Carefree Council approves bottom-line $6.6M budget

By Sonja Haller

The Republic | azcentral.com

Fri May 10, 2013 8:56 AM

The Carefree Town Council this week adopted a bottom-line fiscal 2014 budget of $6.6 million after much discussion on funding Town Center improvements, including a controversial splash pad.

The budget, which the town will consider for adoption in June, is 2.4 percent higher than last year’s $6.4 million.

The 6-1 vote came after lengthy discussion about whether the budget would fund proposed town-center improvements.

While $850,000 will appear as line items in the budget for a splash pad, amphitheater enhancements and reflective pool around the town’s iconic Sundial, some council members and Mayor David Schwan sought to clarify that the expenditure would happen only if grants, corporate sponsorships and individual donors paid for the improvements. The Town Council also would have to vote on the improvements.

Councilman Mike Farrar voted against the budget, saying later that it’s not yet known whether the enhancements would provide any economic return.

“But my bigger concern is the amount we’re allocating for these items,” he said.

In April, Farrar proposed and the council accepted a $5,000 addition to the proposed budget to hire the Urban Planning Institute to assess the economic impact of town-center improvements.

Farrar said he also voted no because he does not support the 2 percent pay raise increase for all  town staff members.

A meeting to discuss proposed capital expenditures, including a splash pad, for fiscal 2014 will be at 4 p.m. on May 21. The town will host a public hearing on the budget at its 5 p.m. June 4 meeting.