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    Home » Sedona City Talk: Mayor Rob Adams
    City of Sedona

    Sedona City Talk: Mayor Rob Adams

    May 27, 20142 Comments4 Mins Read
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    City of Sedona ArizonaBy Mayor Rob Adams

    Sedona AZ (May 27, 2014) – The most important duty of the City Council is to work with staff in the management of the City budget.  The annual budget retreat for fiscal year 2014/2015 was completed on May 1, and was the ninth annual budget that I have participated in.  I was appointed to City Council in 2006 during the peak of the economic boom, was elected as Mayor when the country entered the economic recession in 2008, and will leave office in November as the economy moves toward an economic recovery.  I can tell you from experience; it is much more pleasurable to participate in budget discussions during prosperity than in recession.

    Even though the recession was extremely painful and challenging, I viewed it as an opportunity to cut non-essential expenditures and funding that would have been politically difficult to achieve in prosperous years.  I am pleased to announce that in the last six years, the City has reduced its total debt obligations 30.5%, from a $72 million outstanding debt in 2008 to $52 million in 2014.  Additionally, we have significantly reduced our annual budget.  In 2008, our total annual budget was $60.5 million.  Currently, it is $36.1 million, which is a 40% overall reduction.

    I have often talked about the excellent job that the Council and staff have done in managing the budget during difficult economic times.  There have been many lessons that have been learned.  Perhaps the most important lesson is that Sedona’s economy is very vulnerable to economic downturns.  Tourism is dependent on discretionary income, which is the first expense that people reduce or eliminate during difficult times and is the slowest to recover.  For that reason, I believe that Sedona must make economic development and diversity top priorities for our city in future Council discussions in order to achieve a more sustainable economy.

    To that end, there are several entities in Sedona that are in the early stages of working with the city to examine the possibility of expansion in our community.  Each one of these entities provides an exciting opportunity for economic development, job creation, and revenue generation.   

    • The administration of Yavapai College is initiating public outreach efforts to determine programs that would be in alignment with, and supported by, the community of Sedona.  One idea that is presently being considered is a Culinary and Hospitality program.
    • The owners of the former Cultural Park have hired a planning team to “vision” opportunities for development.  This team is working with the City’s Community and Economic Development department to create a public “roll out” of these visions.  The Cultural Park owners are also working with Yavapai College in discussing ideas on how the visions of these two entities could “cross pollinate” in their development plans.
    • The administration of the Verde Valley Medical Center is considering development opportunities on 30 acres that is adjacent to the Sedona campus.  A state of the art cancer center already exists on the main campus.
    • The City is forming a land planning group to investigate development opportunities at the City-owned wetland area west of Sedona.  Some of the uses that I have personally been suggesting are: (1) relocating the Cultural Park concept to the wetlands area, (2) creating an agri-business that would provide produce and fruits for the region, and (3) creating algae ponds to produce bio-fuels and other products.

    The City must take an aggressive and proactive role in fostering and facilitating the discussions surrounding these development concepts.  This is an opportunity to work with existing organizations and resources to create “green industry” in Sedona that is in alignment with our core values as a community.

    I will be leaving office with a sense of satisfaction that the City is on sound financial ground.  I urge future Councils to not be complacent.  Plan now for our future economic security.  Be visionary…there are many “low hanging fruit” that are ripe for the picking.

    The ideas, statements, and opinions that I have made in this article do not necessarily reflect the positions of the City of Sedona or the City Council.   

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    2 Comments

    1. J. Rick Normand on June 2, 2014 12:02 pm

      Dear Mr. Mayor,

      I believe this may be the best piece you’ve written in your career as Councilman and as Mayor. Kudos to you for its content and it’s message. If I may, I would like to ask if you would consider, as you leave office, one other matter for consideration by the City which may be vital to its survival…and, that is, joint venturing with the Sedona Fire District in contracting with local private air assets companies, such as Arizona Helicopter Adventures, to provide early wildfire aerial firefighting in order to mitigate wildfires in our general vicinity BEFORE they become a holocaust in the sixty or so hours it usually takes federal and state air assets to arrive on the scene to support the SFD or county firefighters. All monumental wildfires such as the Brins Fire and the recent Slide Fire start small but accelerate quickly. Sedona is one of a handful of small towns in the country who actually does have this capability sitting right at our own airport.

      JRN

    2. Jean Jenks on June 5, 2014 7:56 am

      Is this City Talk article for real?

      Over 100 businesses in town have closed their doors in the last 5 years. Even KUDOS recently moved to Cottonwood. Raising taxes and fees during a weak economy is reductive. The City should not be a culprit in the competitiveness decline.

      Contrary to the commitments used to induce the electorate to vote to approve the Wastewater bond debt years ago, the 65% of us on the sewer have experienced nonstop annual sewer rate increases since 2010. No consideration was given to the fact Sedona’s rates were already the highest in the region at that time.

      The City of Sedona’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2013 reveals: 1.–Excess of Revenues UNDER Expenditures = ($1,470,182) and 2.–Change in net position of government activities = ($904,779).

      When Home Rule was adopted in March 2012, the voters approved $32,470,495 as the Home Rule/Alternative Expenditure Limitation for FY2014-15. The City has just adopted $38,385,154 as its FY2014-15 Budget. Hey, what’s another $6 million?

      According to the City Manager in his 4/22/2014 Budget MEMO addressed to Mayor Adams and the City Council: “In order to continue to address capital infrastructure improvements and pursue new capital outlay projects beyond 2017 [FY2016-17], other funding sources and/or a debt financing strategy must be pursued.”

      The City is depleting its capital reserves/savings. Roughly 4 years ago the City’s 1998 Ordinance dedicating 1/2 percent of all sales taxes toward non-sewer capital improvement funding was repealed by Council.

      It’s not easy to buy that “the City is on sound financial ground.”

    Paid Political Ad Paid For by Samaire for Mayor
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     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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