Cave Creek ad hoc committee lays out $16 million plan to preserve 4,005 acres; seeks county partnership and private fundraising

An ad hoc committee appointed by the Cave Creek Town Council described detailed plans on Tuesday to pursue acquisition and long-term protection of 4,005 acres of state trust land west of town, laying out a $16 million fundraising goal and options that include private donations, partnering with Maricopa County and a possible sunsetting secondary property tax.

Steve Lamar, chairman of the Open Space Ad Hoc Committee, told the council the group organized into three work streams — outreach, finance and land-evaluation — and has prepared maps, campaign materials and a white paper the committee expects to deliver within about a month. "We committed to have the work groups communicate and work in a small group on their area," Lamar said, summarizing the committee's process and the staff support behind their materials.

Stacy Dandell, who led the communications and outreach work group, showed a draft campaign identity and said the committee plans to use a website, QR codes, surveys and targeted neighborhood outreach to build support. The outreach plan includes volunteer 'Friends of the 4005' groups, photography, events and partnerships with local nonprofits and businesses to broaden engagement.

On financing, the committee described a layered approach. The town currently has about $2.5 million in its open-space account, and a supporting 501(c)(3) has roughly $140,000, the presenters said. The committee’s public materials set a $16,000,000 target; speaker 11 described options including direct private solicitations (donated appreciated securities to maximize tax advantages for donors), municipal borrowing using acquired land as collateral, and a secondary property tax that would appear on a ballot in an even-numbered year and sunset once sales are paid off. "One of our options is a secondary property tax…that is a sunsetting tax," the finance lead said, explaining election timing and language deadlines.

Committee members emphasized partnership with Maricopa County as central to reducing the town’s cost. The presenters described an example split that would have the county contributing about $5.5 million while Cave Creek would contribute roughly $7.8 million for a prioritized bundle of parcels, yielding a roughly $13.3 million acquisition package if combined with town reserves and private funds.

Town Manager Grady Miller told the council that the committee’s timetable aligns with staff capabilities for an election and that many outreach tasks would be better suited to a private political-action group. "They're trying to move forward with that. I don't think there's an issue with anything that's been talked about tonight," Miller said, while warning that private fundraising and voter education will require significant staff time.

Committee members asked the council to "empower us" to start private fundraising once three items are finalized: a memorandum of understanding with the 501(c)(3) to accept donations, boilerplate donor language that clearly states how funds will be used, and mechanical procedures for depositing and acknowledging donations. The committee said it has prepared campaign collateral and a fundraising model but cannot accept checks until those steps are in place.

Council members expressed broad support but did not take a formal vote. Instead, council directed staff to accept the committee's white paper when submitted, to work out the legal and accounting mechanics for accepting donations, and to return with a plan for next steps. The committee said it would continue outreach and return with a written report and recommended actions.