City report reviews highs and lows in 20202 min read

The city of Sedona recently released its 2020 Community Report. Included in the report were highlights of the work done in Uptown as part of the Sedona in Motion Plan and impacts as a result of the construction. Photo by David Jolkovski/Larson Newspapers

Think of it as a job evaluation ā€” but for an entire city.

The city of Sedona last week released its annual community report and touched upon the highs and lows of the past year, one that was difficult for most.

ā€œIā€™m most proud that when you look at our efforts as a city, they flow very nicely from the cityā€™s Community Plan,ā€ City Manager Justin Clifton said of the report after it was made public. ā€œWeā€™re making progress in areas like economic diversification, sustainability, transporĀ­tation and bike and pedestrian facilities. All of these are areas that the citizens asked us to pursue and weā€™re making progress. Thatā€™s on top of programs weā€™ve run for years that continue to perform strongly.ā€

In the report, Mayor Sandy Moriarty wrote, ā€œAs we continue to weather the COVID-19 storm, rest assured that city council is committed to the health and safety of residents. I know that we have all sacrificed so much in 2020. I am grateful for the financial prudence we took as a city council, which sets us up to come out of this pandemic stronger. Stay safe and healthy.ā€

Moriarty lists in the report the priorities set forth by council that were addressed in 2020. Those include:

ā–  Implement Sedona in Motion traffic improvements

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ā–  Expand diverse housing opportunities

ā–  Pursue environmental sustainability

ā–  Implement the Sustainable Tourism Plan

ā–  Promote economic diversity

ā–  Address short-term rentals issues

ā–  Improve emergency preparedness

ā–  Continue developĀ­ment of Community Focus Areas

Regarding city finances the report states that the city plans and measures finances in fiscal year increments, from July 1 to June 30. Comparing FY 2019 to FY 2020, due to COVID-19, combined sales and bed tax collecĀ­tion decreased by 7%.

ā€œHowever, most recent data from the beginning of FY 2021 shows that from July 1, 2020 to Oct. 31, 2020, combined sales and bed tax collection was up 10% compared to the same period in 2019,ā€ the report states. Initial estimates are showing that the last six calendar months of 2020 sales and bed taxes, conservaĀ­tive spending and federal CARES Act funding the city received made up for the deficits in the cityā€™s budget from the first six months. The city was fortunate to have no employee layoffs in the organization.

ā€œWe weathered the pandemic as well as we could have imagined and continued to make progĀ­ress in the toughest times weā€™ve seen in many years,ā€ Clifton said. ā€œThis has been a real group effort with a strong and visionary council, a dedicated team of public servants and numerous external partners and engaged citizens.ā€

The full 2020 Community Report can be viewed at sedonaaz.gov.

Ron Eland

Ron Eland has been the assistant managing editor of the Sedona Red Rock News for the past seven years. He started his professional journalism career at the age of 16 and over the past 35 years has worked for newspapers in Nevada, Hawaii, California and Arizona. In his free time he enjoys the outdoors, sports, photography and time with his family and friends.

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