Comments on: A Bit of Factual Whimsy with Eddie Maddock

By: clarissa

clarissa — Tue, 03 May 2016 02:16:49 +0000

am really amazed that ol steve segner tossed out the ‘tidbit’ that he and councilman john martinez concocted the great scam of raise the bed tax by .5% and give it all to the chamber and no one has realized the benefit that gives all lodging business in reduced advertising costs. instead his highness mr California martinez and his best friend steve segner should have realized the benefit of a reduction of aq1% state of Arizona sales tax that could have benefited the local business’s…oh no not their game plan.

pity all who have been touched by steve segner and john Martinez.

and that the .5% is just and only a portion of the big bucks going to the chamber out of our city coffers.

if the chamber is so damn good at promoting Sedona (which any thinking breathing person realizes makes the traffic is so bad that it takes almost an hour to get to town from the village or almost an hour or more from midgley bridge) and the chamber is only willing to give a pittance of $25,000 towards the traffic study then why isn’t the chamber better at becoming self sustaining instead of the beggar, beggar rich “business” in this town when other business’s are leaving because the city council doesn’t financially support them.

bottom line is I kinda think most all of us would have felt good if that .5% bed tax increase to the local lodging business’s only if the revenue went to capital expenses like roads and drainage and traffic control with boots on the ground at the roundabouts.

hey, just my thoughts.

By: West sedona resident

West sedona resident — Sun, 01 May 2016 00:30:15 +0000

Btw

The above comment was hacked by Jess Lookin She really use to be on the payroll till she got fired….just ask Tony T…. It’s was all over SE a few years back

By: west sedona resident

west sedona resident — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 20:10:36 +0000

I am for anything the City of Sedona or the chamber of Commerce does. Of course I am , I am on the payroll.

The more disinformation and negativity I spread the safer my salary and perks are.

By: Alarmed

Alarmed — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 14:26:00 +0000

The City is not saving one penny. All the money wasted on the Chamber of Commerce comes from the City’s General Fund and is budgeted every year. As before, this is likewise the case now after the .5 percent bed tax increase. In fact, the proposed FY 2016-2017 budget includes an absurd $1,734,919 total for the Chamber of Commerce. This budget is posted on the City’s website under today’s Council Agenda.

The 8,000 employees in tourism amount to somewhere around 4,000 for Sedona. Many of the numbers ss spews include data from outside the Sedona City limits.

Instead of Sedona, the Grand Canyon had the highest visitor growth (obviously not a city).

I wonder how tourists like Sedona’s traffic congestion and lack of adequate parking? The quality of life here is not what it used to be, and the infrastructure and environment are under siege.Does ss care?

BTW, before the .5 percent bed tax increase, it was not uncommon for ss to advertise his El Portal hotel in the Travel section of the Sunday ARIZONA REPUBLIC. Not now.

By: steve segner

steve segner — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 14:09:08 +0000

Yes, the City is now saving money. Before the .05% bed tax increase the City of Sedona helped pay for the operation of the Uptown Visitor Center. That money came from the general fund and had to be found in the budget every year. Now the bed tax amount from visitors is collected and dispersed in full by the City specifically for the Uptown Visitor Center, and to fund marketing programs. This new tax is on VISITORS, NOT residents.

John Martinez and I came up with a plan to raise the bed tax. We both want it to go up 1% but the City Council settled on the current .05% increase. The tax made it possible to help fund the Uptown Visitor Center, and to fund a marketing program for the slower months, which in turn helps support business in Sedona and the 8,000 employees in tourism. Sedona’s visitor growth is higher than another city in the state and most of the US.

I know there are those of you that just do not want any visitors and no visitor marketing, It is easy to say just stop the day-trippers, well how do you do that when Sedona sits astride two state highways that lead to the Grand Canyon and converge into one lane at the Y. It is wasted time and energy to talk about the past. Two hundred thousand people move to Arizona every year, and that alone will drive day-trippers to Sedona. We need to stop complaining and start planning! We need a visitor and parking plan. We need to look at encouraging walking. We need to think about a shuttle service around town, to the trail heads, and up Oak Creek.

Sedona is a tourists town and always will be. Sedona will continue to grow. Now we need to work on building an infrastructure that allows for tourism, traffic, and satisfies residents. Let’s plan for the future.

By: Jerry, Sedona City Limits

Jerry, Sedona City Limits — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 13:52:09 +0000

Back to subject: Garbage.

What about the majority that attended and spoke at the public meetings objecting to city contracting for garbage service, @West sedona resident etal? Are you saying they were one person cloned to look like a hundred or more?

And the 500 plus signatures? And all the e-mails and phone calls from people to City Hall and City Council members objecting to the change-over? That fact was confirmed by Mark DiNunzio in the Elections 2016 article on this site.

As for the comments from Camp Verde Resident and 86336 Zip Code, what is it either said that wasn’t the truth? Just who is the liar here?

By: Question

Question — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 19:50:02 +0000

Since ADOT owns the highway would the bike lane width be set by them?

By: Alarmed

Alarmed — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 16:40:12 +0000

Another big lie from Steve Segner: “Before the bed tax the City did pay out of general funds, now the City is saving thousands.” WTF? The approximately $1.4 Million the City paid the Chamber this fiscal year and the $1.2 million the previously year came out of the general fund, so City Hall did not save one penny. As always, bed taxes go into the City’s general fund, and the City Council decides how much it will waste on the Chamber (currently 55%/yr). Under Arizona law, cities with less than 100,000 population are not required to fund tourism.

By: West Sedona Resident

West Sedona Resident — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 14:14:11 +0000

Whoever called BS BS. Regarding Franz Berment

Your right on the money…

Apparently Franz, Camp Verde Resident, Picky Shopper are the same person posting nonsense under different names…

There’s a person named Sharlett (who hasn’t posted under her name in a while) has been up to her old tricks…

Comment on a post and back that post up with BS using a different name…or 3 or 4 different names… She’s a very very sick women

The Will of the people I keep hearing about on SE are really just 10 people some posting under different names… Still a minority

By: 86336 Zip Code

86336 Zip Code — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 13:41:45 +0000

Agreeing with that Camp Verde Resident, with an 86336 address outside Sedona city limits it’s the best of both worlds. I LOVE the “Sedona” Chamber of Commerce! As a member I have tons of referrals from your Tourist Visitor Center – do NOT collect Sedona city sales or bed taxes, and even better yet don’t get dragged through in-city disputes = like I’m able to choose my own garbage hauler. And it’s doubtful my guests spend much time or money in Sedona itself because Slide Rock is appealing as are the many hiking trails in Oak Creek Canyon. Grand Canyon is an attraction and takes them through Flagstaff – many nice choices for meals and shopping there, too.

So thank you, Sedona City Council, for making life easier for us and without being charged additional taxes. Love it, love it, love it!