Next month, voters in the town of Carefree will decide on a proposed property tax that would change the way emergencies are responded to in the town.
“Frankly it’s about emergency medical services and the best way to get those,” Carefree Vice Mayor Cheryl Kroyer said. “It’s turned into a pretty big conflict.”
The choice centers around mutual aid versus automatic aid in response.
Mutual aid asks other nearby departments for assistance if it is needed. Those departments can then choose to send available units to help.
Automatic aid requires the nearest available station in the system to send units if they are requested.
Carefree’s Rural Metro station currently operates under mutual aid.
Former Carefree Vice Mayor Melissa Price worries surrounding communities need Carefree’s services more than the other way around.
“I think people are going to be shocked when our fire department is pulled off to handle all these other 250 square miles that’s covered by automatic aid,” Price said.
Others worry switching to a different service could slow response times, with new crews less familiar with the area.
“If I have an emergency, they’re not going to find me. Rural Metro is in our neighborhood all the time,” said Diane Roth.
Nearby Cave Creek recently left Rural Metro and mutual aid for automatic aid. Now Carefree’s closest guaranteed assistance is 17 miles away.
“Over the past 40 or so years Rural Metro has served us very well,” Kroyer said. “But in the last six months all the neighboring towns around us have gone away from Rural Metro and municipal aid to automatic aid. That leaves Carefree on a little island all by itself.”
Rural Metro Fire Chief Tim Soule said the Carefree station still can ask for other stations' help — even if they aren’t a part of the same aid system. It is just up to the neighboring stations to decide if they have the resources to respond.
“I think if they have the ability to help and it’s a life-threatening situation then I believe they will be there,” Soule said. “We’re all here for the same reason which is to serve the public.”
The chief said the last thing he or his crews want is to be involved in politics. He says he’s confident no matter which way the vote goes, fire stations in the area will answer the call wherever they are needed.
To switch to automatic aid voters will have to approve a property tax capped at $2 million.
“Unfortunately, it costs money and our sales taxes and state shared revenue don’t really cover it, so the only way is to put in a property tax,” Kroyer said.
But opponents say a tax isn’t needed and service is fine just the way it is.
“You are not going to beat Rural Metro’s service you’ve had for the last 50 years,” Stephanie Barbour, with Keep Carefree Tax Free said. “Why would you pay 2 million dollars for less service and less public safety? It makes no sense.”
“There’s a lot of heated debate. Everybody has good points,” Vice Mayor Kroyer said. “The real truth is always somewhere in the middle, but if you look at the facts, the facts support the need for automatic aid.”
You can learn more about the upcoming vote here, and find more information from voters both for the tax and voters against the tax.
Ballots must be mailed back by May 16.
