Sedona AZ (January 27, 2016) – Another year has passed, and we hope that the New Year will be a happy and healthy one for all of you. The new year always brings a review of the City Council’s priorities. The priority list did not change much this year, because so many items from last year are still in process. Some of you have heard me say that the government moves at the pace of a narcoleptic snail. This often causes frustration for all of us, but we take our responsibilities seriously, and that includes transparency and accountability. We also have a history of making sure we have input from the public when we are considering action on issues affecting our citizens, and we have to follow various local ordinances, county and state regulations, such as the Open Meeting Law. So almost anything we do takes more time than we might like.
Last year’s priority list was quite lengthy for many reasons. First, there were items that carried over from the prior year. We added priorities that were largely a result of the adoption of a new Community Plan, many of which are not going to happen quickly because they are extensive undertakings. For instance, the Land Development Code, including the sign code, needs to be updated so that the vision and goals of the Plan can be implemented. Probably the largest task is the development of more specific plans for thirteen Community Focus Areas (CFAs) identified in the Plan. We are currently working on four, with nine more to follow. In addition, we are also working on a master plan for the Brewer Road property behind Los Abrigados.
The city’s Community Engagement Program has several work groups formed to address many of these priorities. Some groups have completed their work, some have work in process, and some are upcoming. To see more about these groups, go to the city’s website, SedonaAZ.gov, click on the Citizen Engagement button, then on Work Groups on the blue menu bar on the left side of the screen. For even more detail on the CFA work groups, click on the Your Government tab on the home page, then on the Community Plan in the left column, and look for the link to the CFA page in blue print toward the top of the page. If you do this, you will better understand the “narcoleptic snail” reference above. Following procedures to actually get something done is a long process.
Traffic remains as a top priority, so a comprehensive multi-modal transportation and parking study is also underway, a long-term project that will take 12 to 18 months. Uptown crosswalk and safety improvements are being completed, as are drainage and storm water management projects, which are part of a long-term plan. Another priority identified last year is looking at managing trash hauling city-wide through a competitively bid contract, so that study is underway as well, with final decisions a long way off.
With all of this work in progress, it will be some time before any other major projects can be undertaken. We want to avoid starting something if we don’t know we can finish it. As we emerge from the recession, an increase in building projects and other increased economic activity have also added to the day to day operations of the City, so the staff is very busy.
If you have read this far, I appreciate your patience. And remember, even narcoleptic snails do make progress and eventually reach their goals.
The above represents my own opinion and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sedona City Council or staff.
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11 Comments
Here are some “negatives and challenges” listed in the City’s Draft Economic Development Plan the City Manager’s Office placed on the January 26, 2015 City Council Agenda:
Large % of Retirees
Resistance to Change
Residents Sense of Entitlement
Political Divisions
“Citizens Against Virtually Everything”
By the way, the City’s FY 2015/2016 Budgeted Expenditures are $52,817,475 while Estimated Revenues are $39,971,511. There’s been no maintenance of strong reserves to ensure long-term financial stability or cure the City’s underinvestment in roads and drainage infrastructure.
In addition, Sedona’s per capita bonded indebtedness is not in line with cities of the same population. According to the Arizona State Treasurer’s FY 2014/15 Report of Bonded Indebtedness, at $4,152.91 it’s the 9th highest of Arizona’s 92 cities and towns.
No surprise here. One of the City Council’s priorities for this fiscal year is “Long-term revenue options.”
Mayor Moriarty, thank you for this update. I would like to ask you to keep your attention on providing services and infrastructure that have tangible positive benefits to current residents. Too often, the city seems to get bogged down in bureaucracy building, with more and more studies and committees and consultants. I am a 17 year resident. Every city in Arizona provides sewer, police and roads. Beyond that, when I ask myself what has the city provided me specifically, i.e., a specific tangible benefit, I honestly have to saying nothing. Can’t think of a single thing. Pretty sad. The city seems obsessed with bringing in more tourists and therefore revenue. That means more shops and restaurants–I suppose I benefit there, but’s that private enterprise. And what about all the extra traffic? How do I benefit? And what about all the debt that the previous post mentions. How does that benefit me? I really don’t think it does. The city is great at touting what a wonderful job it’s doing. It would be nice if that would translate to actual benefits to residents.
If the city allowed Airbnb, residents with spare rooms would be able to have more money to spend in the community and the city would benefit from collecting the bed tax. But, it’s not about the residents and how the city can help them. The inmates are running the asylum!
(Excellent, well-thought out post Paul Boyd! Thanks.)
Darryl, the prohibition on Airbnb is a clear example of where the provides no tangible benefits to current residents. Sedona is the only tourist town I’ve ever visited where Airbnb is NOT allowed! Even Aspen Colorado, a very high-brow place, allows Airbnb. And why not? If you’ve got an extra room or studio, why not rent it out? It benefits the residents and it benefits the visiting tourist. Obviously, in Sedona, the hotel lobby won, and Airbnb and residents lost. This is what the city of Sedona does so well, it puts everyone’s interest first EXCEPT for the ordinary resident. This is what I’m talking about, the city government provides very little in way of tangible benefits to local residents.
MRS Mayor:
Does traffic include the repair of severe potholes/sinkholes scattered throughout the city neighborhoods? Especially on Shelby and Pony Soldier Rd, they have been there for several years waiting for law suits against the City for vehicle damage. Perhaps the City Council will not require a study to repair such obvious and simple fixes.
For Paul, please check the AIR BNB site for Sedona,you will see approx 40+ active listings. So much for your understanding of what happens here for ordinary residents..
RJ, You have not done your homework. Airbnb’s business model is based on short term rentals. Sedona prevents rentals for less than 30 days. The city actively seeks out and prosecutes people who try to rent their homes or rooms for less than 30 days. There are currently 7 listings on airbnb.com for Sedona. They are all monthly rentals.
Mentioned earlier are “severe potholes/sinkholes scattered throughout City neighborhoods….especially on Shelby and Pony Soldier Rd.”
A review of the “City of Sedona – Public Maintained Streets, Scheduled Maintenance & Street Cut Restrictions” document on the City’s website is mindboggling. – Click on Community Development, then Engineering Services.
Some pertinent information on Pony Soldier Rd, for example: YEAR CONSTRUCTED, Unknown; RECONDITION DATE, no date specified; SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE, no date specified.
There are tons of street segments in the Public Maintained Streets document that were either last maintained in the 1990’s or have never been maintained by the City. Isn’t woefully inadequate maintenance the real reason our streets have deteriorated, not usage by garbage haulers as cited by the Council and City Manager’s Office?
Paul
Guess you have never used AirBnB, as the monthly rentals rapidly turn into 3 or 4 day rentals upon a booking request. Also you should remove your browser filters and you will see 139 rentals in Sedona that are willing to accept a 4 day stay as of today.
Guess you were not a homework guy.
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Jean
You are right on with the ridiculous way the City maintains the neighborhood roads and sink holes.
What about a reply from MRS Mayor? or is she too busy with the consultant studies?
You obviously discovered a huge undercurrent of criminality in Sedona! Just as I thought, all those kind gray-haired people renting rooms–they’re just a bunch of evil criminals. We need order in the streets.
Jean, you seem to have a good handle on city data and comparisons to other small cities. In the past, there have been allegations that Sedona has a bloated bureaucracy. It would be interesting to do a comparison study on city expenditures per capita, to see if there is any evidence of the accuracy of those allegations. Do you have that data?
Paul
That would be a fascinating study to exhibit the ridiculous amount of bureaucracy in the little town of Sedona. The headline could be “Study it to Death Until No one Remembers the Issues” All on the backs of the Private Citizens.
The RRNews would love it!
RJ