I’ve gone through the local paper (Red Rock News) including the most recent ones this week and see nothing about this very important and potentially pending disaster in Sedona. Why is that?

Ward – selling this property was never a consideration until the Miller offer at the council meeting. What – Come again???? Ask what the public heard and what its saying now? Maddock – council refers to pre-meeting/pre-discussion while city attorney labels it SPECIAL council meeting. Come again – how SPECIAL IS IT Mr. Mayor and Council ????

Trying to follow “the meetings” and meeting referencing – No transparency. Confusion YES. Sedona City Council WAS better than this! Election coming up soon! jerry

http://sedonaaz.swagit.com/play/06262012-635

Briefly, City Manager Tim Ernster made the following six suggestions and/or recommendations:

1. Recommended that the City Council should delay disposing of any City property until after the Park’s Master Plan is completed and consider doing any decision on disposition of any property until the Community Plan update is completed which would be in the spring of 2013.

2. Before any decision is made to dispose of the parcel it should be reviewed by the Parks & Recreation and Budget Oversight Commissions. The reason for that recommendation is that the property is adjacent to Posse Grounds Park and Parks & Recreation Commission should have the opportunity to consider if they would like to incorporate this parcel into the park for some possible recreational use. The Budget Oversight Commission should review the financial need and fiscal implications of disposing of the City property at this time.

3. If the City does decide to dispose of this property there shouldn’t be any restrictions placed on the property that would artificially reduce the value of the property.

4. If the City should decide to move forward with this the City should be responsible for the full election costs associated with the election to give the voters an opportunity to vote on this.

5. Adjacent property owners should be notified of any future public meetings where this is discussed so if Council does decide to go through some sort of review process and asks Parks & Recreation and Budget Oversight Commissions to review the process, adjacent neighborhoods should be notified so they could attend and participate in the discussions.

6. Would the present applicant be interested in a low rate, long term (5-10 years) lease to operate the property as a sculpture park? The City would still retain ownership and possibly in 5 or 10 years or so, when the real estate market has recovered and the property is possibly worth considerably more than it is today, then consideration could be made to dispose of the property through auction.

ACTION TAKEN:

1. City Council did not expedite action to accommodate the current application known as “Letter of Intent” to purchase the 9.15 acres on Soldiers Pass Road.

2. By a vote of 5-1 (Mike Ward being the dissenting vote and Barbara Litrell was absent from this meeting) it was approved to refer the matter of the 9.15 acres owned by the City, located at 555 Soldiers Pass Road, to the Parks & Recreation Commission after the completion (sometime in August) of the Parks Master Plan for recommendations regarding possible sale for park uses of said land.

Therefore, it’s likely that the disposition of the property will be on the ballot for voter approval at the March 2013 election.

links for agenda items, 6/26 & 6/27 (I am afraid to look at 6/27): at http://www.sedonaaz.gov

Home » Meetings » City Council » June 26, 2012
Adobe PDF Document 6-26-12 Agenda – Special Meeting #1
Adobe PDF Document 6-26-12 Agenda – Special Meeting #2
Adobe PDF Document 6-26-12 Complete Council Packet – Special Meeting #2
Adobe PDF Document 6-26-12 Agenda – Regular Meeting
Adobe PDF Document 6-26-12 Complete Council Packet – Regular Meeting

Home » Meetings » City Council » June 27, 2012
Adobe PDF Document 6-27-12 Agenda – Special Meeting with Sustainability Commission
Adobe PDF Document 6-27-12 Complete Council Packet – Special Meeting with Sustainability Commission

I’d add to Marlene’s observation that while the two pre-meetings will not be televised, neither will any public comment be allowed.

Hopefully, wiser people will prevail and not exploit Sedona’s valuable land just to satisfy some egotistical fantasy.

SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING (pre-discussion), 3:00 PM Tuesday 6/26/12

Item 4: From The Regular Business Section of the 4:30 PM Agenda

a. AB 1411 concerning a Letter of Intent to purchase 9.15 acres of City owned land at 555 Soldiers Pass Road, further identified as Assessor’s Parcel No. 408-25-339A. This property is part of the Posse Grounds Park.

REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA, 4:30 PM Tuesday 6/26/12

Item 9: Regular Business

a. AB-1411. Discussion/possible direction/possible action on Letter of Intent to purchase the City owned property as described at the Special (pre-discussion) Meeting held at 3:00 PM prior to this Regular City Council Meeting.

NOTE: This meeting will be available for live viewing, Tuesday, 6/26/12 @ 4:30 PM, SuddenLInk Cable, Channel 4.