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    Home » City Officials Speak at OLLI on Short-Term Rentals
    City of Sedona

    City Officials Speak at OLLI on Short-Term Rentals

    November 15, 2019Updated:November 21, 20195 Comments5 Mins Read
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    Urge Residents to Get Involved in the Legislative Process

    By Tommy Acosta

    Cave for rent in Sedona

    Sedona AZ (November 15, 2019) – At the end of a November 13 community forum at the Oscher Lifelong Learning Institute in Sedona where Sedona city staff presented an update on the city’s options in dealing with the exponentially growing short-term rental phenomena in Sedona, it was obvious.

    Barring a comprehensive legislative bill being passed that would give the city some teeth in dealing with the perceived problems associated with short term rentals, there is little that can be done to stem the proliferation.

    Assistant City Manager Karen Osborn and City Attorney Robert Pickels addressed a rapt audience of more than 50 concerned citizens, reporting on the current state of the city’s efforts to mitigate the far-reaching consequences of short-term rentals.

    Short-term rentals have decimated most of the available long-term rentals in the city as owners rush to cash in by renting space in their homes to tourists looking to save money on lodging.

    Reportedly, lack of long-term affordable rentals is preventing younger, less affluent families from living in Sedona, creating a shortage of students.

    “We saw last year the school district close a school because enrollment is down so much, Osborn said. “Young families can’t afford to be here. This year for the first time we were not able to put together a pee-wee football league or a little league.”

    A trio of legislative bills SB 1350, SB1382 and HB 2672 that allow homeowners to rent their property to visitors and vacationers without undue regulation, have impacted municipalities across Arizona.

    Concerns have been expressed that homes rented by short term renters can be turned into “party houses” where renters make excessive noise, disrespect city ordinances and negatively affect quality of life in the communities they rent in.

    Spend a night in a bubble
    Spend a night in a bubble

    The trend has caught on like a brushfire.  People are illegally converting their garages into space they can rent. Some are putting up tents in the back or front yard and renting them, according to the assistant city manager.

    Airbnb.com, a cyber outlet that advertises short-term rentals, even offers staying overnight in a cave, for a price.

    Further exacerbating the city’s concerns are investment groups purchasing or building large homes in the community to accommodate short-term renters.

    One such home is being built with 10 bathrooms and eight bedrooms, in a neighborhood of much smaller houses.

    Running with the ideal that one’s home is their castle, the Republican-dominated state legislature, with the full support of the Goldwater Foundation, a powerful Libertarian organization, stands united and strong against any effort by municipalities to curb or deny the right of homeowners to do as they please with their property.

    In 1995 a city ordinance was passed banning short-term rentals.

    It was derailed by Senate Bill 1350, which became law in January of 2017.

    Cave for rent in Sedona
    Cave for rent in Sedona

    Presently, the city can hold renters and owners accountable for breaking city laws and ordinances that protect the community but cannot stop the proliferation of the rentals or regulate what goes on inside the rental.

    HB 2672 did alleviate some of the city’s concerns by prohibiting short-term rentals from being used for non-residential uses like banquets or events that require licenses.

    Owners must also acquire a Transaction Privilege Tax license and provide contact information should emergencies occur.

    Owners in violation can also be fined.

    During the presentation city representatives assured the public they were working on short-term rentals by gathering as much data as they can and looking to develop a system to coordinate and register the concerns of the public.

    They have also been traveling to meetings in Phoenix and sitting with legislators amenable to the city’s desire to better regulate short-term rentals.

    At the Oct. 13 presentation the city attorney pointed to the public as the key to getting the attention of the lawmakers that perhaps could result in better legislation.

    “There is a role for you to play, if you want to get involved,” he said to the audience. “It’s going to need getting in a car and driving down to Phoenix and attending the meetings when they occur at the capital.”

    He said people power makes a difference in getting lawmakers to listen.

    “When the residents come down and invest their time to express themselves, especially when there is a high level of passion we know exist, that has an impact on the legislators,” he said. “That’s what they want to hear.  You are the people whose votes they are vying for. So they are going to hear what you say. They are going to listen to what you say.”

    On October 30, a delegation of Sedona residents attended a joint ad hoc Arizona legislative meeting in Phoenix with Arizona Rep. John Kavanaugh [R-District 23] to discuss short-term rentals.

    The city attorney said there would be more two more ad hoc committee meetings announced and he urged the public to attend.

    “There is an opportunity now for us to try and accomplish something,” Pickels said of the upcoming ad hoc meetings in Phoenix.

    To find out more on upcoming legislative events concerning short-term rentals call 928-204-7200 or email the city attorney at RPickels@sedonaAZ.gov

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    5 Comments

    1. James Nelson on November 17, 2019 5:23 pm

      If I wasn’t able to rent two rooms in my house to part-time renters I would not be able to live in Sedona. I only rent to people who are responsible. I would never let my house become a party home. A man’s home is his castle. Government has its place but it has no right to tell us what to do with our homes.

    2. RJ on November 18, 2019 5:11 pm

      While we are waiting for the State to reconstruct the STR Laws…The Sedona Council could alleviate its major problems by following a few simple items:
      Do not be blinded by the latest sustainable buzz words the Chamber has recently introduced as they are meaningless and have been around for decades.

      Reduce or eliminate the pay out funding to the Chamber of $2.4 M/year for significant advertising.
      The Chamber will then be self sufficient as it was originally intended.

      The results will be less traffic, less STR,and less Homeless.
      Seems simple, yet no action
      Wonder why?

    3. Michael Johnson on November 18, 2019 6:23 pm

      Thank you for your detailed article Tommy. Sedona intends to create a position to make sure the bed tax is collected. I hope they do more than that and monitor the rentals.
      I hope the city enforces existing laws (which is what we are limited to do in response to this legislation) and writes new laws to control this intrusion (such as addressing the investor who is building a house that is more like a motel in a residential neighborhood).
      I have six (6) AirBNB’s within one half block of my house.
      The city needs to consider the following if it has not done so already:
      -occupancy should be based on the number of bedrooms (not living room sleeper sofas)
      -parking of ATVs should be in the garage or on the driveway (not on the street)
      -parking of ATV trailers should be in the garage or otherwise out of site
      -parking of cars and trucks should be limited to four (4) unless using the garage (some-
      times between the renters and the guests that they attract it looks like a used car lot)
      -owners or their agents should put sticky (boat hull) letters on their garbage cans to let the renter know about pick-up service (EX TAKE TO STREET MONDAY, EX TAKE TO STREET 1st AND 3rd MONDAYS) Garbage cans should only be allowed out up to 48 hours before and put away within 24 hours after pickup by the owners or their agent.
      Michael Johnson

    4. Archie Mendez on November 25, 2019 10:44 am

      As a single Dad, Airbnb has been a Godsend. I converted my two car garage and back porch into an Airbnb unit and added a carport for off-street parking and have been doing Airbnb since SB1350 became legal. With the money I have made, I have been able to quit my second job to stay home with my teenage children, have been able to afford a car for my son, repainted my home in and out, new roof, new landscaping, and new furniture. Last summer I took the first vacation I have had since my wife died of cancer 10 years ago.

      My home has never looked so good and my quality of life has vastly improved. I have even started a college fund for the kids — something I have always wanted to do but have never had any extra money for anything. We still watch our spending but we do enjoy going out for dinner on occasion. Besides a taco truck or Burger King, eating in a restaurant was something we reserved for birthdays or other special occasions. I took my kids to Bella Vita the other night and we’ve enjoyed becoming regulars there.

      Over ten years ago, Arizona voters enacted the Private Property Rights Protection Act (Proposition 207), which requires state and local government to compensate property owners when regulations diminish their rights and reduce their property values. If SB1350 is repealed, the number of Sedona Airbnb hosts alone could bankrupt the state. Meanwhile, those companies, hotels, and investors who purchase multiple homes in Sedona to create “home hotels” should not be allowed to do so. That was not the intent behind the bill. Perhaps Airbnb and VRBO should make it their rule that only home OWNERS can list on their website, and the bill amended so that the owner or property manager must be onsite for any short term rental. This should reduce the problem of investors and hotels coming into the neighborhood and buying up or building large properties for short-term rentals.

      Before SB1350, my neighbors rented their casita out short-term on the down low. I’m not sure where they got their short-term clients, but I have lived in this home for over 15 years and those neighbors, who are now listing on Airbnb, have always rented short term. If SB1350 is repealed, the short-term practice will not go away — as home owners like my neighbors will just go underground and then the city, county, state will get NO tax benefits from the rentals at all, and will make criminals of otherwise law abiding citizens who just want to make a little extra money by putting their private property to work.

    5. John McCually on November 29, 2019 8:47 am

      Letter to journalist Thomas Acosta: Your report of “home sharing” in Sedona is a great propaganda piece for special interests who milk the people of Sedona for every penny they can hustle. The truth is a majority of home owners of Sedona live from paycheck to paycheck and need the money that short term rental of living space brings to them. The people who are against home sharing are naturally the hotels and other real estate interests. The local Sedona officials who sponsored this event are obviously against home owners and taxpayers.

      Many of us purchased our homes when the cost of a home was affordable. Today, the average home in Sedona cost $442,000 compared to the median cost in Arizona of $225,000. For the citizens of Sedona, 90% white, the average household income is $62,000 and the average per capita income is $44,000. Average age is 56. An aging population that is no more than 7 years away from retirement.
      Some of us have no mortgage or we are paying for a second mortgage. We are careful with our money and the opportunity to supplement our income is much needed.

      But allow me to probe into some of the sweeping statements in your news report that may be misleading to the misinformed or the uninformed. Your newspaper should print how much campaign money each elected official gets from Real Estate interests and that way information can be placed in an understandable context. Really, that’s the core of the story. Special interests do not want to share money with home owners who can rent space.

      I am concerned with your sprawling and sensational attacks on the home owners. First, you suggest that 50 people speak for the electorate which they do not. Second, you claim that home sharing is a public danger lurking in the shadows. Your article suggests that corporations are purchasing homes and designing them to have 10 bathrooms, perhaps in hopes of obtaining federal money to temporarily house undocumented families or tourists. You suggest a flood of short term rentals will create public disturbances and disrespect for the law. You claim that home sharing reduces affordable housing stock. You claim that home sharing has reduced the school age population resulting in the closing of a school in Sedona. In sum and substance. You claim that home sharing will change the character of our local communities. You suggest that doom and gloom lurks in the horizon.
      There is no objective evidence in your article that anything you claim is true.

      The truth of the matter is that home sharing has been going on since the first Bed and Breakfast house was established and since government and private agencies paid for temporary housing for certain protected groups. This leasing arrangement has been going on for over 100 years. The only difference today is our borders are flooded with homeless women and children. These people will either be deported or cared for by the taxpayers. If there is a need for housing why can’t home owners cash in on the gravy? The government will have to spend billions to build housing projects to care for the millions of illegal aliens that seek sanctuary on the United States. In the interim they will need temporary housing which is a very, very lucrative business. Cut the home owners out of the money stream and who will profit? Shucks, the developers and real estate interests want to control private and affordable housing, temporary and permanent.

      Someone should start a referendum on the issue. Someone should get the data on the harm, if any, of home sharing. In the meantime, I can only say that if you are going to print articles, then supply facts from a professional City Planner.

    Paid Political Ad Paid For by Samaire for Mayor
    Paid Political Ad for Samaire Armstrong
    Paid Political Announcement by Samaire For Mayor

     THE MOMENT IS UPON US

    Dear Sedona,

    The moment is upon us. The time for a united effort to shift the focus back to our community is now.

    The ability to thrive in our community, our environment, our workforce, and the tourist industry, is entirely possible because we have all the resources needed for success.

    Still, we need a council that isn’t afraid to ask the hard questions, that makes decisions based on data and facts, and through discussion, rather than moving and voting in group unison as they so regularly do.

    This is my home. I have been a part of the Sedona community for 28 years. I witnessed the road debacle, the lack of planning, the city circumventing the local businesses ability to thrive, while making choices to expand the local government and be in direct competition with private industry.

    I am a unique candidate because unlike the incumbents, I don’t believe the government should expand in size, nor in operations, nor would I attempt to micromanage every aspect of our community.

    City government should stay in its lane and allow the competitive market of local private industry to prosper. And it should defend our community from corporate takeover and infiltration of our town.

    I do not agree that we should sign onto International Building Codes and regulations by signing Sedona up to the ICC. It is imperative that we remain a sweet, rural community.

    Where are the arts? Where is this organic thriving element that we allege to be animated by. Where is our culture? Where is our community?

    The discord between the decision making process and the desires of the community have never been more clear. It has been nearly a decade in the making.

    It is time for a new era of energy to take charge. An energy that is reflective in the ability to succeed rather than be trapped in out of date consciousness.

    It has been a great honor meeting with each of you. I hear your concerns over the insane and out of control spending and I echo them. A budget of $105,000,000 in a town of 9700 residents is completely unacceptable. A parking structure (that looks like a shoe box) originally slated to cost 11 million, now projected to cost 18 million, is incomprehensible. Especially, considering there is no intention of charging for parking.

    For those who are concerned that I lack the political experience within our established system- that is precisely what Sedona needs… Not another politician, but instead a person who understands people, who listens to the voices within the community, and who will act in service on their behalf with accountability, for the highest good of Sedona. What I am not, will prove to be an asset as I navigate the entrenched bureaucracy with a fresh perspective. Business as usual, is over.

    Creative solutions require new energy.

    Every decision that is made by our local government, must contemplate Sedona first.

    • Does this decision benefit the residents?
    • Does this decision benefit the local businesses?
    • Does this decision actually help the environment?
    • Will this decision sustain benefit in the future, or will it bring more problems?

    What we have now is a city government that expands to 165 employees for 9700 residents. Palm Desert has 53,000 residents and 119 city employees. Majority of our city department heads are not even in town. I find this problematic.

    Efforts towards championing in and courting new solutions for our medical needs are imperative. We are losing our doctors. We must encourage competition with other facilities rather than be held hostage by NAH, who clearly have their own set of dysfunctions.

    We must remember that so many move to Sedona for its beauty, hiking, and small town charm. Bigger, faster, and more concrete does not, in broad strokes, fit the ethos of Sedona.

    The old world must remain strong here in balance, as that is what visitors want to experience. Too many have noted that Sedona has lost its edge and charm.

    As Mayor I will preserve the rural charm of our community, and push back against the urbanization that is planned for Sedona.

    As mayor I will make it a priority to create opportunities to support our youth.  After school healthy, enriching programs should be created for our kids, and available to the Sedona workforce regardless of residency and regardless of school they belong to.

    As Mayor, I will create an agenda to deliberately embody the consciousness of our collective needs here, allowing private industry to meet the needs of our community rather than bigger government.

    I hope to have your vote on Aug 2nd. I am excited and have the energy to take on this leadership role with new eyes, community perspective, and the thoughtful consciousness that reflects all ages of the human spectrum.

    Thank you deeply for your consideration.

    Sincerely,

    Samaire Armstrong

    Sedona elections
    Armstrong vs. Jablow: The Main Event
    Ready to Rumble

    By Tommy Acosta
    In the Blue Corner stands Scott Jablow and in the Red Corner of the ring stands Samaire Armstrong, ready to rumble to the bitter end in their fight to become the next Sedona mayor. Jablow weighs in with 1,137 primary election votes (36.13%) under his belt, having wielded his advantage as sitting Sedona City Council vice-mayor to his favor. He brings his years of serving in that capacity into the fray and waged a solid fight in his campaign to make it to the run-off. Armstrong, however withstood a blistering smear campaign from the other opposing candidates and their supporters to make it to the final bout with 967 votes under her belt (30.73%), an amazing feat for a political newcomer. Unfortunately, for the other two candidates, Kurt Gehlbach and sitting mayor Sandy Moriarty, neither put up enough of a fight to make it to the championship bout. Read more→
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