City Council Recap

Below are the highlights of September City Council meetings and some decisions that may interest you:

• On Sept. 10, 2024, City Council approved the reallocation of the 2023 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program funds of $402,110 to the Verde Valley Habitat for Humanity’s Home Repair Program. This program will serve low to moderate-income owner-occupied households within the city limits. If you are interested in assistance with home repairs, primarily health and safety hazards, please reach out to the Verde Valley Habitat for Humanity.
• On Sept. 10, 2024, City Council discussed a 15 MPH speed limit on Morgan Road for OHVs. This item will be brought back to Council on Oct. 8, 2024.
• On Sept. 10, 2024, City Council approved two contract changes for the Forest Road Connection Project. The first contract change at $1,474,527 is for additional work such as soil nailing, mobilization, joint trench and process export. Because of this and additional design needs, another contract change at $60,075 is needed for additional construction design services work including drawing review, project management, construction meetings, landscape planning, and more.
• On Sept. 10, 2024, City Council approved a contract amendment for the design of a new road, the Ranger extension, from SR 89A to the proposed new Brewer/Ranger roundabout, and also a shared use path from the current Brewer Road roundabout to the proposed Brewer/Ranger roundabout, in the amount of $124,550. The new road connection will be a one-way road (southbound) until such time that the Ranger/SR 89A/Forest roundabout is constructed, at which time the connecting roadway will become two-way. This is all part of the larger concept of the two new roundabouts (Brewer/Ranger and Ranger/89A/Forest), the removal of the current Brewer roundabout, the Ranger extension, the creation of a roadway from Portal Lane to Ranger Road, and an integrated turning lane from Ranger Road onto SR 179.
• On Sept. 11, 2024, City Council met with the Sustainability Department for a quarterly update which included discussions about the Decarbonization Roadmap and an approved year-long contract agreement for the Home Energy Retrofit Project in-an-amount-not-to-exceed $90,000.
• On Sept. 24, 2024, City Council approved a Zone Change and Development Agreement to allow the building of a 100-room hotel and 46-unit multifamily housing project called the Village at Saddlerock Crossing in West Sedona. The 46 housing units will be various levels of affordability and deed restricted for 50 years or as long as the development is a hotel, whichever is longer. The developer will need to work with staff to ensure plans are updated to comply with Land Development Code requirements and Conditions of Approval, and then apply for building permits.
• On Sept. 24, 2024, City Council approved a Construction Contract for phase two of the Dry Creek Road Shared-Use Pathway Improvements Project, from Two Fences Trailhead to Gringo Road, in an amount not-to-exceed $376,019.90. The construction began today, October 7 and will be complete in February 2025, and the project includes over 4,000 feet of decomposed granite pathway with street crosswalks and driveway pavers. This dovetails with the roadway realignment project currently going on, in order to make room for the pathway on the curve of Dry Creek Road. Phase two of this pathway project will connect to phase one, which was previously completed and runs from Two Fences Trailhead to the intersection of Dry Creek Road and Vultee Arch Road.
• On Sept. 24, 2024, City Council discussed a Development Impact Fee increase, which are one-time charges applied to any new constructions or expansions of existing building, both residential and commercial, so that new growth will pay its fair share of infrastructure improvements needed to provide municipal services, and to ensure that existing residents are not unduly burdened to pay for improvements and services needed to accommodate new development. Development Impact Fees were last updated in 2019 and are required by statute to be updated every five years. A series of public meetings have been held on this topic with the next one being this evening, Oct. 8 at the City Council meeting.
• On Sept. 25, 2024, City Council was joined by the Sedona Fire District to discuss a location of the future Fire Station 4. City Council and fire board members discussed the potential parcels in Uptown, partnership opportunities that could benefit the community overall, and identified preferred parcels for the fire station. This item will be brought back to Council this fall.
• On Sept. 25, 2024, City Council decided not to pursue ownership and sponsorship of the Sedona Airport based on the findings of the Sedona Airport Assessment and on staff recommendations.

Did You Know

• … that our new Sedona Shuttle Connect cost only $2?! The Sedona Shuttle Connect is public transit on-demand, providing Uber™-like service to most of the city limits, Thursday through Sunday from 6:30 am – 6:00 pm. The Sedona Shuttle Connect also connects with the Sedona Shuttle trailhead service at three popular Park & Ride lots so you can hike and bike without driving or parking. Check out the service map, download the TransLoc app, and learn more.

Events

• The Great Pumpkin Splash is coming up on Saturday, October 19 from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm at the Sedona Community Pool. Please register in advance!
• Fest of Fall, Sedona’s newest free community event, will be fun for the whole family and a great reason to come out and celebrate the season together! From 1:00 – 8:00 pm at the Posse Grounds Pavilion (505 Posse Grounds Rd.), grab lunch and dinner, some treats, enjoy the autumn atmosphere, family fun and games, craft beers, live music and more!
• Join the free Northern Arizona Solar Co-op to learn about solar energy and together leverage their buying power to purchase individual solar systems at a discounted group price. Attend the next informational meeting on Tuesday, October 29, from 6:00 - 7:30 pm at the Sedona Public Library, located at 3250 White Bear Rd.
• The city’s Arts and Culture Program will celebrate two incredible artists and two organizations at the upcoming seventh Mayor’s Arts Awards event on Saturday, November 2 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre, located at 2030 SR 89A. Click here to learn more about the awardees and their categories.

News

• The City of Sedona is proud to welcome Barbara Whitehorn as the new director of financial services. Whitehorn will manage the Finance Department and its nine employees who administrate the budget, procurement, utility payments and operation of the revenue and expenses of the City.
• The newly completed Pedestrian Crossing at Oak Creek is now open! This new creekside pathway below the SR 179 bridge leads pedestrians and cyclists underneath SR 179, reducing conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles in a highly visited area of town. The pathway not only features the incredible riparian area, but also includes interesting architectural features like a water wheel, gathering space, and a medicine wheel. In collaboration with ADOT, we will conduct periodic testing to determine if additional changes to the street level SR 179 pedestrian crossing are needed which could include closing it during busy times, installing a signalized crosswalk, or closing it completely.
• The Parks and Recreation Department has extended the hours operation at the Sedona Community Pool to serve residents through weekends of October. Did you know there are two club swim teams that use the Sedona Community Pool year-round?

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