County — "Taxing Authority as Identified on Tax Statement, FY 2026/27 Tax Levy and Tax Rate" — content.civicplus.com/api/assets/az-pimacounty/6e22f6d5-0c5d-4164-af19-7975a3c3be29 — accessed September 11, 2026 (for every FY 2026/27 and FY 2025/26 rate and levy quoted here: Gladden Farms Phase II 2.8000 and $1,250,099, up 22.8 percent; Saguaro Springs 2.8000; Mandarina 2.8000 and $133,977, up 97.1 percent; Gladden Farms 2.2000 from 2.5500 with its levy down 7.2 percent; Rocking K South 2.3800 and $920,649, up 31.0 percent; Quail Creek 1.8219 from 2.2576; Rancho Sahuarita 4.9900; the City of Tucson's own FY 2026/27 rates of 0.4043 primary and 0.5458 secondary, which a 2.8000 district rate is roughly three times; and the absence of any Town of Marana line among the listed taxing authorities).
Pima County — "Community Facilities Districts" — pima.gov/2038/Community-Facilities-Districts — accessed September 11, 2026 (for CFDs as special taxing districts created under Arizona Revised Statutes Title 48, Chapter 4, Article 7 for master-planned communities of 600 acres or more, financed through taxes and assessments, and required to be self-supporting).
Town of Marana Finance Department — "Special Districts" — maranaaz.gov/Departments/Finance/Special-Districts — accessed September 11, 2026 (for the five Marana districts — Gladden, Gladden II, Saguaro Springs, Mandarina and Cascada — the two bond types a district may use, and the approximately 20 to 25 year life of the bond payments).
Town of Marana — Fiscal Year 2025-2026 tentative budget resolution and Auditor General schedules — maranaaz.gov/files/assets/cityofmarana/v/2/finance/documents/fy26-town-of-marana-tentative-budget-resolution-and-auditor-general-schedules.pdf — accessed September 11, 2026 (for the statement that the city/town does not levy property taxes and does not have special assessment districts for which property taxes are levied).
Gladden Farms Community Facilities District Board of Directors — meeting agenda packet, May 20, 2025, and Gladden Farms (Phase II) Community Facilities District Board of Directors — meeting agenda packet, June 18, 2024 — public.destinyhosted.com/marandocs — accessed September 11, 2026 (for the ad valorem levy of $2.80 per $100 of assessed valuation split as $2.50 debt service and $0.30 operations and maintenance, and for the statement to the Gladden Farms board that the residential portion of that district is fully built out).
Arizona Revised Statutes §42-15003 — azleg.gov — accessed September 11, 2026 (for the 10 percent assessment ratio applied to class three owner-occupied residential property).
All details are current as of September 11, 2026; credit ratings, tax rates, levies and district boundaries change, so readers should confirm current information for a specific parcel before relying on any single figure. Nothing here is legal, tax or investment advice. This post is for informational purposes only and is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase real estate. Kyle Berglund and Tierra Antigua Realty fully support and comply with the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act.
Topics
- High Growth Area
- Marana
- Gladden Farms
- Saguaro Springs
- Mandarina
- Community Facilities District
- Property Taxes
- Pima County
- 85653
- 85658