Think of it as a post-Christmas wish list.
Every year the Sedona City Council meets to discuss its priorities for the upcoming year and to put them in order of importance from high to low. This year’s list, which was discussed during a retreat on Wednesday, Jan. 8, looked similar to last year’s with transportation again being a top priority.
“This is a unique opportunity to take a balcony view and try and balance numerous projects and initiatives competing for limited funding, time and attention,” City Manager Justin Clifton wrote in his report to council. “This is an important but challenging task for the city council.
“We already have numerous large-scale priorities that are likely to continue into [Fiscal Year 2020-21]. This existing workload will limit the number of new priorities that can be addressed. That said, council should embrace the opportunity to review and perhaps reconsider direction on existing and new priorities wherever it’s needed.”
Council listed the follow items as high priority:
Traffic Improvements
- Uptown roadway construction estimated complete by June 2020
- Forest Road design estimated complete by fall 2020
- Tlaquepaque design estimated complete by June 2020
- Y slip lane design estimated complete by January 2021
- Portal to Ranger connection design complete by summer 2020
- Bike and Pedestrian Plan estimated complete by February 2020
Transit
- Completed modeling and implementation plan
- Recruit transit director by January 2020
- Acquire property in early 2020
- Consider financing options by spring 2021
- Work with U.S. Forest Service regarding National Environmental Policy Act study for trailheads, a NEPA study in Oak Creek Canyon and a capacity study
“One of the options is, are you, Sedona, willing to pay for the whole thing if the counties say, ‘Sorry, we’re broke,’” Assistant City Manager Karen Osburn said. “If we do that, I guarantee that they’ll say, ‘We’re broke.’”
“Part of that is to let them [counties] know of our willingness to take up the ball and carry the lion’s share of making this happen but we need their commitment and the commitment of their constituents,” she said.
Affordable Housing
- Needs assessment and strategic plan expected by June 2020
- Explore potential property acquisition
- Explore public-private partnerships
- Coordinate Verde Valley regional conversation
“I wouldn’t want to speak for the other communities because this housing issue is a growing priority for everybody,” Clifton said of other communities in the Verde Valley.
“We have a mayors/ managers meeting very soon with all of them so we’ll bring this up,” he said. “But I think they’ll say they’re not prepared to participate in building a regional organization, which would cost each entity tens of thousands of dollars. So we’re either going to have to hire someone [to oversee housing for Sedona] or we’re going to really limp along in this effort.”
Environmental Stewardship
- Internal plan complete by January 2020
- Install charging stations by January 2020
- Create Resiliency Plan between spring and winter 2020
- Explore solar opportunities
- Explore carbon offsets
- Explore policy, incentive and education options
- Integrate with Sustainable Tourism efforts
- Participate in evaluation of Sedona Recycles with information provided to council by January 2020
Sustainable Tourism
- Establish monitoring process
- Establish and track key indicators
- Incorporate work from off-highway vehicle work group
- Incorporate work from helicopter noise work group
Public Communications and Relations
- Refine goals with council, which is already complete
- Consider training
- Answer frequently asked questions and draft talking points
- Consider broader engagement on social media
- Consider homeowners association, service club and other communication outreach
- Website redesign by February 2020
The issues council members deemed medium priority include managing the impact of short-term vacation rentals — over which the council has no control due to state legislation — economic diversification, emergency preparedness and considering long-term options for Sedona Recycles.
Low on the priority list included “sense of place” and acquisition of park lands.
