BY LINDA BENTLEY | OCTOBER 5, 2011
Carefree urges citizens to respond to new survey
CAREFREE – Citizens who took part in the initial town survey regarding public services and infrastructure, may now review the results of that survey online at Carefree.org.
The town will schedule another workshop in the near future to discuss the results.
Because the town does not assess a property tax, public services and infrastructure improvements are funded, in part, through sales tax revenue.
According to the initial survey, 73 percent of respondents favored creating incentives for commercial property owners to reinvest in their properties and attract new business/investment to sustain sales tax revenues, 71 percent would like to see the town attract a diverse range of new businesses to enhance the town’s revenues, 59 percent would like the town to continue improving the town center (Easy Street and vicinity) while 46 percent thought the town should expand its marketing campaign.
Responding to what amenities they felt were important to their quality of life, 69 percent of respondents selected both the library and town festivals, with 60 percent saying they’d like access to medical facilities.
Only 8 percent of respondents felt paratransit (on call transportation) was important to their quality of life, while 27 percent selected free WiFi access within the center of town as important.
In order to provide council with more clarity and direction, a second survey has been posted online to focus more specifically on defining the supporting demographics in the local market area, further determine what resident consumers will support, develop an understanding of their shopping preferences, and further ensure the prudent use of public resources.
Council is encouraging citizens to fill out the new survey, which has been designed to provide additional direction to council as it plans for the future.
