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Council warned of looming public‑safety contract increases as staff propose staffing and workflow changes
Summary
Town staff told council that public‑safety contracts account for nearly 40% of the operating budget and could increase substantially with a new fire contract in 2027; staff proposed workflow studies and limited reclassifications to reduce single‑person dependencies in finance and code enforcement.
At the April 21 budget workshop, town staff emphasized that public safety is the largest operating expense in Carefree and that upcoming contract renegotiations will materially affect FY28 budgets.
Town Administrator Kristen told the council public‑safety contracts — law enforcement provided by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and fire/EMS by Rural Metro — total roughly $3 million and make up about 40% of the proposed operating budget. She said the current fire contract is in effect through June 30, 2026 and that a ‘‘significant increase’’ is expected in the next contract cycle beginning July 1, 2027. Staff urged council to plan ahead to absorb that increase.
Several staff asked the council to fund targeted capacity additions to reduce operational risk. Kristen proposed a workflow study (budgeted at approximately $15,000) to document finance and accounting processes so institutional knowledge held by long‑tenured staff can be retained and transferred. The town also plans a modest reclassification in the court clerk/deputy court clerk and additional hours for the code‑compliance officer (Ruben) to improve enforcement capacity.
Robert McCoy, building official, requested a $75,000 contract‑inspection/plan‑review contingency to maintain plan‑review turnaround times during busy development periods. CJ (town engineer) and Travis (public‑works) described spikes in permit activity and inspections tied to current development projects and recommended limited use of contracted specialists for time‑limited technical reviews.
No formal council action was taken at the workshop; staff said these are budget requests to include in the coming draft book for council consideration.
