Comments on: Eye on Sedona Finances with Councilor Mike Ward

By: Eddie

Eddie — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 03:29:32 +0000

No doubt someone will correct me if I’m mistaken, but didn’t Sedona’s population drop over 1,000 when the last census was taken just a couple of years or so ago? Wonder how that affected our per capita debt? Guess we’ll find out when socked with “special improvement districts” and/or property taxes.

By: Warren

Warren — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 21:33:13 +0000

Reg, of course they are not very forthcoming with the info you request because it would not look so great.

I do not know what the numbers are today but below is something I wrote on the subject 3 years ago. I imagine the situation has not changed all that much since then.

Sedona’s bond indebtedness is $76 million. Add to that the $4 million City office mortgage debt and we have an $80 million debt. This works out to $7,273 for each of Sedona’s 11,000 residents. Referring to New York City’s per capita debt, a New York Daily News article from earlier this year [2009] was headlined “Your share of city’s sky-high debt is $7,153”. So by $120, Sedonans have a higher indebtedness than New Yorkers!

The picture is made worse when one takes into consideration that New York City has its own water and fire services while the City of Sedona does not. Still worse: New York City debt service is approximately 5% of its revenue. City of Sedona debt service is nearly 30% of its revenue.

By: Reg

Reg — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 18:43:16 +0000

May I suggest that a 4th information would be useful to the citizens of Sedona-the total outstanding debt and the per capita liability of each Sedona taxpayer.

By: Warren

Warren — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 21:17:17 +0000

Ron, as a partial answer to your question, I have not looked into to CV or PV but Cottonwood’s sewer fee was $5.95 fourteen years ago (Sedona’s was $32.54) and is only $16.75 per month now. Flagstaff was $7 fourteen years ago and is now roughly $21 to $25 per month for a family of four. Equitably, Flagstaff bases a resident’s sewer bill on how much water the resident consumed during the winter months when irrigation is not being used.

By: Ron

Ron — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 18:05:42 +0000

Time to ask places like CV and Cottonwood and Prescott Valley (to name just three) about what’s happening with their sewer costs and maybe we should be exploring one county wide sewer district. Just sayin’

By: Warren

Warren — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 01:29:17 +0000

Ward can spin it however he wants but the proof is always in the pudding.

If City finances were in the great shape claimed by Council and staff, then how come our already highest-in-the-region sewer fee has been increased and is scheduled to keep increasing yearly, ultimately doubling?

How come businesses have to pay new “licensing fees”?

How come there are now “court costs”?

Get ready for more new and increased taxes (“fees” or “costs”), people, since Council (AKA The Moronic Convergence) cannot stop wasting money.