(Lyn's note: Please feel free to send us any pictures you'd like included. If your photos are for sale, let us know and we will put them under that category. We have a special section for that purpose. If anyone would like to buy a print of any of Herbert's photos, all profits will be donated to one of the local non-profit organizations. Here are the links to this week's Pictures of the Week. Enjoy!)
http://aneyeonyouproduction.com/flowers-at-the-carefree-resort-42317.html
http://aneyeonyouproduction.com/flowers-at-the-carefree-resort-42317.html
Nursing mama-Harris Antelope Squirrel and her mate
Photo by Herbert Hitchon
Town of Carefree Tourism Newsletter link:
http://us10.campaign-archive1.com/?u=4b736631f153ae846e0670316&id=ec1774bfe3
In The News-Town of Carefree link
http://www.carefree.org/DocumentCenter/View/1250
Desert Foothills Chronicle link:
http://www.desertfoothillschronicle.org/
City Sun Times link:
http://news.citysuntimes.com/
(Congratulations to Jim Shaw, winner of the Hixson Award from Carefree Kiwanis. Click on the video below to watch the presentation.)
Photo by Herbert Hitchon
Town of Carefree Tourism Newsletter link:
http://us10.campaign-archive1.com/?u=4b736631f153ae846e0670316&id=ec1774bfe3
In The News-Town of Carefree link
http://www.carefree.org/DocumentCenter/View/1250
Desert Foothills Chronicle link:
http://www.desertfoothillschronicle.org/
City Sun Times link:
http://news.citysuntimes.com/
(Congratulations to Jim Shaw, winner of the Hixson Award from Carefree Kiwanis. Click on the video below to watch the presentation.)
Great info.
Laurie Palace
(Lyn's note: Christmas in Carefree)
This reads like a tremendous lack of leadership. How long have we been paying $35,000 a year more than we could have been until these savings "opportunities presented themselves?" What can we change next year to save to the 3% we found so quickly this year? And can we apply it this year as soon as we find it to save even more this year? Let's not wait a year to find more "opportunities that present themselves."
James Raymond
(Lyn's note: I passed Mr. Raymond's concerns on to Gary Neiss. Here is his reply, which I have already passed on to Mr. Raymond.)
This inflationary index is codified in the master fire contract. In today’s world, these inflationary indices are typically incorporated in long term contracts such as this. Indeed, with the rising cost of labor, training, benefits/healthcare and risk management these types of contracts fundamentally need to capture these annual increases in expenses to ensure the viability of the business entity.
The initial master fire contract, prior to my tenure, contained a 4% annual inflator. When the contract expired and we renegotiated the terms over five years ago, I tied this annual inflator to the local CPI U/W (local inflationary index for labor due to the fact that this was a contract for labor) as well as placed a 2.5% cap on this increase. This results in about a $35,000 increase over the next fiscal year as well as future annual increases based upon the inflationary index for labor for forthcoming fiscal years.
The essence of this new revenue stream, which were not offered as options in previous years, helps to offset this codified annual inflator. Indeed, if this was an option in prior years we would have seized these opportunities; however, it was unfortunately not an option at those times. No one is waiting for options to present themselves as we always evaluate the best business plan for our citizens based upon the information and resources available to all parties at the time. Indeed, as business models and efficiencies evolve over time we will continue to explore how the Town can benefit from these changes like any resourceful business does. Based upon this recent annual assessment, these additional opportunities surfaced.
I would be remiss if I did not emphasize that there was an extensive amount of analysis prior to the current master fire contract. This included a comparison on the cost of labor for master fire contracts with adjacent jurisdictions and fire districts. Based upon proposals from these entities, I negotiated a base year rate with Rural Metro that was approximately $100,000 less than the previous master fire contract costs for the final year and over a $1,000,000 less than what these other entities were offering. All this information was previously presented a several public Council meetings when the master fire contract was being negotiated to ensure the contract was vetted by all interests.
Let’s also not forget that this master fire contract is not paid through a property tax but through sales tax generated within the Town of Carefree. Previously, prior to the Town negotiating this master fire contract, homeowners subscribed individually with Rural Metro and paid higher homeowner insurance rates. This sales tax funded master fire contract now saves our Carefree residents typically over a $1,000 per year and is the most cost effective option our resident have to provide fire-emergency services to our community. If you would like to explore the value of this Town provided service just talk to those residents in Rural Metro’s service area outside of the Town of Carefree who are paying these individual subscriptions and higher insurance rates to further understand why Carefree’s current model provides a tremendous savings to our residents.
Gary Neiss, Town Administrator
Town of Carefree
Email: gary@carefree.org
Phone: 480-488-3686 Fax: 480-488-3845
Dear Mr. Neiss:
I very much appreciate this background explanation of how we arrived where we are with Rural Metro contracts. Thank you for taking the time and making the effort to explain the rigorous methods and strategies that assure all Carefree residents the best deal we can make regarding fire protection.
After reading it all, I think you may understand how I read the "opportunities that presented themselves" explanation as a very casual, almost flippant explanation of how those large savings were discovered. I apologize for those comments that seem to attack all the background you wrote about, but in fact were aimed at what seemed a fairly simple decision to lease the ambulance and to charge for fire-ambulance services we provide for situations outside of Carefree.
Thank you again for what I believe is an ongoing and fair method of buying our fire protection. Nonetheless, I hope you will continue to press for ways to reduce these charges just as you, or someone, found such significant savings in one or two corners of our contract.
James C. Raymond
Laurie Palace
(Lyn's note: Christmas in Carefree)
This reads like a tremendous lack of leadership. How long have we been paying $35,000 a year more than we could have been until these savings "opportunities presented themselves?" What can we change next year to save to the 3% we found so quickly this year? And can we apply it this year as soon as we find it to save even more this year? Let's not wait a year to find more "opportunities that present themselves."
James Raymond
(Lyn's note: I passed Mr. Raymond's concerns on to Gary Neiss. Here is his reply, which I have already passed on to Mr. Raymond.)
This inflationary index is codified in the master fire contract. In today’s world, these inflationary indices are typically incorporated in long term contracts such as this. Indeed, with the rising cost of labor, training, benefits/healthcare and risk management these types of contracts fundamentally need to capture these annual increases in expenses to ensure the viability of the business entity.
The initial master fire contract, prior to my tenure, contained a 4% annual inflator. When the contract expired and we renegotiated the terms over five years ago, I tied this annual inflator to the local CPI U/W (local inflationary index for labor due to the fact that this was a contract for labor) as well as placed a 2.5% cap on this increase. This results in about a $35,000 increase over the next fiscal year as well as future annual increases based upon the inflationary index for labor for forthcoming fiscal years.
The essence of this new revenue stream, which were not offered as options in previous years, helps to offset this codified annual inflator. Indeed, if this was an option in prior years we would have seized these opportunities; however, it was unfortunately not an option at those times. No one is waiting for options to present themselves as we always evaluate the best business plan for our citizens based upon the information and resources available to all parties at the time. Indeed, as business models and efficiencies evolve over time we will continue to explore how the Town can benefit from these changes like any resourceful business does. Based upon this recent annual assessment, these additional opportunities surfaced.
I would be remiss if I did not emphasize that there was an extensive amount of analysis prior to the current master fire contract. This included a comparison on the cost of labor for master fire contracts with adjacent jurisdictions and fire districts. Based upon proposals from these entities, I negotiated a base year rate with Rural Metro that was approximately $100,000 less than the previous master fire contract costs for the final year and over a $1,000,000 less than what these other entities were offering. All this information was previously presented a several public Council meetings when the master fire contract was being negotiated to ensure the contract was vetted by all interests.
Let’s also not forget that this master fire contract is not paid through a property tax but through sales tax generated within the Town of Carefree. Previously, prior to the Town negotiating this master fire contract, homeowners subscribed individually with Rural Metro and paid higher homeowner insurance rates. This sales tax funded master fire contract now saves our Carefree residents typically over a $1,000 per year and is the most cost effective option our resident have to provide fire-emergency services to our community. If you would like to explore the value of this Town provided service just talk to those residents in Rural Metro’s service area outside of the Town of Carefree who are paying these individual subscriptions and higher insurance rates to further understand why Carefree’s current model provides a tremendous savings to our residents.
Gary Neiss, Town Administrator
Town of Carefree
Email: gary@carefree.org
Phone: 480-488-3686 Fax: 480-488-3845
Dear Mr. Neiss:
I very much appreciate this background explanation of how we arrived where we are with Rural Metro contracts. Thank you for taking the time and making the effort to explain the rigorous methods and strategies that assure all Carefree residents the best deal we can make regarding fire protection.
After reading it all, I think you may understand how I read the "opportunities that presented themselves" explanation as a very casual, almost flippant explanation of how those large savings were discovered. I apologize for those comments that seem to attack all the background you wrote about, but in fact were aimed at what seemed a fairly simple decision to lease the ambulance and to charge for fire-ambulance services we provide for situations outside of Carefree.
Thank you again for what I believe is an ongoing and fair method of buying our fire protection. Nonetheless, I hope you will continue to press for ways to reduce these charges just as you, or someone, found such significant savings in one or two corners of our contract.
James C. Raymond