By Henry Twombly, Sedona Resident
(May 6, 2018)
“Council Talks Home Rule” (SRRN 4/18/18) is the first of many upcoming articles geared to convince us residents to vote for Home Rule. “The second public hearing will be held Tuesday April 24, during which council will vote whether or not to place Home Rule on the ballot.” Yet at the end of the next paragraph “The voters last approved a Home Rule expenditure limitation in August 2014. Under state law Home Rule must be placed on the ballot every four years.” So obviously we are going to be voting on Home Rule this August 28th. Last Friday’s article (SRRN 4/27/18) confirmed this. Why do they pretend this vote may not happen? Read More→
9 Comments
Great job, Henry.
Vote NO on Home Rule!
Vote NO ON Home Rule
There is more to Home Rule than what I know, but what I do know is the current city council is out of control on spending – surveys (after the same surveys and road studies, others surveys (rather than spending survey monies directly on projects), the dog park and then more money on improvements (while all city dogs may use the park……I doubt if anyone from Chapel travels over there), ETC. The city council spending is out of control for a city this size. Vote NO on the Home Rule issue.
Mike says. (rather than spending survey monies directly on projects), the dog park and then more money on improvements (while all city dogs may use the park,”I doubt if anyone from Chapel travels over there”
So the city should make sure all project benefit the Chapel area only?
The people in the chapel area? And Old people, no need for parks, no dog parks, no parks, no swimming pool, no teen center, no community center, no flood control out side the chapel area….no Paving in the west side Mike, shops in the village.
Mike we get it your not a NIMBY you are a “Just what is good for me and my neighborhood.” kind of guy.
Thinking like this build community….. Thanks
Mike all the benefits Sedona has is because if tourism, no city property tax, no sales tax on food, 70 of city revenues comes from visitors…
one more thing the chapel was in you area before your home was build and populated by you and other tourists. So lets keep the busses coming….Sedona Belongs to the world.
Mike, you realize that if home rule doesn’t pass Parks and Recreation will close. There will be no funding for the library. No funding for the historical museum, no funding for roadwork, no funding for paving streets and none for the community center. None to support meals on wheels. None for work at the waste water plant, none for yellow shirts for traffic control , none for road side maintance. No Saint Patrick’s day parade. No police officer at the high school. Police funding will be cut to bare minimum. building permits will take months not days to get. Tell us how that’s better, Mike that’s not a scare tactic when the people in Sedona find out you want to put Sedona out of business, they will vote to keep home rule. Mike do you make important decisions off the top of your head, I challenge you to get the real information. Call the city manager and talk to him one on one .
And Mike, the traffic will keep coming because the passage of SB 1350, by Governor Ducey, opened up over 1000 new homes for short term renatals We saw the problem in West Sedona this Spring. Let’s attack the real problem, which is, state government interfering with the local zoning issues . I can pretty much guarantee the people who support Sedona are not going to vote to take away Home Rule. We will be getting the information out, believe me. People who live in Sedona should be very very scared of a no vote on home rule .
Behind all Mr. Segner’s fearmongering is self-interest. The funding to his Lodging Council and the Chamber of Commerce would have to be reduced.
From the NATIONAL CITIZEN SURVEY SEDONA, AZ COMMUNITY LIVABILITY REPORT 2017:
GOVERNANCE (Page 5): Several ratings lagged behind the national average.
Lower than national benchmark – Overall direction, 31%; Confidence in City government, 35%; Acting in the best interest of Sedona, 34%; Being honest, 40%; Treating all residents fairly, 42%.
FIGURE 10: SUPPORT FOR GROWTH INDUSTRIES (Page 13)
TOURISM (i.e., hotels, restaurants)
Strongly support, 18%
Somewhat support, 25%
Somewhat oppose, 24%
Strongly oppose, 33%
Link: http://www.sedonaaz.gov/home/showdocument?id=33716
Vote NO ln Home Rule
Henry Twombly says:
May 14, 2018 at 9:20 am….
The funding to his Lodging Council.
Henry we get no funding
Jean J Henry Twombly say NO on home rule , but nothing about how Sedona will be better off ?
Please show us how they would run Sedona wit a” net” budget of around $13,000,000 after paying for bond payments works.
This is just “T” party goverment hate talk.
Sedona has approved a $30,000,000 traffic plan and you want to kill it? why?
NIMBY’S
8000 people make there living from tourism, and we have no city property tax and 70% of all city income comes from the bed and sales tax. and you want to kill it.
Jean J, you posted all the the time in 2017 to 2014 that Sedona was going to hell in a hand basket and the city and chamber should help…..
Please show us you budget to run Sedona….. that will make sedona better.
More BS from Steve Segner. The City of Sedona National Citizen Survey 2017 reported that the three concerns rated highest by the highest percentage of respondents were traffic congestion, too much growth and taxes–exactly my concerns. I NEVER said the Chamber should help….
In addition, I’m opposed to the use of decreasing fund balances in City budgeting. For example, while the Beginning Fund Balance for the current fiscal year, FY 2018, is $40,372,728 the Ending Fund Balance is $30,383,087. The $9,989,641 decline is financially unsound and problematic.
Jean J says:I’m opposed to the use of decreasing fund balances in City budgeting.
Jean the funds were set up for future projects and by law must be used.
Jean, you say traffic congestion need to be fixed with out home rule that will never happen, the $30,000,000 plan funded by the new .5% sales tax (paid for the most part by visitors) can not be used….
Why Home Rule Works for Sedona
for more information go to
• Arizona voters in 1980 wanted to limit spending by their local municipalities, so they approved a constitutional amendment, which capped spending limits at the budget they set for the 1979-80 fiscal year. They allowed for small increases, based on population and inflation, but if towns wanted to spend more than that, then they’d have to go to voters and get it approved.
• Since then, they have. Only twice did the voters reject home rule, that being Sedona & Florence and voters quickly realized it was a mistake. They passed some exemptions so the town could continue to do some business until voters would again get a chance to vote for home rule in 2016, which they did.
• Why do 79 other cities in Arizona vote for home rule? And not take the state allowance? If the amount is so well thought out?
• This formula-based spending limit does not take into consideration the services and programs provided to citizens by each city or town, such as public safety, water and roadway infrastructure.
• As an alternative to this formula-based limit, the State Constitution allows voters of a municipality to approve a Local Alternative Expenditure Limitation, otherwise known as the “Home Rule” Option.
• The Local Alternative Expenditure Limitation, or “Home Rule” Option allows a city or town to adopt its own budget limits locally based on local needs, service levels and available resources.
• The state mandated money does not take into account the visitor traffic and need of Sedona.
• Of you think this is a way to stop visitors it will not work the visitors will keep coming and the city will have no resources to respond.
• Sedona spending is in line with its income. Sedona has saves money for many years and now is using the saving for projects.