Letter to the Residents of Sedona: Submitted by Al Comello, 28-year resident of Sedona
Sedona, AZ — As a 28-year Sedona resident, this is why a YES vote on Proposition 400 is the right choice now—and why a Permanent Base Adjustment should be pursued in 2028.
I wish we did not have to vote on Home Rule every four years. In fact, I hope this is the last Home Rule election Sedona ever has to hold.
Many Arizona cities have moved beyond repeated Home Rule elections by adopting a voter-approved Permanent Base Adjustment (PBA), which provides a stable long-term spending limit.
After this election, I hope the City Council appoints a new citizen committee to study placing a PBA on the 2028 ballot. A committee examined the idea in 2019 but, after careful study, recommended continuing with Home Rule. Voters agreed, approving Home Rule in 2022 with 64% support.
But today, Sedona’s needs are much clearer. It may be time to revisit a PBA as a permanent solution. 2028 would be a good target date for such an election.
But until a better long-term option is in place, Sedona must protect itself now.
Home Rule does not raise taxes or create a new tax. It simply allows Sedona to spend the revenue it already receives—much of it generated by visitors—to meet local needs.
Sedona may have only about 10,000 full-time residents, but we are not a typical small town. Every day, along with the residents, thousands of visitors and workers rely on our roads, public safety services, parks, transit, infrastructure, and community programs.
In fact, during busy visitor periods, the number of people staying overnight in Sedona can grow dramatically, and when day visitors are added, the population using city services can reach many times our resident population. In practical terms, Sedona often operates more like a community of 30,000 people or more than a town of 10,000.
That reality matters. A vote against Home Rule based solely on dissatisfaction with city spending or management overlooks the unique demands placed on a destination community like Sedona.
The question is not whether Sedona serves 10,000 people. The question is whether Sedona has the flexibility to serve the much larger population that relies on its services every day.
Without Home Rule, Sedona could also lose the flexibility to support nonprofit organizations that help define our community, including the Library, Meals on Wheels, the Film Festival, arts programs, Sedona Recycles, and many others.
The city has the money. Thanks to a strong tourism economy and careful financial management, Sedona has built substantial reserves. Almost $100 Million. The issue is not whether the money exists. The issue is whether Sedona will be allowed to use its own revenue to meet local needs.
There is also a broader issue at stake: confidence in Sedona’s future. Communities thrive when residents, businesses, visitors, and prospective homebuyers believe their local government has the tools necessary to maintain public services, infrastructure, parks, and community amenities. This could affect the local real estate market as residents loose confidence and consider leaving and fewer people consider Sedona as a desireable palce to live.
And remember, the higher cost of ownership in Sedona has pushed it out of reach for many middle to upper-middle-class Americans, so the market is already softening, with prices being reduced to sell homes.
Sending a message that Sedona should voluntarily limit its ability to invest in itself would create uncertainty at a time when the community already faces economic and housing challenges. I believe Sedona is best served by projecting confidence in its future, not doubt about its ability to manage it.
Without Home Rule, the city would be forced to operate under a state spending formula created decades ago, using population and inflation assumptions that do not reflect the realities of modern Sedona.
So voters should ask a few simple questions:
Would less local control improve our roads? Strengthen public safety? Improve city services? Help protect the quality of life that makes Sedona such a special place to live and visit.
I do not believe this is the time to weaken Sedona’s ability to address its own challenges.
Yes, I support pursuing a Permanent Base Adjustment in 2028. Yes, I hope this is the last Home Rule election we ever have to hold.
But today, the choice before voters is clear.
Vote Yes on Home Rule, Proposition 400.
Protect Sedona today—and then let’s work together on a better long-term solution for tomorrow.