Sedona AZ (August 11, 2016) – Reliability is what people expect. When you flush your toilet or wash something down the drain, you expect the water to flow to the wastewater treatment plant without overflowing onto the streets.
Inconspicuous is a desirable quality for a wastewater system to have. After all, who wants to smell the sewer after it leaves your home.
The Sedona wastewater department recognizes this and is committed to providing a reliable system that does not attract undue attention. Treating 1.1 million gallons of wastewater per day while maintaining our commitment to Sedona’s citizens and visitors is a significant undertaking.
Collecting wastewater flows from the city requires a network of about 106 miles of pipes and 17 pump stations. Every five years, the gravity lines in the collection system are inspected using a television camera. Regular cleaning of the lines is necessary to perform this inspection and helps reduce blockages which can lead to overflows of manholes. The purpose for televising of the lines is to look for breaks, cracks and other deficiencies that need repair. Repairs are routinely made by city crews or contractors hired by the city. The operation of the pump stations is reviewed on a daily basis. The pump stations also have alarms that alert city personnel at all hours of the day or night if the station is not operating properly.
After flowing about five miles along West State Route 89A in 16- to 18-inch-diameter pipes, the wastewater arrives at the Sedona Wastewater Reclamation Plant located at 7500 W. SR 89A. At the plant, the wastewater is treated by removing contaminants. This is a biological process using virtually no chemicals. The standards by which this process is operated are largely mandated by a permit issued by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to the city of Sedona. The process results in a high quality water referred to as A+ effluent, and solid waste called sludge. The sludge is taken to Grey Wolf Regional Landfill. The effluent water is sprayed over 300 acres of land at the plant or flows into the Sedona Wetlands Preserve, a city of Sedona park.
Although the success of our service is characterized by reliability and low profile, we do enjoy when the public wants to learn more about what we do. Many who come on our plant tours remark that not only do they learn much, it is interesting.
If you want to tour the wastewater plant we invite you to contact us at 204-2234. We’ll be glad to meet with you.
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9 Comments
What’s the story behind the current 4% Wastewater rate increase for the 60% of us on the sewer?
Eliminating the 4% rate increase for the current fiscal year was an issue before the City Council last April 27th. No one from the Public commented during the Council Meeting. Who knew?
Instead of a separate item on the City Council agenda, the 405-page Proposed Budget Fiscal Year 2016-17, submitted to the Council via Justin Clifton’s City Manager MEMO of April 21, 2016, contained a “Wastewater Fund Analysis – Reduction in Sales Tax Subsidy” MEMO from Karen Daines (now Osborn) of the same date. The 4% Wastewater rate increase suspension matter was embedded.
This Proposed Budget/MEMOS finally got posted on the City Council’s web pages on Monday afternoon, April 25, 2016, a little more than one day before the Wednesday/Thursday 8:00 a.m. Special Budget Work Session began. So much for time to attempt to delve into the humongous document’s minutiae.
As stated in Karen’s April 21st MEMO: “The 2013-2014 Wastewater Rate Study and Financial Plan [from an independent rate consultant], adopted by City Council in May 2014, planned for the 30% subsidy to be reduced to 25% in fiscal year 2018.” She stated that by taking the 5% reduction one year early approximately $776,000 in sales taxes would NOT be allocated to the Wastewater Fund, but retained as additional revenue in the General Fund “that allows the City to fund additional streets rehabilitation projects and allocate funds for future [non-sewer] capital needs.” Not shared in her MEMO was that the Wastewater Fund would receive $450,000 less by eliminating the 4% rate increase for this year.
On the revenue side: Over the past three years, sales tax allocations to the Wastewater Fund exceeded projections by $1.86 Million, while gains in Wastewater charges for service resulted in an excess of $620,000. For all five years of the 2013-2014 Wastewater Rate Study, there’s an unanticipated Wastewater debt service interest savings of $1.57 Million as a result of the refinances of the Series 2004 and Series 2005 excise tax bonds, as well as an unforeseen $4 Million from a slower rate of spending for Wastewater capital projects. According to Karen’s MEMO: “The overall additional funding available in the Wastewater Fund over the [her] three-five year analysis is $4.05 Million.”
There was not a whisper during the April 27, 2016 Budget Work Session about the $776,000 revenue loss to the Wastewater Fund from reducing the General Fund sales tax allocation by 5% one year early. Yet the City Manager and Assistant City Manager spoke strongly against eliminating the 4% rate increase for the current fiscal year (a $450,000 loss). This although additional revenues were coming in, sales taxes went up 13% over budget, and the Wastewater Fund Balance was several million above projections. F.Y.I., City Manager Clifton even pondered about “what the future regulatory environment might look like.”
BY MAJORITY CONSENSUS [Ref. April 27, 2016 Action Item List] Council agreed to reduce the sales tax subsidy to the Wastewater Fund from 30% to 25% one year early and to maintain the 4% rate increase during the current fiscal year. No Motion and Second made, and no written record kept of Council Members for and against the 4% rate increase. Ditto for the numerous other budget issues.
So much for disclosure, transparency, impartiality and credibility?
Jean Jenks says:
What’s the story behind the current 4% Wastewater rate increase for the 60% of us on the sewer?
1000 words of nonsense over 4%
I trust the city manager,he uses real numbers and is our professional,
not a local gadfly… what is it $1.60 or something get a life.
Having a sewer plant eight miles out of town is expensive, get over it.
steve
Steve – Where did you loose your manners? Could I help you find them?
When Council makes important actions/decisions by using “Majority Consensus” instead of a motion/second/discussion and vote that is a slide around of the intent of the law for legislative actions which the Council is responsible for.
Wish you would understand that the debt incurred by this city is too high and instead of borrowing some $10.3 million more for things other than wastewater – it would have been great to plow $$$ back to pay down the WW Bonds.
By the way: we do pay taxes on food, gas, certain utilities, sales tax on everything we buy in Sedona, etc…. you are right that we don’t pay property taxes though.
There are many different types of sewage treatment plants that operate in different ways. As the City of Sedona didn’t go with a standard type, a large amount of bonded indebtedness was required/obtained.
According to the Office of the State Treasurer’s “Arizona Report of Bonded Indebtedness,” at $4,152.91 Sedona’s per capita bond debt at the end of Fiscal Year 2015 was the 9th highest of Arizona’s 91 cities and towns with such debt..The City of Sedona “Report of Indebtedness Made to the Arizona State treasurer’s Office” (as of June 30, 2015) listed a total bond debt of $42,260,000 with $31,930,301 as Wastewater debt.
The City’s Proposed Budget 2016-17 document reveals there will be WW rate increases every year through and including Fiscal Year 2022-23. Other broad issues involved with this year’s 4% WW rate increase: meaningless disclosure, woefully inadequate transparency, money-grubbing, etc.
According to the Office of the State Treasurer’s “Arizona Report of Bonded Indebtedness,” at $4,152.91 Sedona’s per capita bond debt at the end of Fiscal Year 2015 was the 9th highest of Arizona’s 91 cities
JJ, Will you please stop all ready, this would be relevant if each sedona citizen paid a tax, they don’t, our tax base is “visitors” not real-estate or citizens 65% to 70% operating income comes from non residents or the state.
According to your warped reasoning if Sedona had 18,000 residents we would have a $2,050.00 per capita indebtedness and we would look good to you !.
It makes no difference, we pay no personal tax nor tax on food.
If this was a high school finance report you would flunk for using apples and oranges.
Jean, you just say the same nonsense over and over, we get it you hate that the city owes money so lets double the tax rate on the sewer and pay the dam thing off, $100.00 a month should do it , Im in
ss
That L.A. dog food salesman Steve Segner didn’t graduate from high school and doesn’t live in Sedona are a problem. And I wonder who actually wrote his last comment?
Each Sedona resident pays City Sales Taxes, Franchise Fees and Wastewater Fees. The City receives a share of other taxes and fees residents pay. I.e., State Sales Tax, State Income Tax, HURF Gas Tax Monies distributed by the State, Vehicle License Fees and County Flood Control District Funds.
The disbanded City Budget Oversight Commission’s findings were that residents paid at least 50% of the taxes the City collects.
The last thing Sedona needs is 18,000 residents. And we certainly don’t need day-trippers clogging our streets.
Thanks Jean, yes I did drop out of high school, and yes I was dog food salesman if owning a multimillion dollar pet supply company and past president of the World Wide Pet Supply Association is what you consider being dog food salesman.
I guess I was just lucky to retire the first time at 45.
Jean, you seem to use personal attacks when you lack real numbers.
Last year at a city council meeting Karen Danes states that the number now stands between 60% to 65% .
But just to be sure I asked Karen to get me the current numbers and I will be happy to share them with you when I get them.
Now about your statement on Ron’s 50% number ,you know that is a eight year old number (you for got to mention that).
Jean you seem to like numbers, so why haven’t you taken the information from the city and come up with proof that residents pay more then tourist?
Tourists pay our bills and what is wrong with that?
ss
My numbers are real, Steve. Can’t say as I’m interested in more data from City Hall that excludes various taxes related primarily to residents.
City Financial Status Reports are not up to date. They only go through April 2016. Totals for the year ending June 30, 2016 are not posted on the web as yet.
It’s hooey to claim Budget Oversight Commission percentages are eight years old. The Chairman did not agree with you, either. He stated that residents were paying 60% of the taxes and fees paying the City’s bills. This hasn’t changed very significantly in the last few years or so. Should City government fail due to an economic disaster or other catastrophe during these perilous times, it won’t be the tourists who get stuck footing the bail-out.
I am not jj. Like you, he doesn’t live in Sedona either. By the way, who is writing your comments?
Karen Daines Osburn
Assistant City Manager
102 Roadrunner Drive
Sedona, AZ 86336
928 203 5067
http://www.SedonaAZ.gov
JJ I said I would get you the numbers , 2016 number will be more the 65%. nice to have someone else pay the bulk of our taxes.
thanks for the comment on my writing , not using my cell phone now…. ss
“”Should City government fail due to an economic disaster or other catastrophe during these perilous times,
Jean I looked up your old posts in 2018 December
you used the same line exactly….
and you know what working with the city and chamber we got through the great recession and came out with incomes surpluses…. go figure. and say thanks to you city government.