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Carefree council unanimously approves $154,000 contract with Michael Baker International to update zoning ordinance
Summary
Council authorized a consultant contract to comprehensively update the town's zoning ordinance and citizen participation rules; staff said the project will take about 18 months and include a citizen participation plan.
The Carefree Town Council on Oct. 7 unanimously approved Resolution 2025‑17, authorizing Mayor Crane to execute a professional services contract with Michael Baker International for a comprehensive update of the Carefree zoning ordinance and the citizen participation ordinance.
Town Planner Stacy (last name not specified in the transcript) told the council the update stems from action items in the town's recently adopted general plan and strategic plan. "We estimated about a $150,000 for a time frame of approximately 18 months," she said during the presentation. After discussion, council approved the contract; staff indicated the planned contract amount for the project is about $154,000.
Stacy described the rationale for using a consultant: the zoning code is a technical, time‑intensive document and the town has one planner on staff. She said consultants bring legal and technical expertise, experience with other municipalities, and capacity for public engagement. Michael Baker was selected through a request‑for‑proposals process; officials said the firm had relevant experience, continuity with the general plan work and a lower fee among respondents.
Matt (Michael Baker International), who helped lead the general plan work in Carefree, told the council the firm's first step will be a zoning code analysis to identify where the town's existing code should be revised or retained. "One of the first steps in our process is do a zoning code analysis," he said, describing a layered public‑feedback process that will include a citizen committee as part of the contract.
Council members asked about budget risk and the influence of public participation on cost. Stacy and Matt said the firm priced the project based on expected outreach and noted additional meetings or public controversy can increase consultant time and require contract amendments; they said a citizen participation plan will be developed early to set expectations. Councilman Roth recalled the general plan work and said additional outreach was a reasonable expense to get community buy‑in.
There was no public comment on the item at the time of the vote. The motion to approve Resolution 2025‑17 carried unanimously.
