The Sedona City Council voted 7-0 on Tuesday, Jan. 23, to approve the contract to hire Anette Spickard, of McCall, Idaho, as the new city manager.

Spickard is scheduled to take over the role on Monday, April 8, following the departure of current City Manager Karen Osburn, who notified council in the fall of 2023 that she was intending to retire this spring.

In addition to Spickard, Carly Castle, city manager of Moab, Utah; Darren Coldwell, city manager of Page; and Greg Caton, city manager of Grand Junction, Colo., were announced as the final four candidates for the city manager position in mid-December. Council then narrowed the finalist pool to Caton and Spickard, and Caton withdrew his bid shortly thereafter.

Spickard’s base salary will be $190,000, an increase from both Osburn’s 2023 salary of $183,000 and her own 2022 McCall salary of $135,268. She will also receive a housing allowance of $1,667 per month, or $20,000 per year, and a vehicle allowance of $416.67 per month, or $5,000 per year. Her contract does not require her to drive an electric or hybrid vehicle in compliance with the city’s green fleet policy. In addition, the city will cover up to $2,500 of Spickard’s professional dues, and she will be credited with 80 hours of vacation time before starting work. She will be required to relocate to Sedona within six months, and will receive up to $10,000 for relocation expenses.

The city can terminate Spickard with or without cause with 30 days’ notice, while Spickard can resign with 60 days’ notice. In the event of a termination not for cause, she would be eligible for six months’ severance pay.

Spickard’s contract also contains the provision that the council cannot terminate her within 90 days of new council members taking office after an election.

Spickard is currently the city manager of McCall, Idaho, which has a population of 2,991. Before she was hired by the city of McCall in 2018, she worked for the city of Springfield, Ore., as public works director and deputy director between 2013 and 2018. Spickard spent most of her career in Lane County, Ore., first as an accountant from 1993 to 2000, then as a budget analyst from 2002 to 2004 and finally as deputy assessor and assessor from 2004 to 2013. She received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Loyola Marymount University in 1991 and her master’s degree in public administration from the University of Washington in 2016.

The Sedona Red Rock News is working toward obtaining a full interview with Spickard.