During the latest city of Sedona budget survey, which received 854 responses, majorities of residents told the city that they oppose any additional spending on a number of staff and council priorities, including building additional roads and a creekwalk.

Results

On the question regarding where additional funding for the police department should be directed, hiring an emergency manager scored 954, while hiring more patrol officers scored 801. Hiring a homelessness officer ranked last with a score of 453.

When asked how much funding should be allocated to building neighborhood street connections, 56% of respondents said none, while 11% voted for $1 million, 9% for $1.6 million and 23% for $2.4 million. The city’s fiscal year 2025 budget currently includes $1,166,420 for neighborhood connections in future years.

City staff estimated in the survey that building a new crossing over Oak Creek would cost $20 million and asked residents how much should be spent; 17% of respondents expressed support for the city spending the full $20 million, 13% supported a $10 million investment and 10% a $2 million investment. Sixty percent of respondents rejected providing any funding for such a project and opposed a new crossing.

In the results of the city’s latest National Community Survey, conducted by the National Research Center and released in February, 65% of respondents strongly supported and 20% somewhat supported a new Oak Creek crossing.

On the question of how much funding should be allocated to a proposed creekwalk, 8% of respondents voted for $20 million to cover the full cost of the project, 7% for $10 million, 10% for $2 million and 75% for no funding at all.

Residents also opposed the possibility of the city spending money to acquire land for workforce housing, with 21% of respondents voting for $5 million, 13% for $2 million and 66% for no spending.

Fewer than half of survey respondents ranked overall priorities. Among these votes, the development of neighborhood connections scored highest, followed by hiring additional police, while building a creekwalk received the lowest score.

Survey Comments

• “Make the city more bike friendly and set up bike shares. Bikes and bike paths are cheap compared to shuttles and roads.”
• “Can you cut staff? This is all about spending more money and hiring more people. Cops protect the community, Parks and Rec hosts good events. I don’t know what the other 150 to 200 of you do except waste money.”
• “Why is it locals are not hired for these city positions?”
• “I fully expect the city to construct workforce housing and then price it out of reach of the actual workforce.”
• “The city needs to show the return on investment and savings possible by building and operating a vehicle maintenance facility. Why can’t this be done by third party providers less expensively?”
• “The city should not be in the business of housing.”
• “Too much money is being spent on studies and a small homeless issue that keeps escalating in the eyes of the government.”
• “Reduce the city expenditures and pay down debt.”
• “$2 million on a plan for a bus barn is obscene.”
• “This city wastes so much money on things that really don’t benefit us.”
• “Your ‘shared use’ paths are way too wide.”
• “Evaluate how many people need housing. Ask them what they want and then ask businesses what they are willing to contribute.”
• “Stop wasting money on short-term rental lobbying. Feels like we are subsidizing the hotel industry.”
• “Decrease the amount of city administrative positions. The growth of the city government does not equate to the value received.”
• “None of the proposed initiatives will do anything to improve the quality of life in Sedona.”
• “Stop turning Sedona into a homeless haven.”
• “As usual, the city is expecting public support from shallow, vague questions. This is a worthless survey.”
• “Affordable housing within city limits is not feasible. I would support an effort towards affordable housing at the Dells site, which would be far more practical.”
• “A bike and pedestrian access over Oak Creek allowing trail access or bicycle commuting from West Sedona to South is my preference over a vehicular traffic bridge.”
• “We don’t need more cops in our town. We don’t need more militarized police equipment. We don’t need more roads.”
• “No low-income housing in our Sedona paradise.”
• “Twenty-six years ago with a population of some 11,000, city had approximately one third of the current number of staff, excluding police. Get rid of the additional positions.”
• “How can the cost overruns continually be approved with absolutely no accountability? The parking garage should be downsized to meet the original budget.”
• “City promised to drop neighborhood connections from [Sedona in Motion]. Honor your commitment to residents.”
• “Quit wasting money on worthless initiatives.”
• “Revitalize the red rock amphitheater. If the city is serious about infrastructure for the citizens, these are the type of projects that should be undertaken along with Oak Creek road and pedestrian crossings and neighborhood connectivity via trails and roads.”
• “Stop spending so much money on consulting firms.”
• “I would hope the city of Sedona does not allow for a seven-story building. Nothing over two stories should be built.”
• “If the city continues on its present quest to increase homelessness in Sedona, the city will lose home rule. The city may want to make financial plans for that likelihood.”
• “Stop promoting the over-tourism of Sedona and then using the profits/taxes to expand the government unnecessarily.”
• “Nobody wants to live in Sedona, they love to visit.”
• “Nothing else matters until the tourist problem is dealt with.”

The full survey results can be viewed here.