City Council Recap

Here’s a recap of recent City Council meetings and some decisions that may interest you:

• On Nov. 14, 2023, City Council approved the purchase and installation of new wooden playground equipment at the Ranger Station Park. The exterior elements of the park including grass, the playground, parking area and a new restroom facility will be completed by late Spring with interior elements like the complete restoration of the inside of the buildings to preserve their historical integrity will be completed in the next Fiscal Year.
• On Nov. 14, 2023, City Council approved the award for the construction contract for the Uptown Northbound Roadway Improvement Project. Work began in November and will include, among other things, a permanently separated left-turn lane from 89A to Forest Rd., two northbound lanes between L’Auberge Lane and Forest Rd. to allow for more queuing space at the light, and a Shared Use Path running parallel to the highway near where the current sidewalk is.

• On Nov. 15, 2023, City Council voted to move forward with completion of the design of the Uptown Parking Garage and obtain pricing for their further consideration. The project scope must also include future additional parking actions in Uptown:

  • Work with the Uptown businesses to develop a plan for employee parking
  • Employ guidance technology for all public parking in conjunction with the parking garage project
  • Finalize a plan for consolidation of the existing public parking lots and on-street parking
  • Restrict non-resident parking on residential streets
  • Ensure the garage is fully funded by user fees

Did You Know?

… that blasting operations will be intermittent for the next two months for the development of the Forest Road Connection Project? Blasting is needed to break up subsurface bedrock so it can be removed and the site can be properly graded for the roadway. To receive text notifications about the blasting and other emergency alerts, sign up on your mobile device by creating a text message to 888777. In the message, type REDROCKS and send.

More Events and News

Save the date for these important events:

• The Arizona Department of Transportation is advising drivers to plan for daytime full closures and overnight restrictions on SR 89A in Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon from December 3-9.
• Stuff the Bus with new unwrapped toys for kids ages 0-14 on December 12 from 10:00 am-5:30 pm at the Posse Grounds Pavilion. All collected toys will be donated to Sedona Toys for Tots. The goal is to fill our Sedona Shuttle bus with toys, which will then be distributed to local families in need.
• Nominate your favorite artist for the Mayor’s Arts Awards! Nominations are due by January 8, 2024.
• Our draft Community Plan update is ready for your review at www.plansedona.com! Comments are due by January 31, 2024.
• The City will conduct its 2024 primary election on August 6, 2024, and its General Election, if necessary, on November 5, 2024. If you are interested in serving on City Council, there will be three council seats for a four-year term, and the Mayor’s seat for a two-year term available next year. Pick up a candidate packet at the City Clerk’s Office at 102 Roadrunner Drive.

A few more announcements:

• The Tourism Program team is proud to unveil the new tourism program website: ScenicSedona.com.
• Heat zones have been identified in Sedona. As part of a detailed urban heat island mapping effort, the results show that certain sections of Sedona are hotter than others.
• Want to make sure your home never becomes a short-term rental, even after you sell? The City’s Deed Restriction Program can help you achieve that.
• The Sedona Police Department (SPD) added a new narcotics detection K9 Black Lab named Sam to the team! Sam’s handler is SPD Officer Catherine Beers.
• Since March 2022, the Sedona Shuttle has logged over a half million passenger boardings! This service has improved pedestrian safety on some of the roadways leading to the trailheads and has helped alleviate the extreme over-prescription of parking we’ve seen in some of our neighborhoods.
• The Posse Grounds Park Basketball Court restoration and resurfacing project is complete, and the court is now open! Our very own City Maintenance Worker, Tommy Snyder painted our City logo center court and the mural on the backstop area.

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