Chamber newsletter sponsored by:
HCR 2005 Initiative; referendum; signatures; legislative districts
Senate Bill 1085 Association Health Plans
Senate Bill 1451 Statewide ballot measures; circulators; procedures
SCR 1023 Initiative; referendum; signatures; legislative districts

HCR 2005 and SCR 1023 deal with how signatures are gathered for someone to place an initiative on the ballot. If passed this would require a certain percentage of signatures to be gathered from every district in the state. Current law allows for someone to stand on a busy corner in downtown Phoenix to collect signatures. We support this initiative as a fairer way to collect signatures. If it’s a statewide initiative it seems fair that signatures should be gathered statewide.

SB 1451 deals with the person collecting the signatures. This bill deals with a lot of different issues regarding the person collecting signatures to place initiatives on the ballot. I want to focus on one segment of why the EVCCA is supporting this bill. We want to make certain that the person that is collecting your signature has had a background check. We want to make sure that he or she has not had a civil or criminal penalty imposed for a statutory election or initiative and referenda violation within the preceding five years; b) has not been convicted of a felony and has not had their civil rights restored; or c) has never been convicted of a criminal offense involving fraud, forgery or identity theft.

Senate Bill 1085 deals with association health plans. This one is more complicated to explain. I encourage you to read the full text www.azleg.gov for a better understanding of this bill. My abbreviated version of explanation is if passed into law there may be a way for associations to offer its members insurance plans as an alternative to the exchange.

These are just a few bills that are supported by the East Valley Chamber of Commerce which this Chamber is a proud member. If you want more information, I encourage you to look up these bills and read the full text at www.azleg.gov .     
Easy Street Showcase - 748 Easy Street


50/50 cash prize and many chances to win!

Join your fellow Chamber Members for a monthly opportunity to network, socialize and win prizes in a block party setting!

$5 for members; $15 for Non-members (non-members may attend twice before joining) Raffle Tickets only $1 each!

If you are interested in promoting your business or a discount or promotion your can bring a $30 item to raffle and get a a 30 second commercial about your business.
Allstate Insurance – Debra Atkinson 25 years
CIVANA Carefree  23 years
Desert Foothills Library 20 years
A Helping Hand Handyman 13 years
Vi at Silverstone 12 years
Tierra Madre Horse Sanctuary   7 years
Hand and Stone Massage & Facial Spa   6 years
Champion Chiropractic  5 years
Carefree Acupuncture & Chiropractic 4 years
Alemi Franchise Consulting          4 years
Cave Creek Financial Associates 4 years
Wild at Heart    4 years
Country Financial – The Bennett Agency  3 years
JW Plumbing     2 years
NiciArt 2 years
Cave Creek Montessori 1 year
Mobile Notary Service on the Go   1 year
Verde General contracting          1 year

Welcome to the Chamber of Commerce community! We look forward to seeing you at our events.

Leader One Financial
Assured Benefit Consulting
Cave Creek of America
LuCorp Marketing
THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR OUR MENTORING! Our conversations with you are confidential!
If you are considering starting another business, growing your business or improving the management of your business and want face to face mentoring then come to SCORE!. Our focus is assisting the small business owner in becoming more successful!

WE NOW ARE MENTORING IN THE CAREFREE/CAVE CREEK AREA on the third Wed. of every month from 1:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. at

We are a resource partner to your Chamber!
To make an appointment E-Mail greaterphoenix.score.org , or call John Buchholz at 602-618-5108 for an appointment. 
Community Events
Buy Local and Save
Are you aware of all the many benefits membership offers? Are you taking full advantage of your benefits?

This months tip our Business Spotlight- Web Ads

I can't say enough about what an amazing deal the Chamber Web Ads are! What other place can you get six months of advertising for only $200!

Your web ad appears and rotates on the home page and several other pages of the Chamber website. This is a link to your website or a specific page you would like to advertise. Yo can change your web ad and/ or link at any time during the six month period.

Analytic information provided.

Website Information: CarefreeCaveCreek.org has 765.000 + visitors annually. 70% of these visitors are from the greater Phoenix area. 3.2 million+ pages were viewed last year.

If you are interesting in purchasing a web ad please call or email colleen@carefreecavecreek.org.
From the Cave Creek Museum
Kraig Nelson, historian
  The founders of Carefree, Tom Darlington and K.T. Palmer, were masters of marketing. The iconic Sundial, for example, is a testament to their ingenious ability to create excitement for their new, desert-sensitive community in 1959. Former Cave Creek Museum historian and sixty-year Cave Creek resident (in 2019), Beverly Metcalf Brooks, shares another example of the founders’ ingenious marketing. Historian Brooks tells us that for decades the Carefree Highway (part of SR 74) was called Black Mountain Road. Darlington and Palmer thought exposure on I-17 near the intersection of I-17 and the potential name of, “Carefree Highway,” would provide far-reaching exposure. After a 2-1 vote, County Supervisors agreed to a name change; the “new” road became the Carefree Highway and Black Mountain Road faded into history. Hundreds, if not thousands, would see the name of Darlington’s and Palmer’s new town, from I-17, every day. Brilliant marketing! One creative individual captivated by the whimsical town-name, observed on I-17, was Canadian singer and songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. Mr. Lightfoot discussed this “Carefree Highway” observation at a Phoenix concert Historian Beverly Brooks and her husband attended. Lightfoot said he saw the “Carefree Highway sign” from a tour-bus, on the way to a Flagstaff concert after a Phoenix concert (some say opposite direction, from Flagstaff to Phoenix). Gordon released his popular song, Carefree Highway, in October 1974. Carefree Highway spent one week at #1 on the  Easy Listening Chart in 1974.  
Join in the 2nd Annual Carefree Community Block Party: April 6: 2 – 7 pm.
Residents and local businesses will be gathering together for a gala event celebrating the season coming to a close and marking the transition into the summer season. Activities, food trucks and much more. Last year’s inaugural Block Party event was a rousing success.

Last year’s Block Party celebration was well attended by many Foothills residents, both our seasonal residents and those of us who live here year-around. For seasonal residents, the Block Party was an excellent opportunity to see their neighbors and friends one last time before leaving on their travels. For permanent residents, the opportunity to socialize with their friends is always a top priority.
For local businesses, the upcoming Block Party will be an excellent opportunity to visit with many residents, both those who are your current customers as well as those who are not yet familiar with the products and services you offer. A frequently re-occurring comment from last year’s Block Party visitors was “I had no idea your business was in Carefree, but now that I know I will frequent your business often.”

For the Block Party, Carefree is offering a 10 x 10 space for you to showcase your business. Six foot tables are also available. Both are free. Use this space to talk with residents, possibly hand out coupons, offer goody bags or even demonstrate what your business has to offer. Do whatever makes the most sense for your business.

Fill out the Special Event Application available via the website below to register for this impactful event. It contains all of the information and instructions necessary to participate.
We look forward to seeing you and helping you to build your business. See you at the Carefree Block Party.

March! Rodeo, Craft Shows, Live Music, and the start of Bike Week. March is a busy Month in Cave Creek! It's a time when our Businesses are doing their version of the "Ant and The Grasshopper". Trying to make enough money to get through the coming Off Season. Sure, it's a bit inconvenient for those of us who live here year round with the crowds and traffic but, this too shall pass. If you've got visitors make sure they get to experience all that Cave Creek has to offer!

One of my pet peeves is when people confuse your and you're. It makes me crazy! So I must now apologize for last months article where I did not proofread and committed that offense!

On to my soapbox now. 
I find it amazing that with the agreed upon new barriers on our Southern Border that an environmental group plans to file a lawsuit in opposition. They should go down to what were once beautiful "Sky Islands" and see the degradation for themselves. Many places look like an open landfill. What has been going on for years is nothing short of an attack on the natural beauty that once was there.
One of the hot topics in our society today is Minimum Wage. One of the things you learn about in Economics 101 is the law of Supply and Demand. This applies to the workforce as well. Too many unskilled or entry level workers depress wages. Uncontrolled Illegal Immigration keeps the supply of unskilled labor high thus depressing wages.
On a scuba trip to Honduras years ago one of the laments of the resort owner was that she couldn't get help who could even learn to operate a washing machine. That's just one example of how "unskilled" many of the illegal immigrants are. Legal Immigration is good, Uncontrolled Illegal Immigration, not so much!

So March! Come on up to Cave Creek and join in the fun!


The views represented in the articles published in this newsletter do not necessarily represent the views of the  Carefree Cave Creek Chamber or it’s Board of Directors.    
Realty Reality
March 2019
Multiple Listing Service (ARMLS) data published February 2019
Kraig R. Nelson, Associate Broker
Carefree- Sold volume (dollar amount) was 28.22% lower; active listings [89] were 21.24% lower; and the median sold price [$537,500] was 3.72% lower, compared to one year ago. 
Average days on market were 79. 10 residential units closed escrow.
Cave Creek- Sold volume (dollar amount) was 40.02% lower; active listings [270] were 10.89% lower; and the median sold price [$420,000] was no-change, compared to one year ago. 
Average days on market were 117  32 residential units closed escrow.
Scottsdale- Sold volume (dollar amount) was 15.70% lower; active listings [2,649] were 2.72% lower; and the median sold price [$479,000] was 7.84% higher, compared to one year ago.
Average days on market were 92.    501 residential units closed escrow.
Phoenix (city only) - Sold volume (dollar amount) was 1.08% higher; active listings [4,128] were 16.61% higher; and the median sold price [$252,900] was 11.41% higher, compared to one year ago.
Average days on market were 70.   1,,271 residential units closed escrow.

Kraig’s Comments-
·         Distressed sales (short sales and lender owned) represent 1.00% of the total sales volume.
·         There is a 4.38-month supply of residential inventory in the Phoenix Metro Area. Generally, a balanced market for buyers and sellers is about 6 months; however, all accurate statistics are neighborhood specific.
·         Total residential inventory is 5.70% higher [22,903 units] than one year ago.
·         Entire Phoenix Metro Area : median sold price is $262,100; 7.00% higher than one year ago . Average days on market were 72.
·         Average sold price compared to original list price is 96.22% in the Phoenix Metro Area. This means a home listed for $400,000 sells for about $384,880.
·         Production new-home “spec” (or speculation) count is 2,392; 141 more than 6 months ago. New-home subdivisions: 602; 33 more than six months ago. (from Ultimate New Homes Newsletter )
·         Total Phoenix Metro residential units sold and closed last month: 5,357 This is 11.90% lower than one year ago.
·         Total dollar amount for Phoenix Metro residential units sold and closed: $1,753,766,145. ( that’s 1 billion, 754 million - rounded for conversation). This is 7.43% higher than one year ago.
APS
City Sun Times
The Foothills Focus
Images Arizona
North Valley Magazine
Greater Phoenix Score
Tech 4 Life
748 Easy St., P.O. Box 734
Carefree, AZ 85377
480-488-3381