The city of Sedona has taken in a total of $3,362,779.17 in revenue, or $2,585,327.29 adjusted for inflation since 2018, in Uptown parking fees during the program’s first seven years of operation.
The Uptown metered parking initially consisted of 101 parking spaces, with more subsequently added along Jordan Road in 2024. The meters use a tiered fee structure with a maximum stay of five hours and a $40 fine for drivers who overstay their welcome.
Nominal parking revenues were $465,733.98 in fiscal year 2018, covering the period from the meters’ activation at the end of June 2017 through June 2018, and $512,399.01 in FY19. Revenues sank to $336,674.95 in FY20 and $423,295.42 in FY21 before rebounding and peaking at $577,649.18 in FY22 and then declining again to $533,317.64 in FY23 and $513,708.99 in FY24.
City staff estimated at the time of the meters’ approval by City Council on Jan. 12, 2016, that the meters could generate around $325,000 in annual revenue.
Parking payments through the available mobile app accounted for 3.8% of total revenues during the first year of operation and 5.6% during the second year. During the third year, the proportion of visitors paying by app jumped to 9.3% and subsequently to 10.9% in FY21. The app payment rate was 9% for FY22, 10.4% for FY23 and 11.8% for FY24.
Using FY18 as a baseline, inflation-adjusted revenues for each fiscal year were:
- FY19: $503,338.91
- FY20: $326,868.88
- FY21: $393,031.96
- FY22: $499,264.63
- FY23: $445,173.32
- FY24: $417,649.59
During the seven-year period, the city also collected a total of $254,592 in fines from parking citations. Operational costs for the seven-year period totaled $205,923.46, with a minimum of $23,937.60 in FY20 and a maximum of $34,933.61 in FY23. The cost to install the meters in 2017 was $228,961, below the 2016 estimate of $250,000.
“As approved by City Council, revenue from the parking meters not spent on operations annually [reserves] is being used for long-term debt payments on the parking garage bonds,” Finance Director Barbara Whitehorn said. “As of June 30, 2023, all reserves were spent, and debt service payments, while paid in part by the ongoing meter revenue, is subsidized by the general fund.”
At the time the meters were installed, then-Assistant City Manager Karen Osburn said the city would track sales tax revenue from selected Uptown businesses and compare the revenues against those from non-Uptown businesses to determine whether the paid parking was having a deterrent effect on customers.
Whitehorn stated on Dec. 4 that “tracking and reporting on specific businesses in a limited geographic area within the city would violate Arizona statute.”
