The City of Sedona Arizona incorporation is in question
Sedona AZ (January 8, 2014) – The following is a letter to the SedonaEye.com editor from a City of Sedona taxpayer:
To my fellow taxpayers in the city of Sedona,
I’d like to make our lives better and save us some money in the process. Interested?
How would you like to save 3% on your phone bill, your electric bill and everything you buy in Sedona?
How would you like less traffic? The “City” of Sedona gives around a million dollars to the Sedona Chamber of Commerce, with no accountability needed. Less advertising, less traffic.
City of Sedona actual expenditures for 2013 were $26,887,416 according to the city and many taxpayers are asking what percentage of the budget went to infrastructure and maintenance of the city versus salaries and tourist advertising dollars?
What I propose would not affect the Sedona Fire Department, it is not a part of the “City” of Sedona.
What I propose will not affect schools, the school district is not a part of the “City”.
You will still have law enforcement from the Coconino, Yavapai County Sheriffs and Arizona DPS.
So you ask, how much will we save?
Well, the actual expenditures for 2013 were $26,887,416 according to the “City.”
The “City” has budgeted $36,145,299 for 2014. Just over a 34% annual increase. Did your income increase 34%?
I’m sure I will get a lot of hate mail from “City” employees. Oh well. Did you know they get 96 hours flex time which can be used at their discretion, 80 hours of vacation time and 11 paid holidays, the first year?
What do you get for your $26,887,416?
If you would like to keep your money, we have started a website for dis-incorporation (Editor notation: Direct contact with the writer is available at sedonacity@gmail.com).
We would like your help,
Sincerely,
Richard Saunders
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I think the current City Council has clearly made a statement. They raised bed tax to give to a chamber to advertise the village and enchantment along with other chamber members that do NOT collect sales or bed tax. They try and rationalize it by saying those visitors may come into Sedona to buy a piece of art or a slice of pizza. GET A GRIP CITY COUNCIL! You do not deserve to be incorporated. You treat you businesses and citizens like S _ _ T! The chamber is NOT the city and only pads their pocket books. It is by far the most ridiculous thing ever. absolutely the worst city council ever! We are better off in county hands.
A picture of two cops taking for 10min and a guy cashing a check does not add any credibility to your cause or website!!!
To Richard Sauders AKA Tony Tonsich:
It really doesn’t make a difference which name you go by, you have dedicated your life to sounding like a darn fool, no matter the cause, you still have no credibility.
You spent years of your life spewing hate and lies about our dedicated hero’s at SFD because they saw the need to terminate your girlfriend for whatever the reason, boo hoo, life’s too short SO GET OVER IT!
So now you hate the city and say how we pay so much and can save 3% with our phone and electric bill. Well you know what Tony, I hope each and every land owner checks their bills like you asked so that they can learn that WE REALLY ARE GETTING A GREAT DEAL!
Tony, I pay a whopping $1.98 in sales tax for my electric bill and a staggering .09₵ for my phone bill. So according to your figures, for the outrageous tax of $2.07 a month I receive a quick response from our city police, I have road repairs and a responsive city staff that will actually answer the phone with a live person and assist me should I ever need it, NOT A BAD PRICE for all that!
Of course we also pay that same 3% sales tax at the food store and hardware store to receive those services and you know what Tony, SO DO THE 3 MILLION TOURISTS THAT VISIT OUR GREAT CITY! So, instead of just the land owners paying to get these services, we have THREE MILLION MORE PEOPLE contributing, SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT DEAL TO ME! Tourists share in our city and they get to pay with their sales tax just like us land owners, SOUNDS FAIR TO ME!
Tony, if you have nothing else to do with your time then to take pictures of our cops for having a cup of coffee and a city worker cashing his pay check on his lunch break, YOU HAVE WAY TOO MUCH TIME ON YOUR HANDS.
Once last thing Tony, who gives a darn if the holiday decorations were taken down a week or so after New Year’s. The land owners and tourists pay people to care of those things, WITH OUR SALES TAX! It also sounds like a safe tactic to have a cop with his lights on while those decorations were being removed, IT’S WHAT WE PAY FOR! The police are insuring our safety as well as their own.
So take your web site and crawl back under that rock once again.
Must agree that pics of cops poor choice for reason to disincorporate. So many other reasons, like revised community plan threatening future land use and proposals for special improvements, GO bonds, and city property taxes. Don’t get why Mrs. Roger Thomas identifies the writer of the letter as someone else and brings in fire district. Richard Saunders (whoever he is) clearly states and which is true the fire district has nothing to do with incorporated Sedona except to give us the excellent service to which we’ve become accustomed. (Can’t say that about incorporated City of Sedona.)
The Sedona Police are probably the most efficient part of the City. Yet according the current city of Sedona budget, page 303, the police budget is increasing from $2,306,483 in 2013 to a proposed $3,517,752 in 2014, a nearly 50% increase. Yet they don’t seem that busy to me . Did you know they have a K9 unit? Why?
There are 7 executive positions in the city managers office. Why?
There is budgeted $4,112,041 for public works. If you take that and the 2013 actual police budget you get $6,418,524. The total Projected city budget for 2014 is $36,145,299.
WHAT DO THEY DO WITH THE OTHER $30,000,000 DOLLARS. 30 MILLION?
Remember Sedona Schools and Sedona Fire get no part of this 30 million. They are not part of the “City” of Sedona.
Don’t you deserve to keep your own money?
If you think you do, (Editor’s note: Visit website on the web.) We can use your help.
Richard Saunders, sedonacity@gmail.com