Questions 7 & 8
Carefree Town Council
On June 2nd Carefree Unity submitted questions to all Carefree Town Council candidates running in the August 2nd election. We are posting responses to two of the eight questions every day and today we are posting candidates’ responses to questions seven and eight. All received responses are currently available at https://carefreeunity.com/carefree-candidates/.
7. The Town of Carefree General Plan is expected to be updated within the next Council term. Do you see the update as a natural evolution of the Plan, or do you have specific expectations of change?
Vince D’Aliesio:
Our town is at 80% buildout, with rough terrain comprising nearly the entire remaining 20%. We have few corners that can generate revenue for our town, in order to continue avoiding a town property tax. The general plan’s evolution considers this and while commercial development was planned and discussed on these corners over 40 years ago, our town’s needs have grown and the general plan amendment has to occur, to accommodate the growing needs of our town.
Sheila Amoroso:
The last time the general plan was voted on was in November of 2012. State law requires Cities and Towns to update their plan every 10 to 15 years and requires voter approval to ratify it.
Carefree is a small, charming town. People move here to enjoy the beauty and serenity. Like other towns in Arizona, we are experiencing growth and growing pains.
To manage growth, community engagement is vital.
Extensive public outreach and conversation will be required, and I expect with many new residents and the general nature of change there will be modifications to the plan. The final output needs to come from the community and be voted on by the community. We need to make sure all voices are heard to achieve a shared vision.
Tony Geiger:
I expect it to be a natural evolution. I have no expectations of significant change. The town is almost built out with mostly infill lots for residential. The two gateway parcels into town, the NE corner of Carefree Hwy and Cave Creek Rd. and the NW corner of Carefree Hwy and Tom Darlington, have been part of an ongoing economic development planning process. Both are surrounded on all sides by commercial. The NE corner of Carefree Hwy and Cave Creek road was rezoned commercial on November 17, 2018. Ordinance 2018-06 spells out specific restrictions on what type of development will not be allowed. The NW corner of Carefree Hwy and Tom Darlington was the subject of a general plan amendment on December 17, 2021 to allow a boutique resort with several restrictions of design, height, site lines, etc. Several public meetings were held with adjacent property owners.
Glen Grossman:
We must Plan for responsible land development which protects open space and pays for itself. Property owners have a right to develop, but the Town has a right to review plans for consistency with our aesthetic character, such as architecture and lighting. I would support a dark sky initiative, which would maintain our small-town aesthetic character.
Stephen Hatcher:
The General plan is just that a plan. A plan that most likely will be revised as the town develops. Besides the general maintenance of the town’s streets, park and open spaces, signage, water and sewer there are several projects being reviewed. Town projects such as downtown renovations, crosswalks, and parking are in review.
Cheryl Kroyer:
This is a statutory update of the Town’s General Plan. The law requires the Plan to be updated. The dye has already been cast on Carefree as mainly a residential community. The General Plan recognizes that and any updates will continue to enforce that direction.
Mike Johnson:
I expect it to be a natural evolution. I have no expectations of significant change. The town is almost built-out with mostly infill lots for residential. The two gateway parcels into town, the NE corner of Carefree Hwy and Cave Creek Rd. and the NW corner of Carefree Hwy and Tom Darlington, have been part of an ongoing economic development planning process. Both are surrounded on all sides by commercial development. The NE corner of Carefree Hwy and Cave Creek road was rezoned commercial on November 13, 2018. Ordinance 2018-06 spells out specific restrictions on what type of development will be allowed. The NW corner of Carefree Hwy and Tom Darlington was the subject of a general plan amendment on December 17, 2021 to allow a boutique resort with several restrictions of design, height, site lines, etc. Several public meetings were held with adjacent property owners.
8. What issues do you see as most urgent? If elected, what would you try to accomplish in your first 100 days?
Sheila Amoroso:
I would like to strengthen and increase community engagement. We will be making some big decisions over the next few years and as a representative of the residents of Carefree, I want to make sure I understand all sides of every issue of concern. In talking to a wide variety of residents over the past several months it seems many people weren’t aware of past public meetings. We need to come up with more strategies to bring more people into the conversation.
When making decisions regarding the future of our town we need to balance competing opinions. We won’t be able to please everyone all the time, but I will make it my focus to listen carefully and work to build consensus around a shared vision. I believe my deep analytical background and strategic decision-making skills will add value to our town decision making.
Tony Geiger:
My top priorities are as follows:
Complete the Carefree Water Consolidation Project and get all the new accounts connected to the system and generating revenue. The revenue from these new accounts will be used to pay the bond payment due on July 1, 2023. This is the first bond payment that was not pre-funded with the revenue bond proceeds. This payment will depend on the revenue from the new connections.
Complete the due diligence and public education and outreach on the potential move from Mutual Aid to Automatic Aid fire service. The town expects to have the reports of both the financial expert and the fire service operations expert completed in late fall. We expect to have several public meetings to share the findings with the public and receive feedback. This will be critical in determining next steps and how and if we move forward.
Finalize an agreement with SRP to participate in the study to raise Bartlett Lake to generate additional water supplies. This is the Carefree Water Company’s best chance to potentially secure additional water resources at an affordable rate.
Glen Grossman:
Endorse and extend the existing fire and emergency protection contract with Rural Metro, including long-term use of engine 825 for back-up service. Downtown revitalization. Improve/increase usage of the Amphitheater for more downtown events, which draw people to our charming town center.
Stephen Hatcher:
1) ensure the water tank and all piping networks, pumps, and fire hydrants are fully
developed and operational.
2) drive initiatives to develop stronger communications between residents and the town. With a more comprehensive understanding of the town’s needs and challenges will hopefully eliminate time consuming and wasteful conflicts. I would very much like to see the town chambers full of engaging residents during our council meetings. We offer a public forum for the residents to share their concerns.
Too often this forum is silent.
Cheryl Kroyer:
Try to reunite the Town after the general ugliness of this election. Get people talking to each other again and showing respect for one another whether we agree on all of the issues or not. We are a small community and we need to work together to keep it a lovely place to live, work and play. I would also want to finish the water conversion project to provide water to all Town residents. And continue looking at our safety needs and new sources of revenue.
Mike Johnson:
Complete the Carefree Water Consolidation Project and get all the new accounts connected to the system and generating revenue. The revenue from these new accounts will be used to pay the bond payment due on July 1, 2023. This is the first bond payment that was not pre-funded with the bond proceeds. This payment will dependent on the revenue from the new connections.
Complete the due diligence and public education and outreach on the potential move from Mutual Aid to Automatic Aid fire service. The town expects to have the reports of both the financial expert and the fire service operations expert completed in late fall. We expect to have several public meetings to share the findings with the public and receive feedback. This will be critical in determining next steps and how and if we move forward.
Finalize an agreement with SRP to participate in the study to raise Bartlett Lake to generate additional water supplies. This is the Carefree Water Company’s best chance to potentially secure additional water resources at an affordable rate. Also, we need to look at starting a project to recharge our unused CAP water.
Vince D’Aliesio:
When re-elected, I believe completion of the water consolidation project and continued economic development in our downtown core are critical projects for our town in the first 3-4 months of my term. Fire safety will also be on our list of priorities. We must decide on our course of action with public safety/fire services. Our current contract with Rural Metro renewed in April, and we must have a plan set prior to the termination of our current agreement with Rural Metro in order to have automatic aid services available to our town. Presentations will be made to the public throughout and public input is needed as we navigate through the process.
Carefree Unity 