City Council Recap

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

• On May 13, 2025, City Council appointed the first Senior Poet Laureate Gary Every and Youth Poet Laureate Anya Blue Lior to serve a two-year term promoting and elevating literary arts in the City in collaboration with the Community Library Sedona.
• On May 13, 2025, City Council approved an agreement for the construction of the Northview Sewer Line Replacement Project in an amount-not-to-exceed $593,920. The sewer main needs replacement as there are several areas of sagging pipe that prevent proper flow through the pipe and collect debris and allow for the buildup of grease.
• On May 13, 2025, City Council approved an Intergovernmental Agreement for Construction and Administration of an Emergency Siren System in Uptown between Coconino County and the City.
• On May 27, 2025, City Council held a Public Hearing and approved the Tentative City Budget for fiscal year 2026 in the amount of $103,457,496 which is $2 million less than the fiscal year 2025 budget. This tentative budget adoption sets the maximum annual spending limit. The final Budget Adoption will take place at a Council meeting on June 24, 2025 at 4:30 pm.
• On May 27, 2025, City Council approved a construction Change Order to support additional work associated with the excavation of the Uptown Parking Garage in the amount of $382,123. This work is needed due to the complicated native rock geology which requires additional rock stabilization and grouting material. The cost for this work is within the project contingency amount so the overall project cost is not increased. The overall Uptown Parking Garage project cost remains at approximately $26 million.
• On May 27, 2025, City Council held the first Public Hearing on a proposed new chapter in the Sedona City Code about wild and exotic animal displays or performances. The new chapter has been proposed due to the growing number of incidents involving the unsupervised or inappropriate public display of wild and exotic animals, particularly in high-traffic pedestrian areas such as Uptown. These displays have raised significant concerns related to public safety, sanitation, and animal welfare. The proposed chapter prohibits the display or performance of wild or exotic animals within Sedona city limits unless under clearly defined exceptions—such as with permission of the property owner and with a USDA-licensed exhibitors or entities permitted by the Arizona Game and Fish Department for educational purposes. This ordinance prioritizes the safety of the public, ensures humane treatment of animals, and establishes clear authority for enforcement actions when violations occur. The second hearing and possible adoption of the ordinance is scheduled for June 24, 2025. The new code will be effective 30 days after adoption.
• On May 28, 2025, City Council heard a quarterly update on Sedona in Motion (SIM) projects. Council received an overview of the dashboard showing traffic modeling of current travel time on main roads and the impact that future project benefits are expected to have on travel time. Staff also provided an update on other key projects such as an Uptown Circulator Study; Parking Management including wayfinding, fees, and potential parking lot consolidation in Uptown; and roundabout adaptive signals at the Y.

Did you know?

•  ……that we have a Tourism Industry Business Newsletter? Our June newsletter featured summer destination marketing campaign videos, an update on Sedona fire restrictions, April tourism industry performance data, and much more. Sign up today.

News

• The Sedona Shuttle Connect hours have been extended to June 29! The Sedona Shuttle Connect is an app-based on-demand service that provides shared-ride, on-demand transit Thursday through Sunday from 6:30 am - 8:30 pm.
• The Sedona Fire District, which includes the City Limits of Sedona, entered stage 1 fire restrictions with the Coconino National Forest on Friday, May 30.
• Several wonderful job opportunities are available now! Check out our job board today.
• The excavation of the Uptown Parking Garage is complete and construction of the garage structure has begun. This project is part of an effort to simplify parking and wayfinding in Uptown and will consist of a three-level garage for approximately 270 vehicles, with one level below grade.

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