City budgeting, tax revenues and financial projections might seem like dry topics of discussion, but not when candidates for Sedona mayor step to the podium.

City budgeting, tax revenues and financial projections might seem like dry topics of discussion, but not when candidates for Sedona mayor step to the podium.

The mayoral candidate forum Thursday, Jan. 31, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Sedona-Verde Valley, packed the house at Sedona Public Library’s Si Birch Community Room and caused quite a stir.

There were several areas of agreement.

All three candidates oppose a city tax on real property, but agreed a general obligation bond approved by the voters may be needed to pay the cost of future infrastructure.

All acknowledge alternative revenue sources need to be identified so the city need not rely so heavily on tourism.

All pledge to be fiscally responsible.

All favor long-range financial planning.

All promise to keep residents involved in the process of government.

Despite areas of consensus, candidates exchanged accusations, polite and otherwise.

Special interests

Sedona City Council is “controlled by developers,” said Matthew Turner, a newcomer to Sedona and first-time candidate. Turner said he would encourage residents to be more involved in city government and oppose developers who try to exert too much influence.

Incumbent Mayor Pud Colquitt said city government is open to the public at every level. She said she travels around Greater Sedona to hear from constituents at regular meetings known as “Coffee Chats.”

“Communication is a two-way street,” she said.

Special interests do not unduly influence council decisions, she argued.

Rob Adams, appointed to the City Council two years ago, said he spearheaded efforts to increase resident involvement by working to form “citizen advisory committees” on issue like the city budget and Hwy. 89A streetlights.

Increasing involvement of residents is the best way to keep special interests at bay, he said.

Enforcement of sales tax laws

Businesses that avoid collecting city sales tax by shipping goods directly to out-of-state buyers violate the law, Adams said, but enforcing the law in the current economic climate would be tricky.

“It would not be good to rattle the cages of business at this time,” he said.

Enforcement should be balanced against the impact enforcement will have on local business, he said.

Colquitt said she agreed with Adams that the only way to police local business would be to audit collection of city sales tax.

“We don’t want to police anyone, but we all need to comply with the law,” she said.

Turner said he opposed “the policy of policing.”

National Scenic Area

Colquitt said she wants the city to vote on the issue of a National Scenic Area designation before the council takes a position to endorse it.

“It’s a very complicated law,” she said.

Existing U.S. Forest Service regulations already restrict development of surrounding forests, she said.

Adams and Turner said they would vote to endorse a federal law that designates hundreds of thousands of acres of federal forest land surrounding Sedona as “scenic.”

The law, which must be passed by Congress and signed by the president, would, among other things, prevent development of surrounding forests by prohibiting land trades between developers and the federal government.

Those who oppose the law say it could have unforeseen                   negative impacts on the city and would create an added layer of government with authority over local political bodies.

City budget

Adams said he demonstrated fiscal responsibility by voting against an $18-million excise bond to expanded sewer lines and construct storm water drainage systems and by finding a way to cut $400,000 from city’s budget for employee insurance.

He said the city currently enjoys an 8-percent surplus, “an anomaly,” and promised to balance the city budget in two years.

Colquitt said infrastructure like stormwater drains and streets are the city’s “albatross” inherited from Yavapai and Coconino counties that must be maintained.

Colquitt worked with lobbyists to secure $564,000 in federal grant money to help pay the costs of infrastructure last year and would work hard to obtain more grants if elected, she said.

Turner said an increase in the bed tax and a general obligation bond may be needed to pay infrastructure costs.

“A general obligation bond is necessary because of the fiscally irresponsible City Council,” he said.

Tax revenues will rise after Sedona becomes a “model city” that operates entirely on solar energy and follows environmentally friendly, or “green,” practices, he said.

Top three priorities

Completing Sedona’s sewer system, implementing green practices and marketing Sedona as a “model city” to increase tax revenue are his top priorities, Turner said.

Economic sustainability through comprehensive, goal-specific planning, increased marketing in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce to increase tourist visits and environmental stewardship of the area by encouraging green building practices are his, Adams said.

Long-range financial plans that allow the city to maintain necessary infrastructure, diversifying the local economy to take the onus off tourism, and attracting more federal funding to deal with the traffic explosion are her priorities, Colquitt said.