Carefree mayor reflects on 10 years public service by Brian DiTullio CAREFREE – From water to town development, Mayor Ed Morgan said the last eight years have been successful for the Town of Carefree. Morgan has chosen not to run for Carefree Town Council after serving on the body for 10 years, eight of those as mayor. With the election approaching, Morgan took some time to reflect on the last 10 years. Getting the Carefree Water Company up and running is what Morgan considers the town’s biggest accomplishment during that time. In addition, he thinks building the town center, gardens and amphitheater along with the construction of the water storage tank have left the town in a much better position.

“The tank has allowed our aquifer to recover and we have a purer, safer water supply through build‑out,” he said, noting the town has secured 1,300 acre feet of CAP water and that the buyout solved the arsenic compliance problem.

Moving on, Morgan spoke about the fire protection plan, consisting of a new fire truck, building a new station, and signing a five‑year contract with Rural Metro.

“That’s something I’m very pleased we were able to accomplish,” he said.

Payment for the fire protection comes out of a one‑percent sales tax passed to fund the fire protection exclusively.

“That was only on retail, no groceries,” said Morgan. “The sales tax was the least amount of burden on Carefree citizens.”

Morgan indicated some of the highlights of his run as mayor included serving on the Arizona League of Cities and Towns and his efforts toward the beautification of the town center.

Asked if there was anything he’d do different looking back, Morgan quickly answered, “I would’ve started burying all the overhead lines sooner.”

Looking to the future, Morgan said the addition of Lowe’s will be a boon to the city’s economy, as well as the continued development of the Easy Street Project.

“Between the two projects, that will provide this town with over $1.5 million in sales tax revenue a year. That will pay for future services for this town.”

On the Easy Street Project, Morgan believes it will help “breathe life” into the business district, and that he’s being told the merchants have already  noticed an “upgrade” in their clientele since it started.

The area is also great for the annual Christmas concerts, according to Morgan, and he hopes that will continue for many years to come.