The city of Sedona has released the results of its 2024 budget survey, intended to assist in the preparation of the fiscal year 2025 budget.

A total of 879 residents completed the survey, which included questions on pedestrian bridges, arts and culture programming and trash hauling.

City Queries

• “Do you support building pedestrian bridges in Uptown if the cost is estimated to be $3 million to $4 million each?” the survey asked. It specified that the bridges would be located at Wayside Chapel and Jordan Road. Seventy-one percent of respondents opposed the bridge proposals, with 86% citing cost, 40% an undesired aesthetic and 32% impediments to the viewshed as their reasons for opposition.
• The survey inquired as to the forms of arts and culture programming in which residents would like the city to make further investments. Sixty-three percent said the city should not increase its support for arts and culture, 21% said arts investments should be focused on education for kids and teens and 19% each called for more public art and arts programs tied to the history of Sedona and local heritage sites. Seven percent suggested a funding increase of $20,000, 14% wanted to see an additional $100,000 and 17% called for an extra $200,000. The city’s arts budget in 2024 was $178,130.
• City staff asked residents if they would support a single trash hauler program with the goal of reducing emissions, costs and wear on city streets while increasing recycling options. Sixty-seven percent said they would not support such a program. A similar effort was proposed and ultimately abandoned in 2016.
• “If the Sedona Airport is financially self-supporting, do you support the city pursuing acquisition for greater local decision-making regarding the airport?” the survey queried. Eighty percent of respondents said they were opposed to the city purchasing the airport from Yavapai County.
• Another question asked if residents would be willing to modify their outdoor landscape watering systems if the city were to set up a rebate program to cover a portion of the cost. Sixty-eight percent of residents said they would not be.

Resident Input

Comments and suggestions from residents on the proposals included:

• “All money should be devoted to getting around easier, especially building the bridge again at Red Rock Crossing.”
• “Establishing a city of Sedona Poet Laureate. The poet laureate will provide poetry workshops and give public readings.”
• “Grants directly to artists.”
• “Leverage the city animated by the arts — put a nice sign with this branding at the roadway entrances to the city. The city website shows the Cultural Park like it was a viable performance spot — how do we bring it back?”
• “The city’s only focus should be fixing the traffic. The only way that Uptown is going to become more appealing to locals is if you fix the absurd traffic and add tons of new places for us to park. Also, we want to see the Cultural Park come back alive. Add focus there, not Uptown.”
• “Free parking for residents.”
• “Uptown businesses are too redundant and Jeep hubs only contribute to traffic and parking issues.”
• “Absolutely, positively no parking garage.”
• “Have a lane that bypasses Uptown for those going to Flagstaff.”
• “Address traffic issues with a road from Schnebly Hill Road to the roundabout near the Art Barn [bridge over Oak Creek].”
• “Many businesses in Sedona are mediocre and deserve to fail. Encourage restaurants to give VIP short-notice reservations, expedited seating or preferred seating to locals.”
• “Preemptively ban or heavily regulate dockless micromobility systems and vehicles within city limits.”
• “Maybe instead of working on trying to change Sedona to be like the 2000s Sedona, work on accepting that’s it’s 2024 Sedona.”
• “Pave Schnebly Hill Road. Open the cross-creek crossing to enable traffic to flow from the VOC to Sedona without clogging up Highway 179.”
• “There should be a free bus system connecting the Village of Oak Creek to Uptown and West Sedona. This would bring the tourists from the VOC to Uptown without the traffic congestion.”
• “It would be admirable for Sedona to break with American tradition and make headway towards shrinking the size and scope of local government instituting a government hiring freeze, and eliminating all non-essential positions.”
• “Put a tunnel under the area for through traffic.”
• “The city is incompetent in handling the day-today operations of quality of life issues that affect Sedona residents, and would be incompetent in running the daily operations of an airport. The city should not pursue the acquisition of the airport.”
• “City has many other pressing issues and the airport is simply a power grab.”
• “Too much bureaucracy and wasteful spending in city management now.”
• “Set up an air shuttle to Phoenix that runs multiple times a day.”
• “The city should take over the airport, move it to Camp Verde and give it back to the county. Then the city should convert the top into hiking trails.”
• “People should not have to pay to park at the summit near the airport.”
• “Your questions about the airport are biased in favor of city acquisition.”
• “Mandatory gray water systems on all new construction.”
• “When I built my house, we had a storage system designed which was four 1,000-gallon tanks to collect rainwater and snowmelt to put in my irrigation system. The city said that was not acceptable and I would need a water purification system which would’ve cost me tens of thousands of dollars. You guys screwed up in the beginning.”
• “We do not need another bureaucratic system of do-gooders poking their noise into private individuals’ business.”
• “The priority ranking question assumes all the items listed are important. The rankings will give a false impression of what the community desires.”
• “Next time you design a survey, give pros and cons of choices.”
• “We had 100 city employees in the early 2000s, and 3 [million] to 4 million tourists and 10,300 population. Now we have 9,700 people, 3 [million] to 4 million tourists and 180 employees. The city needs to get back to basics and stop being a playground for little myopic ideologies using tax dollars.”
• “Get rid of the many dumb rules that making building an ADU so expensive and you’ll go a long way to helping provide affordable housing opportunities.”
• “What can the city do to promote effective mulching?”
• “The budget should be decreased by 10% per year.”