“It was still a fledgling town and the staff was very small,” she said, adding Town Manager Jon Pearson was already in place.

Zeno started out as a planning clerk, but she also took minutes  at town council meetings “for what seems like hundreds of meetings.” Her job duties shifted more toward planning and zoning about 10 years ago, and she’s been checking plans for zoning compliance ever since.

“I still do a lot of front counter work, though,” she said.

Pearson said it has been a pleasure working with Zeno the last two decades, adding she

is one of the main reasons Carefree is as nice a place to live as it is today.

“With her zoning and plan review, and the fact she cares so much about how Carefree develops, she is one of the reasons Carefree is such a special place,” said Pearson.

Five years ago, Planning Director Gary Neiss arrived and has been her boss ever since.

“He’s the first person to hold that job,” said Zeno, explaining Pearson held multiple positions as the town manager and the zoning administrator prior to Neiss’ arrival.

“(Neiss) just took a big load off our back and, I would imagine, Jon’s too.”

Zeno said working with Neiss has been a great  experience.

“He’s a really enthusiastic guy. He really turns out a lot  of work.”

The biggest change over the last 20 years is how the town has filled in, said Zeno. “It hasn’t really changed, but people who’ve been around for a long time are already nostalgic for the ‘80s.”

Zeno’s favorite part of the job has been visiting various building sites and talking to the architects and contractors. However, she said she won’t miss having to take complaints, an unavoidable aspect of the job.

As a 20‑year employee, Zeno said she’ll be getting a small pension and won’t consider herself completely retired as long as she’s helping her husband mind the bookstore.

May 31 won’t be the last the town sees of her, though.

“I’ll be dropping in still to see everybody,” she said.