Sedona Housing Manager Shannon Boone has been terminated by the city of Sedona. Boone’s last day was July 3.
Boone “was let go because she did not meet the professionalism standards of the city, as expected in the personnel policy manual,” Sedona Communications Manager Lauren Brown said.
Boone was hired by the city of Sedona in September 2021 to serve as housing manager in a joint arrangement with the city of Cottonwood to “lead the implementation of affordable and workforce housing initiatives in both communities.”
Boone’s contract in Cottonwood recently ended and the position was eliminated from the city of Cottonwood’s fiscal year 2025 budget.
During her tenure, no new affordable housing projects broke ground or were completed in Sedona. The 42-unit Sunset Lofts project, launched in July 2021, has not yet broken ground and the site has reverted to the city after the developer’s failure to begin construction. The 30-unit Villas on Shelby project, for which the city entered into a development agreement in December 2023 and was slated to begin a 14-month construction process in the spring, is likewise stalled.
In June, public records requests by residents revealed that Boone had referred to residents opposed to her proposal to install a car camp for homeless workers on part of the Sedona Cultural Park as “short-sighted selfish bullies” and said that her “hands are tied” by those residents exercising their right to hold a referendum on the proposal. She instructed those opposed to the referendum to “keep [organizer William] Noonan from getting 500 signatures for the referendum by April 11.”
Noonan has since filed a complaint with the city attorney alleging Boone used city resources to influence an election.
“Let me clearly state to this community that I do not condone nor excuse unprofessional or disrespectful behavior by any member of my team in city hall,” City Manager Anette Spickard said on June 13. “On behalf of our city organization, I apologize to the community for the hurtful things that were said.”
City staff posted a job listing for the housing manager’s position on July 18. The advertised salary range for the position is between $90,272 and $130,187. Boone was paid $104,499 in FY24, one of 24 city employees making more than $100,000 annually in a town where the median income is $33,284. The position requires a bachelor’s degree in land use, planning, public administration, real estate, policy or sustainability and a minimum of five years’ experience in housing development and management. Experience in architecture or construction is not required.
