Sedona Mayor, Rob Adams

One of the things that I like most about my job as Mayor is having the opportunity to work with other Council members, City staff and citizens to make a difference in our community. It is one of the most fulfilling experiences that I have ever had. That being said, perhaps you can imagine my disappointment when a neighbor recently complained,  “nothing is ever accomplished in this town”. For obvious reasons, I take this personally and have devoted this article to giving a brief update on a few of the accomplishments that have occurred during my term as Mayor.

FINANCIAL

Without a doubt, the biggest challenge that our city has faced in the last two years has been the economic downturn. The Council and staff have responded aggressively to the declines in revenues by cutting overall city expenditures by close to 30% during the last two fiscal years. We have been successful in reducing expenditures enough to balance the budget in fiscal year 2009 – 2010 and have adopted a balanced budget for fiscal year 2010 – 2011.

Currently, we are using 46% of our total sales tax collections to subsidize the costs of operating our wastewater plant. Simply put, this is bad business. Ideally, the wastewater plant should be self-sustaining and our sales tax dollars should be used for other public benefits. We have recently implemented a plan that is designed to reduce the sales tax subsidies to the wastewater plant from 46% to 20% over the next 10 years. The first five years of the plan was adopted by City Council last spring.  This will create sustainable revenue of several million dollars a year for our city.

The city is in the process of restructuring our requirements for business licensing, sales tax collection and business audits. We believe that this plan will result in a substantial increase in sales tax collections.

A citizen Budget Oversight Commission was recently formed to work with staff and Council. This commission’s input will provide a valuable resource during the budget process.

ENVIRONMENTAL

The new City Council has expressed a strong commitment to environmentalism. A Sustainable Commission was recently formed with the purpose of creating policies and incentives that will encourage resource conservation, alternative energy production and other sustainable strategies. This will compliment and continue efforts that have been underway to improve the energy efficiency within City buildings and to reduce paper use, water usage, and construction related pollution. 

We have made significant progress toward finding alternative uses for our effluent disposal. Currently, we are disposing 1,200,000 gallons a day of effluent by sprinkling it on about 300 acres of land. There are better ways to use this resource.  We are currently looking at a variety of alternative disposal methods to meet the need to allow the City to manage higher flows. In the course of meeting this need we are considering alternatives that range from constructed wetlands to an agricultural farm that could provide a sustainable food supply to our community to possible ground water replenishment. 

Progress is being made on several designations such as a “bicycle friendly community”, a “dark sky designated community”, and a “zero waste community”.

COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENT

The city has been intensely involved with the SR 179 highway project for the last two years. The coordination of community communications, work schedules, traffic management and design decisions has been extremely time consuming. A major event is being planned on August 20^th to celebrate the completion of one of the most significant community enhancement projects ever undertaken in Sedona.

If you have visited any of the city parks lately, you must have noticed a dramatic improvement in the maintenance and upkeep of these facilities. The ball fields have never looked better and major improvements are being made to bathrooms, courts and other amenities.

The Barbara’s Park amphitheater at Posse Grounds Park is moving towards becoming a reality.

The City is working with the school district to form a partnership agreement on the new performing arts facility.

The Arts and Culture Commission is about to begin work on an exciting new project. The concept is to develop Sedona as a world destination for education in the arts. This idea is in its infancy and we will keep you updated as it progresses.

GOVERMENTAL TRANSPARENCY AND CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT

One of the top priorities of the new City Council is improved public communication, outreach and education. A new citizens academy is planned to educate the public on how local government operates. We are working on a plan to broadcast Council, commission and other meetings. We also are developing strategies to utilize the city website for public education and feedback on critical city issues.

CONCLUSION

I would be the first one to agree that things don’t happen quickly at a government level. Many hoops have to be cleared before ideas become realities. The most critical component to success is to get everyone educated on the issues and supportive of the desired outcome.

I am excited about where we seem to be headed as a city. We have a terrific staff, a Council that is motivated and engaged, and a phenomenal wealth of citizen resources in our community. Together, we can make Sedona a model city that is financially responsible, a steward of the environment and has a quality of life second to none. 

This June 28 2010 edition of City Talk is written by Rob Adams, Sedona Mayor. Your comments are welcome below.