Carefree Truth

Issue #277, September 29, 2013

 

 

 

Gary Neiss began by explaining that this agenda item was for information purposes only, and no legal action would be taken at the meeting.  Currently, the $56,000 annual rent expense for the space in the 100 Easy Street building is shared with the Carefree Court, which pays 2/3.  This includes maintenance fees for the building and the common area.  Because the Court might relocate to the space in Cave Creek if the courts consolidate, Mr. Neiss said it makes sense in the future to move the Council Chambers and the associated archives to the Town Hall building at 8 Sundial Circle by adding to the existing building, on contiguous land owned by the Town.

The potential Court move has expedited this issue.

 

 

 

The rent payment is equivalent, depending on interest rates available to municipalities at the time, to payments on a mortgage of 1.3-1.5 million dollars, the projected cost of an addition.  The Council Chambers/multipurpose room, lobby, archive storage area, and restrooms would require approximately 5,000 square feet.  There is money in the bank to cash flow this, while still maintaining the recommended financial cushion, so it could be done in a timely fashion if the decision is made to proceed.  Since the lease expires in July of 2016, he felt that preparations should start now.  An architect could be hired to draw conceptual plans, and a dialogue could begin with the community and any other interests, out in the open, in a quest for solutions.

 

 

 

Mr. Neiss showed the slide (see video) originally presented at the April workshop where an expansion was also discussed.  The addition could be built to the north and east of the existing Town Hall building.  The footprint on the slide is more than 5,000 square feet, and demonstrates the Town's flexibility.

 

 

 

Councilman Mike Farrar said that as far as he knew, the Council Chambers was only used once a month, and he asked if other municipalities had ways of using their Chambers for other purposes.  Mr. Neiss answered that the room is currently multipurpose.  It is used by the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Development Review Board, and the Board of Adjustment, as well as for Homeowners' Association meetings and Gardens seminars.  Councilman John Crane stated that it is very flexible.

 

 

 

Councilwoman Melissa Price asked what rent price Carefree is paying now per square foot.  Mr. Neiss told her $10, a rate that was negotiated 20 years ago.  She asked if the Town planned to approach the landlord before making a decision, and was told, "Absolutely." 

 

 

 

Mayor David Schwan added that maintenance on the rented space "is not what we wish it would be", explaining that there are roof leaks and ongoing plumbing malfunction issues that are not being corrected.  He said that "in the big picture", Carefree has the funds to extend the Town Hall building and still run the Town in Fiscal Year 2016/2017 (see slides in the video).  He also pointed out that starting in December of 2018, the Carefree Water Company will begin repaying $412,000 a year for a debt to the Town.

 

 

 

The Council unanimously agreed to instruct staff to continue investigating options.   

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHTUL5WJa0c

 

 

Lyn Hitchon

 

 

 

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