[00:00:01]
OKAY.[1. CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/MOMENT OF SILENCE]
AFTERNOON EVERYONE.WE'LL CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER NOVEMBER 28TH, 2023.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG, THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
NOW I KNOW YOU'RE THERE,
MAD CLERK, WOULD YOU DO THE ROLL CALL, PLEASE? MAYOR JALO.
[ 3. CONSENT ITEMS]
ALL RIGHT.UH, ITEM THREE, CONSENT ITEMS. I KNOW THAT, UH, COUNCILOR PETE WOULD LIKE TO PULL, UH, ITEM D IS, IS THAT STILL THE CASE? YES.
SO CAN I HAVE A, A, UH, MOTION TO ACCEPT ITEMS A THROUGH C? UNLESS SOMEBODY ELSE, EITHER STAFF OR COUNSEL, WANTS TO PULL ANY OF THOSE ITEMS? I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEMS, UH, CONSENT ITEMS A THROUGH C.
UH, PETE, YOU WANT TO PULL THAT AND YOU WANT TO TAKE A FEW MINUTES AND, UH, YOU'LL DIRECT YOUR COMMENTS TO KURT YEP.
SO I READ WITH, UH, VERY GREAT INTEREST THE IGA THAT WE HAVE WITH, UH, THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE IN OUR PACKET.
UH, AND YOU KNOW, OF COURSE WE'VE ALL TALKED ABOUT A DOR IN RECENT COUNCIL MEETINGS AND IN APPENDIX A DOES HAVE THE CONFIDENTIALITY REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE LISTED IN THERE.
AND IT JUST STRUCK ME AS I WAS READING THAT, THAT IT REALLY FOCUSED ON PROTECTING TAXPAYERS.
UH, THE DISCLOSURE RULES WERE TO PROTECT INDIVIDUAL TAXPAYERS.
AND AS I DUG IN A LITTLE BIT MORE, AND I LOOKED AT A RS 42 5,001, THE TAX PERSON IS THE, UH, IN THE DEFINITION IS THE PERSON LIABLE FOR ANY TAX IMPOSED.
AND THEN I ALSO ROUTE AROUND AND FOUND AN ADO R DOCUMENT ON SHORT-TERM LODGING, UH, ADVICE.
AND IT IN THERE IT SAYS THE LANDLORD IS ULTIMATELY LIABLE FOR FILING AND PAYING THE TAXES OWED.
AND THEN THERE'S ANOTHER PAMPHLET FROM ADO R ONLINE MARKETPLACE THAT ACTUALLY TALKS ABOUT THE ONLINE MARKETPLACE, FOLKS LIKE AIRBNB IS THE TAX REMITTER.
SO IT JUST OCCURRED TO ME THAT THE LANGUAGE IN THE DOCUMENT, IT TALKS ABOUT THE TAXPAYER.
WHO'S THE TAXPAYER IN A SHORT TERM RENTAL? IS IT, IS IT THE LAND OWNER, THE PROPERTY OWNER OF THE SHORT TERM RENTAL? OR IS IT THE A THE, UH, THE OLM, THE ONLINE MARKETPLACE LIKE AIRBNB? SO I'M, UH, WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF WE COULD GET SOME COUNCIL CONSENSUS TO DIRECT KURT, PERHAPS TO JUST PURSUE THAT LINE OF ARGUMENT AS TO WHETHER THE, UH, ADO R'S CONFIDENTIAL REQUIREMENTS ARE TO PROTECT THE TAXPAYERS AND WHO THE TAXPAYERS ARE, AND YOU TRULY, IN THEIR OPINION ABOUT, UH, FOR THE SHORT-TERM RENTALS, AND WHETHER WE COULD USE THAT AS A LEVERAGE PERHAPS TO GET THE DATA THAT WE'VE ALL BEEN INTERESTED IN SEEING.
FROM ADO R KURT, I KNOW THAT YOU AND I HAVE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
I WONDER IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER THOUGHTS SINCE WE LAST TALKED, UM, MAYOR AND COUNCILORS AND COUNCILOR FERMAN? I, I DON'T, EXCEPT TO SAY THAT I DON'T KNOW THAT, I THINK ADO R'S POSITION IS ALREADY THE, THE, THE ONLINE MARKETPLACES, INCLUDING
UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE DISTINCTION THOUGH, UM, WHERE IT DOES REFER TO THEM IN THE STATE LAW AND IN THEIR DOCUMENTS AS REMITTERS, UM, THE, THE DEFINITION OF TAXPAYER IS PRETTY BROAD THOUGH.
LIKE YOU, LIKE YOU REFERENCED COUNSELOR FURMAN, ANYONE WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING TAXES.
BUT I'M HAPPY TO LOOK INTO IT, UH, AND, AND IF IT, IF IT WILL MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE, UM, OR WE CAN GET ARA TO CHANGE THEIR MIND, I CAN BRING SOMETHING BACK TO COUNCIL.
UM, WE CAN DISCUSS IT FURTHER.
SO MAYOR, I THINK WE'D BE LOOKING TO SEE IF WE CAN GET SOME
[00:05:01]
CONSENSUS ON COUNCIL, WHETHER THAT'S DIRECTION TO KURT TO SPEND SOME TIME THINKING ABOUT.WELL, AND BEFORE WE GO, I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM DOING THAT, BUT SINCE SHERRY'S HERE, ARE YOU HERE FOR THIS SHERRY? YES.
SO CAN YOU, UH, OPINE ON THIS AS WELL? UM, SO IN, UM, A RS SECTION 42 2 0 0 1 IS WHERE THE DEFINITIONS ARE REGARDING CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.
AND ONE OF THE ITEMS IN HERE SAYS A TAXPAYER'S IDENTITY, THE NATURE SOURCE OR AMOUNT OF THE TAXPAYER'S INCOME, AND GOES ON AND ON AND ON.
AND SO I CAN NEITHER CONFIRM NOR DENY WHETHER OR NOT AIRBNB IS A TAXPAYER.
UH, IS THAT IT, SHERRY? THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHAT I SHOULD LIMIT IT TO.
NO, I, I JUST DON'T WANNA CUT YOU OFF.
SO, UH, VICE MAYOR, YOU HAVE, WELL, I JUST WANTED TO TOINE MYSELF.
THE AIRBNB PLATFORM COLLECTS THE TAX FROM THE RENTER AND DISTRIBUTES THE TAX THAT THEY COLLECT, CORRECT? RE YEAH.
SO YOU HAVE A RENTER WHO PAYS TAX.
THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR, I THINK FOR THE SALES TAX.
THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PROPERTY TAX.
WHAT IS AIRBNB RESPONSIBLE? THEY'RE, THEY DISTRIBUTE BETTER.
THEY DISTRIBUTE, THEY, THEY FACILITATE THE TAX TO THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE.
SO THAT MAKES THEM A TAXPAYER QUESTION MARK.
I MAYOR AND COUNCIL, LIKE I SAID BEFORE, I BELIEVE THAT IS ADOS POSITION, BUT I'M HAPPY TO LOOK INTO IT AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY ROOM FOR, FOR CHANGING THAT OR, OR A GOOD REASON TO CHALLENGE THAT.
I, I, I WILL SAY AIRBNB IS A BUSINESS.
JESSICA, YOU HAD A COMMENT, A QUESTION.
SO DO YOU THINK IT'S ACTUALLY WORTHWHILE OF YOUR TIME TO LOOK INTO IT
THERE'S ROOM FOR FURTHER RESEARCH THERE, UH, AND PROBABLY CONVERSATION, A CONVERSATION WITH AOR TO SEE IF IT AMOUNTS ANYTHING.
WELL, IF YOU'RE NOT OPPOSED, I'M NOT OPPOSED
YEAH, MY QUESTION WAS ALONG THE SAME LINES AS I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT IT, WHAT IT WAS GONNA TAKE ON YOUR END, BECAUSE YES, IT SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD ARGUMENT, BUT IT ALSO SOUNDS LIKE WE CAN ARGUE IT, BUT WE ALREADY KNOW THAT THERE'S ANOTHER SIDE TO THE ARGUMENT THAT, YOU KNOW, THE STATE HAS PUT FORTH.
SO I JUST DON'T WANT, UM, US CHASING OUR TAILS IN TERMS OF TIME SPENT AWAY FROM OTHER TOPICS AS WELL.
AND THAT GOES TO YOU KURT, ABOUT IF YOU THINK, IS THIS A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS THAT YOU ASK THAT WON'T INTERFERE WITH OTHER WORK, GREAT.
IF THIS IS GONNA, 'CAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD ULTIMATELY HAVE TO BE DECIDED IN A COURT AT SOME POINT.
UM, AND I DON'T THINK WE'RE TALKING ABOUT GOING THERE, BUT I JUST WANTED TO KNOW WHAT THIS BURDEN IS ON YOU, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCILS.
I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ON THIS AND LOOK INTO IT FURTHER.
UH, I WOULD NOT COMMENCE ANY TYPE OF LEGAL ACTION WITHOUT COUNSEL'S FURTHER DISCUSSION, WHICH WOULD HAVE TO BE ON A DIFFERENT AGENDA ITEM.
UM, AND I'LL BRING BACK TO COUNSEL OR, OR JUST INFORM COUNSEL IF THERE'S, UM, ANY ROOM, UH, FOR PURSUING THAT ARGUMENT.
VICE MAYOR, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY THAT OTHER COMMUNITIES HAVE RELEASED THE DATA AND THEY HAVE NOT, AS FAR AS WE KNOW, HAD TO TAKE, HAD TO DEFEND THEMSELVES FROM ANY LEGAL CHALLENGES.
CORRECT? THAT THAT APPEARS CORRECT.
BUT ALTHOUGH THE OTHER COMMUNITIES DO EXPRESS THEY HAVE MORE THAN 10, UM, TAXPAYERS IN, IN THE SHORT TERM RENTAL CATEGORY, MAJOR FEARS, MELISSA, ANYTHING? RIGHT.
I MEAN, THE ONLY THING THAT I WOULD SAY IS, UM, IF THIS TURNS OUT TO BE A RABBIT HOLE BACK UP, RIGHT? UM, BECAUSE WE DON'T, WE DON'T NEED TO BE CHASING ANY, ANY RABBITS DOWN RABBIT HOLES.
UM, SO IF YOU WANNA SPEND A FEW HOURS OF YOUR TIME AND YOU'VE GOT THE TIME AND YOU THINK WOULD BE AN INTERESTING QUESTION TO PURSUE LEGALLY, UM, OR, OR JUST PUT IT TO REST ON THE COUNCIL, IF MY PURSUING IT, THEN I WOULD SAY GO AHEAD, BUT AVOID THE RABBIT HOLE.
I WILL PRIORITIZE IT, IT WON'T BE ANYTIME SOON.
IT'LL PROBABLY BE AFTER THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
SO MY QUESTION TO COUNSELOR FURMAN IS DOES YOUR QUESTION HAVE ANYTHING TO HOLD BACK THE PASSAGE OF ITEM D? NO, NO.
I WOULD DEFINITELY MAKE A MOTION TO
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APPROVE.SO ARE YOU COMFORTABLE, UH, I THINK KURT HAS HIS DIRECTION FROM US.
ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH THAT? YEP, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR.
EXCUSE ME, MAYOR, I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO OPINE.
UH, I THINK IT'S WORTH PURSUING SOME GREATER INSIGHT ON THE QUESTION, BUT LIKE COUNSELOR DUNN, I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S WORTH EXPENDING EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNTS OF EFFORT.
AND I THINK WE DO NEED TO ASK OURSELVES, OKAY, WELL WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? SO WE'RE, WE'RE BASICALLY SAYING, HEY, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO KNOW WHAT THE SPLIT IS IN BED TAX BETWEEN TRADITIONAL LODGING AND SHORT-TERM RENTALS, RIGHT? I MEAN, THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS ISSUE.
AND WHEN THE DAY IS DONE WITH THE GOOD WORK THAT OUR TOURISM, UH, GROUP IN INTERNAL TO THE CITY IS DOING, UH, OUR DMO, WE WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO AT LEAST USE SOME PROXY DATA TO BE ABLE TO SAY, OKAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE KNOW THIS PERCENT OF OCCUPANCY IS GOING TO SHORT TERM RENTAL VERSUS, UM, TRADITIONAL LODGING.
SO I MEAN, WORSE COMES TO WORSE, WE CAN APPROXIMATE WHAT THAT SPLIT IS.
SO I DON'T THINK IT'S WORTH, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, EXPENDING ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF TIME.
UH, SO IF, IF KURT COMES BACK AND SAYS, HEY, THIS IS HOURS AND HOURS AND A LAWSUIT, EH, PROBABLY NOT WORTH IT.
DO YOU WANT A MOTION, MAYOR? WELL, I HAVEN'T REALLY OPINED EITHER, SO I WAS LEAVING MYSELF OUT
I MOVE TO APPROVE CONSENT ITEM 3D SECOND.
[5. SUMMARY OF CURRENT EVENTS BY MAYOR/COUNCILORS/CITY MANAGER]
OF CURRENT EVENTS, UH, I HAVE NOTHING, BUT I'M SURE THERE'S ON PEOPLE ON AIS, UH, THAT HAVE SOMETHING, ESPECIALLY OUR FA VERY FAVORITE PARKS AND REC.DOES ANYBODY ELSE WANTS TO GO? NO.
NO, IT'S ALL, ALL EYES ARE ON YOU.
I, THERE'S SOMETHING, UH, SANTA SOMETHING OR BREAKFAST OR SOMETHING COMING UP.
BREAKFAST WITH SANTA IS COMING ON DECEMBER 2ND AT THE SEDONA HUB BETWEEN 8:00 AM AND 10:00 AM AND I KNOW WE'RE ALL GONNA BE THERE FOR THE PANCAKE BREAKFAST.
THERE ARE 99 PLAYERS REGISTERED FOR OUR SEDONA YOUTH BASKETBALL LEAGUE FOR KIDS IN THE FIRST TO EIGHTH GRADES, 69 OF THE 99 LISTED 8, 6 3, 3 6 AS THEIR ZIP CODE.
SO, SO WE HAVE KIDS IN SEDONA, WE HAVE KIDS IN SEDONA.
AND I THINK OUR PARKS AND REC PROGRAM PROVES THAT EVERY SINGLE DAY AND, UH, TONIGHT THE COACHES ARE MEETING AND NEXT WEEK PRACTICES WILL BEGIN.
SO LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HOW THAT GOES.
ANYTHING ELSE MADEAS HEARING? NOTHING.
DO WE HAVE ANY CARDS? NO CARDS.
UH, ITEM SEVEN, PROCLAMATION, RECOGNITIONS AND AWARDS.
[8.a. Discussion regarding Council assignments. ]
UH, REGULAR BUSINESS.UH, ITEM EIGHT, A DISCUSSION REGARDING COUNCIL ASSIGNMENTS.
ANYBODY ELSE? OKAY, WELL GO AHEAD.
THE VERDE VALLEY CAREGIVERS GALA, UH, LAST WEEK.
YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT IT? NO, YOU'RE GOING GO, GO FOR IT.
AND RUMOR IS THAT THEY RAISED OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, SO THAT WAS REALLY GOOD NEWS AND IT WAS A LOVELY EVENT AT ENCHANTMENT, AND ENCHANTMENT ALWAYS DOES A REALLY GOOD JOB.
[8.b. AB 2994 AB Public hearing/discussion/possible action regarding adoption of a Resolution and Ordinance updating the City of Sedona’s Fee Schedule. ]
UH, ITEM B, AB 29 94.PUBLIC HEARING DISCUSSION, POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION OR ORDINANCE.
UPDATING THE CITY OF SEDONAS FEE SCHEDULE THAT WILL BEGIN BY WHO?
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CHIEF FOLEY'S GONNA COME PRESENT HER CHANGES, AND THEN JOSH FREEMAN WILL PRESENT FOR, I THOUGHT SHE WAS JOSH'S BODYGUARD, JUST IN, JUST IN CASE.YEAH, YOU CAN DO IT QUITE WELL.
UH, PART OF WHAT OUR FEE SCHEDULE CHANGE IS JUST TO THE REDACTION AND VIDEOS THAT PEOPLE WOULD REQUEST.
UH, CURRENTLY WE HAVE A FEE OF $15 THAT'S BEEN FOR, UM, AUDIO PICTURES MOSTLY AND VIDEOS, BUT IT'S NOT PROPORTIONATE TO THE TIME SPENT.
AND TO ALSO OFFSET ONLY BASICALLY BY OPENING IT TO THE $25, IT, IT WOULD JUST OFFSET IT BY 45% OF THE COST FOR THE PERSON THAT HAS TO DO IT.
SO, UM, I BELIEVE YOU RECEIVED THE PACKET, SO IF YOU HAD ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, I DON'T MIND ANSWERING.
UM, THE FEE WOULD GO UP TO A MINIMUM OF $25 PER REQUEST AND $25 PER HOUR AFTER THE FIRST HOUR.
UM, AND THAT IS TO, LIKE WE SAID, JUST RECOUP SOME OF THE COSTS AND, UM, AS WE'VE OBTAINED MORE BODY-WORN CAMERAS, OBVIOUSLY THE REQUEST WILL COME IN AND IT TAKES A PERSON TO GO THROUGH EACH OF THOSE VIDEOS AND REDACT, UM, THINGS THAT COULDN'T GO OUT TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
IF YOU'RE IN SOMEBODY'S HOME, THERE'S MEDICATION OUT.
ALL THOSE THINGS HAVE TO BE BLURRED IF THERE'S CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 18.
SO IT'S A LOT OF WORK FOR SOMEBODY TO DO FOR ANY REQUESTS THAT WE RECEIVE.
SO THAT, THAT IS THE ONLY REQUEST THAT WE'RE MAKING TO OUR FEE SCHEDULE CHANGE.
AND IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, I'M AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANYTHING.
JESSICA, HOW MANY OF THESE DO YOU GET REQUESTS? UM, MOSTLY RIGHT NOW OUR REQUESTS COME FROM THE LEGAL SIDE.
HOW MANY? UH, I DON'T HAVE THE FULL NUMBER.
AND, AND IT'S ONLY GONNA GO UP, WE JUST ACTUALLY ADDED SEVEN ADDITIONAL CAMERAS THIS YEAR, UM, FOR OFFICERS TO, TO HAVE ON THEIR BODY.
WE'VE MAINTAINED HAVING OUR IN-CAR CAMERA AND THOSE HAVE TO BE REDACTED AS WELL.
SO NOW EVERYBODY THAT WOULD BE ON THE ROAD AT A GIVEN SHIFT WILL HAVE A CAMERA.
SO, UM, I MIGHT BE ABLE TO HAVE THOSE NUMBERS AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
I REALLY, I DON'T EVEN HAVE A GOOD STARTING POINT.
YOU HAVE A MAGNITUDE LIKE 100, 800, 12,000? NO.
I DON'T HAVE IT, BUT I COULD GET IT FOR YOU LATER IF YOU'D LIKE.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT THE REQUEST REALLY JUST, IT, IT DEPENDS ON THE TYPE OF CALL, UM, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ASKING FOR IT.
UM, AND WE EXPECT TO SEE AN INFLUX BECAUSE NOW THAT WE'RE GETTING MORE CAMERAS, I, I EXPECT IT TO GO UP ANYWAYS.
AND WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE COST IS THE 25 PER HOUR? SO IT'LL, IT'LL HELP US RECOUP 45% OF THE COST.
HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON $25? IT'S ACTUALLY JUST LOOKING AT THE PERSON THAT HAS THE JOB, HOW MUCH SHE MAKES PER HOUR, AND HOW MUCH TIME IS SPENT ON EACH VIDEO.
THEN WHY DOESN'T IT COST COVER A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE COST? UM, BECAUSE THE, THE MAX THAT THE LAW ALLOWS US TO HAVE NOW IS $46 AND BECAUSE WE HAD 15, WE'RE JUST STARTING AT A, AT A GOOD MIDDLE GROUND.
AND THEN IF WE NEED TO GO UP AFTER WATCHING AND REVIEWING, THEN WE'LL ADJUST IT POTENTIALLY NEXT YEAR IF WE SEE THAT.
THAT'S NOT, I WOULD JUST, YEAH, I WOULD LIKE JUST TO, JUST TO KNOW HOW MANY ARE COMING IN.
AND IF IT'S ALL LEGAL OR LIKE 80 20, WHATEVER.
I JUST WANTED TO ASK A, A DIFFERENT QUESTION.
IT JUST CAUGHT MY ATTENTION THAT WE HAVE A, A FEE FOR OFF-DUTY POLICE OFFICER SERVICE, BUT THERE'S, IT'S BLANK WITH THE SERGEANT.
AND I WAS JUST CURIOUS AS TO DO WE NOT GET CALLS FOR, WHY IS THAT BLANK IN YOUR FEET, IN YOUR FEE? UM, BECAUSE WHAT WE DID IN WORKING WITH FINANCES, WE TAKE THE OVERALL AMOUNT AND WE FIND A MEDIAN.
SO WE, WE TAKE EVERYBODY THAT WOULD POTENTIALLY WORK.
SO FROM SERGEANTS TO THE NEWEST OFFICER, WE ADD UP THAT WE DIVIDE IT AND WE COME OUT WITH AN AVERAGE COST.
UM, BECAUSE IT CAN FLUCTUATE TO WHO WOULD SIGN UP FOR THE DETAIL, THAT'S AN OFF DUTY.
SO IT'S NOT ALWAYS GONNA BE AN OFFICER AND IT WOULDN'T ALWAYS BE A SERGEANT.
SO WE JUST FOUND A MIDDLE GROUND OF USING BOTH THEIR SALARIES, THE HIGH END AND THE LOW END AND TOOK AN AVERAGE.
THANK YOU MAYOR KATHY, I JUST, I NOTICED THAT, AND THANK YOU FOR SUPPLYING THE INFORMATION OF THE OTHER, WHAT ARE THE MUNICIPALITIES ARE CHARGING? I NOTICED THAT THEY HAVE A FLAT FEE AND YOURS IS THE FLAT, BUT PLUS THE SECOND HOUR.
AND I WAS JUST WONDERING HOW LONG ON AVERAGE DOES THIS TAKE TO DO? DO YOU GO INTO THE SECOND HOUR NORMALLY SO THAT IT'S $50 INSTEAD OF $25 OR, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANTED TO COMPARE THAT SINCE YOU'RE PROPOSING NOT FLAT.
POTENTIALLY SOME OF THEM DO DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF CALL, RIGHT? SO IF IT'S AN EXTENSIVE INVESTIGATION, THEN THERE'S A LOT OF INTERVIEWS.
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THAT WERE ON SCENE AND THAT'S WHAT'S BEING REQUESTED, THEN JUST FOR ONE VIDEO, UM, THAT IS AN HOUR OF A VIDEO.IT TAKES AN HOUR AND 26 MINUTES TO REDACT THAT BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO WATCH THE ENTIRETY.
YOU HAVE TO BASICALLY BLUR OUT OR CUT OFF THE AUDIO TO IT AND, AND DO THAT.
SO ANY ONE HOUR VIDEO CAN TAKE AN HOUR AND 26 MINUTES TO REDACT.
NOW IF YOU ADD ON ADDITIONAL OFFICERS VIDEOS, THEN YOU'RE DOING THAT WITH EACH ONE AS WELL.
IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE CAR CAMERA, THEN YOU'RE DOING THAT.
SO, UM, IF IT, IF IT'S A SHORT INVESTIGATION, RIGHT, AND IT'S JUST A 30 MINUTE, THEN YOU'RE JUST BEING THE FLAT FEE.
BUT IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT POTENTIALLY COULD TAKE THREE HOURS TO REDACT 'CAUSE OF MOST MULTIPLE VIDEOS, THEN THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE GETTING THE INITIAL FLAT FEE AND THE ADDITIONAL AFTER.
UM, BUT TYPICALLY WHAT WE DO WHEN PEOPLE REQUEST, UM, VIDEOS OR REPORTS IS WE, WE GIVE THEM AN IDEA OF WHAT IT'S GONNA COST ON THE FRONT END SO THAT THEY, IF THEY DON'T WANNA SPEND THAT OR THEY CAN LESSEN THEIR REQUESTS, WE TRY TO WORK WITH 'EM THAT WAY TOO.
SO IT DOESN'T BECOME, YOU KNOW, YOU BUY IT AT THE END AND YOU DON'T HAVE THE MONEY AND, AND THAT'S NOT TIME WELL SPENT.
SO WE DO TRY TO EXPLAIN AS WELL WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AS FAR AS WHAT THE FEE WOULD BE.
I, I UNDERSTOOD EVERYTHING THAT YOU SAID, SO I WELL, THANK YOU.
HEY, GET TO HEAR FROM ME AGAIN AND SPEAKING WITH BREAKFAST OF SAN, SPEAKING OF BREAKFAST WITH SANTA, IF I LOOK ALL GLITTERY, GLITTER GLITTERY AND SPARKLY, THAT'S, WE'VE BEEN DOING SETUP FOR THAT TODAY AND LOTS OF GLITTER TRAINS AND BEARS AND PRESENTS AND LOTS OF FUN GLITTER EVERYWHERE THAT CHRISTMAS SETUP.
SO WITH OUR PARKS AND REC FET SCHEDULE, JOSH, BEFORE YOU GO FORWARD, VERY NICE SPREAD IN THE RED ROCK NEWS.
I HAVE NOT SEEN IT YET, SO, OH, YOU HAVE HAVE TO SEE IT.
I OBVIOUSLY DID THE INTERVIEW PART, BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN THE ACTUAL ARTICLE, SO THANK YOU.
I HAVE TO FIND THAT AND SEE WHAT WAS SAID.
SO IT WAS COLOR NICE MAGAZINE QUALITY.
I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT YOU IN THE
UM, FOR PART OF OUR PARKS AND RECREATION FEE SCHEDULE, WHAT WE HAVE, SO I PUT TOGETHER A LITTLE PRESENTATION KIND OF GOING OVER IT BECAUSE THERE WAS A LOT TO IT.
ESSENTIALLY WITH OUR CURRENT, WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE AS OUR RENTAL FEE SCHEDULE, THERE ARE JUST LOTS OF CATEGORIES, LOTS OF DIFFERENT FEES, DISCOUNTS THAT ARE INCONSISTENT, LOT OF INCONSISTENCIES THROUGHOUT THAT.
OUR GOAL WAS NOT IN ANY WAY TO RAISE THE RATES, LOWER THE RATES, ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
IT WAS KIND OF TO PROVIDE A STANDARD OF HERE'S THE FEE FOR THIS FACILITY WITH SET DISCOUNTS FOR NONPROFITS, SET DISCOUNTS FOR THE ARTS AND JUST SIMPLIFY THE WHOLE PROCESS.
SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT RENTING THE FACILITY, YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND EASILY FIND WHAT YOUR PRICE WOULD BE.
AND THE SAME ON OUR END THAT IT'S EASY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE PEOPLE WITH, HERE'S WHAT IT IS, RATHER THAN FINDING OUT ARE YOU A CLASS, A WORKSHOP, A PERFORMANCE CHARGING, NOT CHARGING.
SO MANY DIFFERENT CATEGORIES THERE.
SO THE FIRST PART WITH OUR CURRENT RENTAL STRUCTURE, IT'S 10 PAGES LONG.
IF YOU GO ON OUR SEDONA AZ.GOV/RENTALS PAGE THERE, IT HAS MULTIPLE CATEGORIES FOR EACH, SUCH AS WHETHER IT'S CITY SPONSORED, NON-PROFIT, PRIVATE PARTIES, COMMERCIAL, A SET NUMBER OF HOURS, ALL THOSE KIND OF THINGS ON AND ON THERE.
THERE'S QUITE A FEW INCONSISTENCIES AND RATES AND DISCOUNTS THROUGHOUT THAT.
I'LL SHOW YOU ON A COUPLE EXAMPLES OF WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT THAT THERE'S SOME PEOPLE THAT HAVE FIGURED OUT THE LOOPHOLES IN THIS AND WORK THEIR WAY AROUND IT.
UM, IT'S DIFFICULT FOR RENTERS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE DOING IF YOU GO TO THAT PAGE AND TRY AND FIND WHAT YOU'RE GONNA BE CHARGED FOR YOUR BRIDAL SHOWER THERE, IT'S DIFFICULT TO LOOK AT THAT AND KNOW WHAT RATES DO I HAVE TO PAY FOR THAT.
AND YEAH, SAME WITH OUR STAFF THERE.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, THIS IS ON OUR SPORT OUR THE CURRENT STRUCTURE WITH OUR SPORTS USERS GROUP.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE LOOKING AT IT, WE KIND OF HAVE THE FACILITIES ON THE LEFT SIDE THERE.
AND THEN UP TOP SHOWS, LIKE WHETHER IT'S CITY SPONSORED, WHETHER IT'S A PRIVATE PARTY OR WHETHER IT'S COMMERCIAL UP TOP WITH THE SPORTS USER GROUPS ON THIS ONE, IT'S $18 AN HOUR FOR COMMERCIAL AT SOFTBALL FIELD, MULTI-USE FIELD TENNIS COURTS, HOWEVER IT JUMPS TO $50 AN HOUR ON THE VOLLEYBALL COURT AND BASKETBALL COURT.
KIND OF NOT SURE WHY IT JUMPS FROM 18 TO 50 FOR THOSE THINGS.
BUT THEN IF YOU LOOK AT THE PRIVATE PARTIES, ONE, IT'S $12 AN HOUR FOR THE SOFTBALL MULTI-USE AND TENNIS COURT, BUT $10 AN HOUR FOR SAND VOLLEYBALL AND BASKETBALL.
[00:25:02]
SO ALL OF A SUDDEN IT'S CHEAPER TO RENT THE SAND VOLLEYBALL IF YOU'RE A PRIVATE GROUP THAN IF YOU'RE COMMERCIAL.AND JUST AN EXAMPLE WHERE THERE'S LOTS OF THOSE FUN LITTLE THINGS.
UM, AND THEN JUST LOOKING AT IT KIND OF FROM THE JUMP WHERE IT JUMPS FROM 10 TO 50 PER HOUR AND THOSE KIND OF, AND 12 TO 18, THE THEN FOR A REAL SCENARIO USING THIS SAME FEE SCHEDULE THAT CAME UP LAST YEAR.
SO IN SPRING 2022, A GROUP WANTED TO START AN NFL FLAG.
SO IT'S FLAG FOOTBALL FOR KIDS GROUP HERE IN SEDONA AND THEY WERE GONNA DO IT NFL FLAG IS LIKE THE A YSO SOCCER AND SOME OF THOSE, THEY DO CHARGE KIDS FOR IT, BUT IT'S ALMOST A NONPROFIT.
THEY'RE NOT MAKING MONEY OFF OF IT, THEY'RE JUST CHARGING TO RECOUP THE MONEY FOR THE FOOTBALLS, THE REFS, THE JERSEYS, ALL THOSE THINGS.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY THEY WOULD FALL ON OUR COMMERCIAL RATE ACCORDING TO OUR CURRENT STRUCTURE.
SO IN OUR COMMERCIAL RATE, THEY WANTED TO RENT THE FIELD FOR FOUR TO SIX HOURS EVERY SATURDAY IN ORDER TO DO THIS FLAG FOOTBALL LEAGUE THAT THEY PUT TOGETHER.
SO IT'D BE $18 AN HOUR, BUT THE CATCH ON THIS IS THAT IT'S UP TO TWO HOURS.
WITH IT BEING OVER TWO HOURS, IT ALL OF A SUDDEN JUMPS TO $350 FOR THE DAY RATE RENTAL.
SO THEY'RE ESSENTIALLY PAYING 19 HOURS WORTH OF RENTALS TO DO THEIR FOUR HOUR THING.
SO TURN THEIR FOUR HOUR PER WEEK RENTAL, WHICH SHOULD BE ABOUT $72 A WEEK IF YOU WERE DOING THE $18 AN HOUR INTO THE 350 A DAY PLUS $300 DEPOSIT.
SO OVER THE COURSE OF THEIR PROGRAM, INSTEAD OF PAYING THE 432, WE SENT 'EM A QUOTE FOR TWENTY EIGHT HUNDRED AND TWENTY FOUR HUNDRED FOR DEPOSITS AND THEY BACKED OUT AND SAID THEY CAN RENT THE CARDINALS FIELD FOR LESS THAN THAT.
SO THAT'S KINDA EXAMPLE OF SOME OF THOSE INCONSISTENCIES ON THERE.
AND WITH THIS GROUP WE ARE WORKING WITH THEM TO DO A FLAG FOOTBALL LEAGUE AND PARTNERING WITH THEM AND SOME OF THOSE CAMPS AND THINGS.
SO WE DID THE CAMP OVER THE SUMMER AND SOME OF THOSE SO IT'S NOT ALL NEGATIVE, BUT FROM THAT SPRING THING THAT THEY WANTED TO DO, IT ENDED UP SHUTTING DOWN THAT AS A PROGRAM, UM, FOR SOME RECENT EXAMPLES OF RENTALS JUST TO SHOW WHAT IT WOULD BE UNDER THE CURRENT STRUCTURE AND THEN THE PROPOSED TO KIND OF SHOW THE DIFFERENCE THERE AND WHAT WE'RE SHOWING.
SO THIS WAS A RENTAL WE HAD NOVEMBER 1ST THROUGH THIRD, THEY RENTED IN THE HUB AND IT'S THE SEDONA DANCE PROJECT AND THEY DID THEIR FALL CONCERT THERE ACCORDING TO OUR CURRENT FEE SCHEDULE.
AS YOU CAN SEE, A LOT OF CATEGORIES WITH DIFFERENT THINGS BASED ON WHETHER IT'S A CLASS WORKSHOP, PERFORMANCE, REHEARSAL, FREE CHARGING, NON-PROFIT, PROFIT, ALL THOSE DIFFERENT FUN THINGS.
ALSO FOR THE HUB WE HAVE THE ARTS SCHEDULE AND THE NON-ART SCHEDULE.
SO THIS ONE'S ON THE ARTS HERE SINCE IT'S DANCE RELATED, THEY'D FALL UNDER THE PERFORMANCE ONE, SO IT'S 31 50 AN HOUR OR 3 78 FOR THE DAY.
THEY WERE DOING 10 HOURS FOR THOSE THREE DAYS.
SO THEY PAID THE DAY RATE THERE.
SO THEY PAID 378 A DAY FOR THREE DAYS, PAID THE JANITORIAL FEE, WHICH IS $40 A DAY FOR THE HUB.
SO THEY PAID $120 FOR THE RENTAL FEE OF 1134 PLUS THEIR $200 DEPOSIT.
AND THAT JUST SHOWS THOSE WITH OUR CURRENT STRUCTURE.
SO REALLY JUST SHOWING THIS THAT IT'S, WE'RE NOT DRASTICALLY CHANGING FEES BUT MORE SO JUST HOW MUCH SIMPLER WE CAN SIMPLIFY THIS FOR PEOPLE TO LOOK AT WITH OUR PROPOSED STRUCTURE.
THIS ONE SHEET WOULD BE FOR OUR FACILITY RENTALS FOR THE HUB AND PAVILION.
SO THEY FALL IN THAT SAME CATEGORY.
THEY'D FALL UNDER THE RENTER CHARGING COST OF PARTICIPANTS 'CAUSE THEY'RE CHARGING PEOPLE TO COME WATCH THEIR SHOW.
IT'S $65 AN HOUR OR 500 MAX FOR THE FULL DAY RENTAL, PLUS THE $200 SECURITY DEPOSIT WITH THE CATCH THAT ARCH RELATED RENTALS THERE GET A 50% DISCOUNT.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE KEPT CONSISTENT THROUGH HUB PAVILION.
ALL THE RENTALS THAT IF IT'S THE ARTS RELATED, THEY GET 50% NONPROFIT, 30%.
SO IN THIS CASE THEY'RE GETTING THAT ARTS RELATED DISCOUNT FOR 50% SHOWING THAT AGAIN.
AND SO UNDER THIS PROPOSED FEE STRUCTURE, THEY'D PAY HALF OF THE $500 MAX BEING THE 250 A DAY FOR THREE DAYS FOR SEVEN 50.
THEY'D STILL PAY THAT JANITORIAL FEE OF 40 A DAY FOR THE RESTOCKING AND CLEANING OF THE RESTROOMS AND FACILITY WITH THE SAME DEPOSIT OF 200.
SO THEIR TOTAL RENTAL COST WOULD BE 1070.
SO IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE IT ACTUALLY LESSENS THEIR RENTAL COST A LITTLE BIT AS AN ARTS PROGRAM.
AND THEN ON THE OTHER SIDE, ANOTHER RENTAL REQUEST THAT WE GET ALL THE TIME, AND THIS ONE WAS FOR AN EIGHT YEAR OLD'S BIRTHDAY PARTY WITH 20 TO 25 GUESTS THAT THEY WANTED TO HOST AT POSSE GROUNDS.
WE HAVE FOR LIKE, IF SOMEONE'S WANTING TO DO AN 8-YEAR-OLD BIRTHDAY PARTY INSIDE WE HAVE THE REC ROOM, WHICH IS THAT SMALL ROOM BY THE POSSE GROUNDS PLAYGROUND THERE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SOCCER FIELD.
[00:30:01]
AND THEN WE HAVE THE HUB, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY A BIG SPACE.SO THIS ONE IS SHOWING THE REC ROOM AMENITY HERE.
THE REC ROOM HAS SQUARE FEET OF 860.
SO FOR THIS EIGHT YEAR OLD'S BIRTHDAY PARTY, IF THEY WANNA DO A PRIVATE PARTY, IT'S $20 AN HOUR TO RENT THE REC ROOM.
BUT LIKE HERE'S THE PICTURES OF THE REC ROOM, YOU KNOW, SMALL SPACE, IT'S DECENT WORKS FOR A SMALL BIRTHDAY PARTY, BUT THE LOOPHOLE THAT PEOPLE HAVE FIGURED OUT, THEY CAN RENT THE HUB, WHICH IS 4,522 SQUARE FEET.
HUGE BEAUTIFUL FACILITY AS A PRIVATE PARTY FOR 1750 AN HOUR.
SO IT'S CHEAPER TO RENT THE HUB FOR THEIR PRIVATE BIRTHDAY PARTY THAN IT IS TO RENT THE REC ROOM.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GETTING AND THEY'RE RENTING THAT FOR 1750 AN HOUR.
SO THERE'S A FEW PICTURES OF THE HUB AS YOU'VE ALL SEEN IT, A LOT BIGGER THAN THE REC ROOM.
WHAT OUR PROPOSED STRUCTURE IN THIS CASE, IT WOULD RAISE THE RATES.
HOWEVER IT'S VALUING THE FACILITY THAT WE'RE OFFERING.
SO WITH THIS PROPOSED STRUCTURE, THEY'D GET THE REC ROOM, THE 860 SQUARE FEET OF IT FOR $20 AN HOUR.
SO IF THEY WANNA DO THEIR BIRTHDAY PARTY WITH TWENTY, TWENTY FIVE PEOPLE, THEY PAY THE $20 AN HOUR.
THEY'RE NOT GETTING ANY OF THOSE DISCOUNTS.
IT'S NOT ARTS OR NON-PROFIT RELATED.
AND THEY CAN HAVE THE REC ROOM FOR THEIR BIRTHDAY PARTY, $20 AN HOUR RIGHT OUTSIDE THE PLAYGROUND.
OR IF THEY REALLY WANT THE FANCY LOCATION, THEY CAN PAY THE ART, THE HUB PRICE, WHICH IS A MUCH MORE EQUITABLE PRICE TO WHAT THEY'RE GETTING IN THIS CASE.
SO THEY'RE JUMPING THE PRICE UP TO 55 AN HOUR AS THEY WOULDN'T GET THE DISCOUNT FOR THE ARTS NONPROFIT.
UM, BUT WE TRULY FEEL THAT'S EVEN STILL A LOW PRICE FOR RENTING THAT SPACE.
BUT IF THEY WANT TO PAY THAT, THEN THEY STILL HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY THERE.
KIND OF SAME THING, WHAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT WITH THESE.
SO THE REC ROOM, WE GET LOTS OF RENTAL REQUESTS FOR THINGS LIKE BIRTHDAY PARTIES, THE CAPACITIES, 49 PEOPLE.
SO SMALLER MEETINGS, BRIDAL BABY SHOWERS.
WE RUN SOME REGULAR PROGRAMS OUTTA THERE, A KARATE CLASS THAT DOES IT EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY IN THERE.
SOME YOGA GROUPS, THINGS LIKE THAT.
WE LOVE HAVING THE REC ROOM BE AFFORDABLE BECAUSE IT'S A SPACE LIKE THE KARATE GUY THAT WANTS TO DO THE CLASSES THERE.
WE CAN LET HIM RENT THAT, DO THAT AS A CLASS AND IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT TAKES OFF, IT CAN BE SOMETHING WE EVEN BRING ON AS A PARKS AND REC PROGRAM AND HAVE HIM TEACH IT AND ADD ANOTHER PROGRAM TO THE LIST.
SOMETHING FOR PEOPLE TO DO FOR THE HUB.
UM, LIKE WE SAID, 4,500 SQUARE FEET, IT'S A LARGE GATHERING SPACE.
IT'S OFTEN USED FOR WEDDINGS AND RECEPTIONS.
WE HAVE QUITE A FEW OF THOSE THAT USE THE HUB THERE.
DIFFERENT CONCERTS IN THERE, LARGE GROUP MEETINGS, MAJOR EVENTS.
SO JUST EARLIER THIS YEAR IN THE SPRING.
IT'S BEEN 293 DAYS SINCE THEN AND IT WAS RENTED 194 OUT OF THOSE.
SO JUST ABOUT TWO OUT OF EVERY THREE DAYS.
MM-HMM
VERY RARELY A WEEKEND DAY WHERE IT'S NOT RENTED.
SO THAT'S JUST WHAT WE'D LIKE TO BUMP IT UP FOR THAT $55 FOR THOSE BIRTHDAY PARTY TYPE OF THINGS THAT WE CAN KEEP IT, YOU KNOW, FOR THOSE BIGGER EVENTS THAT ARE WILLING TO PAY THOSE.
THE OTHER CHANGE THAT WE'RE ADDING, SO AT THE PAVILION WE DO A SOUND TECH FEE.
PART OF THE ORDINANCE IS KEEPING THE SOUND LEVEL OVERSIGHT UNDER A CERTAIN DECIBEL LEVEL.
WE ALSO DO EQUIPMENT SETUP, EQUIPMENT USE THAT THEY USE THE SPEAKERS MICROPHONES, THAT TYPE OF SETUP.
CURRENTLY THE CHARGE IS $30 AN HOUR, WHETHER THAT'S ONE PERSON SETTING UP AND JUST SETTING UP A MICROPHONE, EXCUSE ME, A MICROPHONE FOR A WEDDING AND THEY'RE JUST DOING THAT OR IT'S $30 IF THEY'RE SETTING UP A FULL BAND, SET UP WITH MULTIPLE SPEAKERS, MICROPHONES SOUND SET UP, ALL THAT.
SO WHAT WE WANTED TO DO WAS WE STILL HAVE THAT $30 AN HOUR IF A RENTAL JUST NEEDS THAT SOUND OVERSIGHT.
BUT WE WANNA DO WITH THE $50 AN HOUR IF THEY NEED THE EQUIPMENT USE, RENTING OUR EQUIPMENT EQUIPMENT SET UP AND THAT.
SO THERE'S A VARIATION THERE ON, YOU KNOW, IF THEY WANNA BRING THEIR OWN STUFF, THEY CAN DO THE $30 AN HOUR IF THEY WANT TO USE OURS.
THEY BUMP INTO THAT 50 AND EXCUSE ME, ON OUR PROPOSED RENTAL STRUCTURE.
SO WE SHORTENED IT DOWN FROM 10 PAGES.
IT'S NOW DOWN TO FOUR PAGES LONG, SIMPLIFIED TO BE ONE PRICE PER LOCATION.
WITH THOSE CONSISTENT DISCOUNTS THAT ARE THE SAME.
THE PRICES REMAIN VERY SAME, VERY SIMILAR.
THEY MIGHT BE A LITTLE LOWER, A LITTLE HIGHER IN SOME CASES, BUT IT'S KEEPING THAT CONSISTENCY AND THE ADDITION OF THE AUDIO SUPPORT EQUIPMENT SET UP AND USE CHARGE FOR THE PAVILION.
AND ULTIMATELY WE'RE STILL PROVIDING THAT FAIR PRICING FOR SPORTS AND PROGRAM RENTERS WHO JUST WANNA BRING THE PROGRAMS TO SEDONA THAT WE'RE NOT OUT PRICING THEM, THEY CAN COME DO THEIR KARATE CLASSES, THEIR NFL FLAG CLASSES AND ALL THOSE DIFFERENT TYPES OF THINGS.
AND THAT WAS WHAT I HAD THERE.
ANY QUESTIONS OR OTHER THINGS ON THAT FEE SCHEDULE? YOU GOT ANYTHING? OKAY, UH, PETE AND KATHY AND JESSICA, I KNOW WE CAN
[00:35:01]
GO TO THE SITE.AND THANK YOU FOR THIS UPDATED PRESENTATION WITH SOME OF THOSE EXAMPLES IN IT.
I WAS TRYING TO BALANCE IT IN MY MIND, READING THE COUNCIL PACKET, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND IT WAS UNCLEAR TO ME.
SO THIS WAS REALLY GOOD FOR YOUR SIGNATURE EVENTS AT THE PARK, THE MOUNTAIN BIKE FESTIVAL, THE WINE FESTIVAL, WHATEVER.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE NET IMPACT IS FOR THEM? I MEAN, IT'S GONNA BE GREAT 'CAUSE IT'D BE EASIER TO FIGURE OUT, BUT I'M ACTUALLY THINKING ABOUT THE NUMBERS.
IS IT, AND HAVE YOU TALKED WITH THEM? YES.
YEAH, I ACTUALLY JUST TALKED WITH, UM, THE GUY THAT LEADS THE MOUNTAIN BIKE FESTIVAL THIS AFTERNOON OR THIS MORNING A LITTLE EARLIER.
UM, AND WE WENT OVER IT USING HIS EXACT SAME PRICING STRUCTURE FROM EVERYTHING HE RENTED LAST YEAR.
IF WE DID HIS PRICING STRUCTURE FROM LAST YEAR, HE PAID ABOUT 6,900 TOTAL, INCLUDING SOME DEPOSITS IN THERE.
IF WE DID THE SAME EXACT PRICING STRUCTURE FOR OUR PROPOSED SCHEDULE, HE PAYS ABOUT 6,700.
SO IT IS THE SAME, LESS AT ABOUT 200.
AND THE OTHER THING YOU MENTIONED THAT REALLY INTRIGUED ME WAS YOU TALKED ABOUT THE EXAMPLE OF THE KARATE CLASS.
I THOUGHT IT WAS, AND, AND PERHAPS IF IT CAUGHT ON IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT YOU ADOPT.
HOW OFTEN DOES THAT HAPPEN? WE'RE TRYING TO DO IT A LOT.
I DON'T THINK IT HAS HAPPENED IN YEARS PAST, BUT IT'S SOMETHING WE'RE DEFINITELY TRYING TO DO.
UM, FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE AN ULTIMATE FRISBEE GROUP THAT FOR YEARS HAS RENTED THE FIELD EVERY MONDAY NIGHT AND PLAYED ULTIMATE FRISBEE.
WE KIND OF BROUGHT THAT ON AS OUR PROGRAM AND WE ADVERTISE IT ON OUR WEBSITE AND JUST IN TURN DON'T CHARGE THEM RENTAL FOR THE FIELD AND ADVERTISE IT TO PEOPLE.
UM, THE FREE TO BE ME DRUMMING CIRCLES ANOTHER GREAT ONE THAT IT'S JUST A FREE GROUP THAT GOES AND DOES IT AND WE KIND OF STOPPED CHARGING THEM FOR THE RENTALS AND BROUGHT IT ON AS A PROGRAM.
SO IT'S THINGS WE'D LIKE FOR THEM TO RENT FOR A LITTLE BIT, LIKE THE KARATE CLASS, LIKE SEE WHAT IT'S ABOUT, SEE IF IT'S A QUALITY PROGRAM, IF PEOPLE ARE INTO IT, AND THEN APPROACH THEM ABOUT BRINGING IT ON AS A, YOU KNOW, ONE OF OUR PROGRAMS. THAT'S REALLY GREAT, REALLY CLEVER.
AND I, I LIKE YOUR ENTHUSIASM FOR TRYING TO DRAW THAT IN AND THINKING THROUGH ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE INITIAL PRICING, WHETHER IT'S A, WHETHER THERE IS AN INCENTIVE FOR PEOPLE TO DO THAT.
BUT I KNOW THAT YOU THINK ABOUT THOSE THINGS AND I, I THINK THAT'S REALLY GREAT.
I LIKE THE STREAMLINING OF THIS AND UM, I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT'S DISCOUNTS FOR ARTS AND DISCOUNTS FOR NONPROFIT, BUT HOW DO YOU, NONPROFIT'S A LITTLE BIT EASIER TO FIGURE OUT WHO THAT IS, BUT HOW DOES SOMETHING QUALIFY AS AN ARTS PROGRAM? IF YOU'RE AN ORGANIZATION AND MAYBE YOU ARE A NONPROFIT SO YOU WOULD'VE THE 30% DISCOUNT, BUT LET'S SAY YOU WANNA DO SOMETHING AND YOU CALL IT AN ART SHOW, DOES THAT NOW QUALIFY IT FOR THE 50% DISCOUNT? YEAH, THAT'S ALWAYS A TOUGH ONE AND IT IS TRICKY.
WE TRY TO USE A PRETTY BROAD SCOPE OF WHAT ARTS IS, BUT IN THEIR DESCRIPTION OF WHAT THEIR EVENT'S GONNA BE, IF IT'S SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, MUSIC RELATED, YOGA RELATED, DANCE RELATED, LIKE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE ARTS IN ANY FORM, WE DO THAT AS PART OF THAT DISCOUNT WITH LIKE A NONPROFIT THAT'S WANTING TO DO ONE COMPONENT.
LIKE THEY MIGHT BE THE HUMANE SOCIETY RENTING THE HUB AND THEY'RE DOING A VENDOR EXPO BUT MIGHT HAVE A CONCERT AS PART OF IT.
WE PROBABLY WOULDN'T ASSOCIATE THAT AS PART OF MAKING IT THE ARTS AS THEIR MAIN THING WOULD BE THEIR VENDOR EXPO, WHICH HAS BEEN SOMETHING SIMILAR BEFORE.
SO THERE'S STILL SOME, BUT THEY DO THE NON-PROFIT, BUT IF THEIR MAIN FOCUS OF THEIR RENTAL IS ARTS RELATED, WHETHER IT'S A CONCERT, YOU KNOW, SO IT'S SUBJECTIVE.
AND THE SECOND QUESTION HAS TO DO ACTUALLY FOR ALL OF THE THREE PARKS AND REC AND POLICE AND UH, WASTEWATER.
WHEN WOULD, WHEN DO THESE NEW RATES TAKE EFFECT IF THEY'RE PASSED TONIGHT? JANUARY 1ST, 2024.
AND FOR PART OF THAT AS WELL, ALL OF OUR CURRENT RENTALS, SO EVERYONE THAT IS LIKE, EVEN IF YOU'RE APPLYING FOR A RENTAL RIGHT NOW, THAT'S IN MARCH, WE'VE TOLD THEM YOU FALL UNDER OUR CURRENT RATE SCHEDULE, BUT WE'RE EVALUATING OUR RENT SCHEDULE BEYOND THAT.
SO IT'LL BE KIND OF THE REQUEST THAT COME IN JANUARY 1ST AND AFTER THAT WE'LL DO THIS NEW STRUCTURE WITH, JUST 'CAUSE WE ARE GETTING REQUESTS CONSTANTLY FOR FEBRUARY, MARCH, APRIL ALREADY.
SO, SO WE HAD SOMETHING SET IN STONE FOR THAT.
ON THIS SIDE, UH, VICE MAYOR, I'M GONNA ASK THIS QUESTION OF KAREN BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW THAT YOU COULD ANSWER IT.
WHAT IS THE GENESIS OF A 50% DISCOUNT FOR THE ARTS VERSUS A 30% DISCOUNT FOR, FOR NON-PROFITS? SO I THINK THAT THIS STARTED YEARS AGO, MUCH PREDATED JOSH, AND SO I THINK HE'S CARRYING FORWARD WHAT WAS DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL AND, AND I COULDN'T EVEN TELL YOU HOW MANY YEARS AGO, BUT IT WAS QUITE A FEW YEARS AGO NOW.
AND IT RELATED TO, UM, AT, AT THE TIME WHEN THE
[00:40:01]
CITY WAS ENGAGING WITH, UM, A THEATER GROUP THAT WAS MANAGING THE HUB FACILITY, RIGHT.AND THERE WAS SOME CONSTERNATION IN THE COMMUNITY, PARTICULARLY WITH THE ARTS GROUPS THAT THE CITY DIDN'T QUITE DO ENOUGH.
THERE WERE NO, UH, FACILITIES AVAILABLE FOR THEM TO EITHER REHEARSE OR TO HAVE PERFORMANCES.
AND THE CITY COUNCIL AT THE TIME DIRECTED PARKS AND RECREATION TO HAVE DISCOUNTED RATES SPECIFICALLY FOR ARTS.
AND THAT INCLUDED THE REC ROOM, WHICH I THINK THEY SAID IT WAS EITHER IT WAS LIKE $5, UM, IF YOU WERE AN ARTS GROUP TO BE ABLE TO USE THAT FACILITY AND DISCOUNTS, UM, FOR THE HUBS THROUGH THE ARRANGEMENT WITH RED, UM, UH, EARTH THEATER, RED EARTH THEATER.
SO I SUSPECT THAT, THAT JOSH IS SIMPLY TRYING TO CONTINUE WHAT WAS PRIOR DIRECTION AND HAS NEVER CHANGED.
SO I REMEMBER THAT ARTS WERE GIVEN A PRIORITY.
AND SO I'M JUST CURIOUS WHAT'S OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE RENTALS ARE ARTS RELATED VERSUS OTHER NON-PROFITS? YES.
AND ARTS MIGHT NOT BE A NON-PROFIT, RIGHT? RIGHT.
UM, WE ACTUALLY, WE LOOKED THROUGH THAT FOR THE HUB AND THE PAVILION, IT'S ABOUT 60% ART, 40% NOT ARTS, TYPICALLY WEDDINGS BEING THE ONE, WEDDINGS, BRIDAL SHOWER, BABY SHOWER BEING THE MAIN ONES THERE.
UM, AND THEN ABOUT 60% ARTS VARYING FROM ALL KINDS OF THINGS.
YOGA, MUSIC, CONCERTS, UM, PAINTING CLASSES, ALL THOSE THINGS.
WITH THE REC ROOM, IT'S JUST ABOUT 0% ART.
OCCASIONALLY THE YOGA GROUP, BUT THAT'S, WE'VE EVEN MADE OUR PROGRAM SO NOT FALLING IN THERE AS MUCH.
AND THEN OF COURSE THE SPORTS FIELD'S PRETTY LOW THERE TOO.
BUT FOR THE MAIN ONES, HUB AND PAVILION ARE ABOUT 60 40 FOR THE ARTS.
SO A PRIOR COUNCIL GAVE DIRECTION TO GIVE ARTS PREFERENCE.
AND DID THEY, DID THE COUNCIL SET THE DISCOUNTED 50%? NO, THEY WERE NOT SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT THE DISCOUNT WOULD BE OTHER THAN THE $5 AN HOUR RATE FOR THE REC ROOM, I BELIEVE.
AND THEN WHAT ABOUT NONPROFITS? DID THAT, WERE WE ALWAYS DISCOUNTING NONPROFITS? YES, AS LONG AS I'VE BEEN HERE, THERE, THERE HAS BEEN A DISCOUNT FOR NONPROFITS.
UM, HAS THAT CHANGED FROM THE 30% AND WAS IT A DIFFERENT RATE? IT'S IN THIS CURRENT STRUCTURE, IT'S KIND OF JUST ALL OVER THE PLACE.
LIKE IT HAS THIS NONPROFIT AS THE FIRST CATEGORY, IT'S ABOUT 30%, BUT SOME OF THE TIMES IT'S 50%.
SOME OF THE TIMES IT'S ABOUT 10%.
AND SO IT'S VERY INCONSISTENT.
BUT WE HAD KIND OF CAME UP WITH, MOST OF THEM ARE IN THE 30% RANGE, BUT THEN LOOKING AT SOME OTHER PLACES THAT OFFERED NONPROFIT DISCOUNTS, THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE CAME UP WITH THAT NUMBER AS WELL.
BRIAN, BRIAN, ANYTHING? NO QUESTIONS ONLY COMMENT.
IT JUST, JUST A QUESTION, AND I THINK THIS IS PROBABLY WHERE SOME OF THE COMMENTS WILL GO, BUT WOULD IT BE EASIER FOR THERE TO BE ONE DISCOUNT RATE VERSUS TWO DISCOUNT RATES IF THE PURPOSE OF THIS TO, TO STREAMLINE, UH, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD BE THINKING ABOUT OR THAT YOU THOUGHT BUT THEN DIDN'T PURSUE THAT BECAUSE YOU THOUGHT THAT THIS, YOU WANTED TO FOLLOW THE PRIOR DIRECTION? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU MIGHT PREFER WOULD BE JUST ONE DISCOUNT RATE FOR ARTS AND NONPROFIT TOGETHER? I'M ALL FOR THAT.
AND TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT, WHICH WAY WOULD YOU GO FOR IF IT ALL MOVE TO ONE, WOULD YOU GO TO THE HIGHER RATE OR LOWER RATE? CAN I WEIGH IN ON THAT MAYBE A LITTLE BIT? THAT WAS MY NEXT POINT.
YEAH, SO, SO ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE, THE REASON THAT IT TAKES US SO LONG TO ADOPT NEW FEES IS THAT THERE ARE PUBLIC POSTING REQUIREMENTS.
WE CAN DECREASE FROM WHAT WE'VE POSTED TO THE PUBLIC, BUT WE CANNOT INCREASE.
UM, SO AT THIS TIME, UNLESS WE DID A NEW POSTING, WE WOULD HAVE TO GO WITH LOWER FEES.
IF WE WANTED TO MAKE THEM ALL THE SAME, JESSICA, WE COULD JUST REPOST IT AND DO THIS AGAIN.
AND IN ANOTHER 60 DAYS WE COULD REVISIT IT.
SO I, I DON'T THINK THE POSTING THING SHOULD, SHOULD LEAD OUR DECISION.
YEAH, I JUST WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT IF YOU PICKED A HIGHER RATE TONIGHT, THOSE WOULD NOT GO INTO EFFECT JULY, JANUARY 1ST AND WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO THAT THIS EVENING.
SO WHEN WOULD IT GO INTO EFFECT IF WE DECIDED TO, TO CHANGE IT? IF YOU GAVE THAT
[00:45:01]
DIRECTION, WE WOULD NEED TO POST IT FOR ANOTHER 60 DAYS AND THEN WE'D PROBABLY BRING IT BACK ON A, WELL, IT HAS TO BE A PUBLIC HEARING, SO MM-HMM.OKAY, BEFORE WE GO TO COMMENTS, LET'S, UH, LET ME CHECK ON CARDS.
IS THERE ANY CARDS THAT WE'RE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC? NO MA'AM.
SO WE'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC COMMENT.
SO WHY DON'T WE START ON THIS SIDE, BRIAN, FOR, UH, COMMENTS.
UH, JOSH, REALLY GLAD TO SEE YOU TOOK THE INITIATIVE TO TRY TO SIMPLIFY THIS.
IT SOUNDS LIKE MAYBE SOME OF MY FELLOW COUNSELORS ARE GONNA MAKE, UH, THE SUGGESTION TO GO WITH JUST ONE DISCOUNT AS OPPOSED TO TWO.
AND ASSUMING THAT THAT'S WHERE SOME OF YOU ARE THINKING, I WOULD JUST DO THE HIGHER DISCOUNT, THE 50% FOR ALL NONPROFITS AND ARTS AND JUST TREAT THEM ALL THE SAME.
UM, AS SOMEBODY WHO TRIED TO RENT A FACILITY A YEAR OR SO AGO, UM, VERY CONFUSING AND DIFFICULT TO FIGURE IT OUT.
AND I REMEMBER CALLING AND WHOEVER I SPOKE TO AT PARKS REC COULDN'T FIGURE IT OUT EITHER, SO I WENT TO THE LIBRARY JUST TO LET YOU KNOW.
SO, UM, I'M DEFINITELY IN FAVOR OF STREAMLINING AND MAKING THINGS SIMPLER FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND, UM, ON A VARIETY.
I'M ALSO OKAY WITH, UH, THE NOTION OF HAVING ONE DISCOUNT INSTEAD OF HAVING TWO DISCOUNTS.
AGAIN, THAT JUST SIMPLIFIES IT A LITTLE BIT BETTER.
AS FAR AS WHICH ONE TO CHOOSE, IT'S IRRELEVANT TO ME.
IT'S, IT'S JUST YOU NEED TO CHOOSE ONE AND THEN DECIDE THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO.
UM, AND UH, FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE COST OF THE FACILITIES AND OUR MAINTAINING THEM, WE SHOULDN'T FORGET THAT.
UM, AND SO IF WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD FALL INTO THE 50% DISCOUNT, BUT THEN WE'RE BASICALLY, UM, GOING TO, TO LOOK AT A BUDGET INCREASE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE ANNUAL BUDGET TO MAINTAIN THEM, THEN I THINK IT, IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO UNDERSTAND THAT THAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN PRIOR TO US JUST, UM, OBLIGINGLY SAY, OH, MAKE IT 50%.
SO I, I JUST WANTED TO, TO THROW THAT OUT BOTH TO MY FELLOW COUNSELORS AND TO YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT, UM, I, I THINK THAT THIS IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO BALANCE ACCORDING TO OUR COST OF OPERATIONS AS WELL.
YEAH, I AGREE WITH BOTH OF MY COLLEAGUES, UH, WHICH IS WHY I ASKED HOW MANY TIMES THE NONPROFITS USE IT.
IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE IT'S ALL THAT MANY.
YEAH, I JUST, I, I UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHY WE DID THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE TO GIVE THE ARTS PRIORITY, BUT I DON'T REALLY THINK WE WANNA HARM OUR NONPROFITS.
SO I I WOULD GO WITH THE 50% FOR BOTH.
CONSIDERING THERE IS A FISCAL POINT TO THIS, BUT IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE IT'S REALLY VERY DRAMATIC AT ALL.
'CAUSE YOU NAMED ONE EVENT
ONE, ONE MAKES A LOT MORE SENSE.
I DO NOT WANNA PENALIZE THE ARTS BY RAISING WHAT THEY'RE PAYING.
I STILL THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO PRIORITIZE THEM, UM, AND TO IT'S USED 60% MOST BY OUR, I THINK THAT'S AMAZING AND WONDERFUL.
AND I'D LIKE, I WANT THAT TO CONTINUE SO, AND GROW.
SO I, I AGREE WITH THE, WITH THE 50%, BOTH OF 'EM SHOULD BE 50%.
I THINK THAT'S THE RIGHT APPROACH.
AND I JUST WANTED TO BE CLEAR, KAREN, WERE YOU SAYING THAT IF WE DID 50%, WE DON'T NEED TO REPOST IT 'CAUSE WE'RE DOING A LESSER AMOUNT THAT'S CORRECT.
SO WE CAN JUST MOVE THIS THING FORWARD.
SPACE IS VERY DIFFICULT TO COME BY IN SEDONA.
UM, FOR, FOR ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE TRYING TO RENT IT AND IT BECOMES PROHIBITIVE SOMETIMES THE COSTS.
UM, I THINK WE OFFER SUBSIDIES TO ALL SORTS OF PROGRAMS THAT SERVE THE PUBLIC, YOU KNOW, THE SPORTS PROGRAMS THAT WE RUN, FREE, PROGRAMS THAT WE DO.
UM, I THINK THAT IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO STREAMLINE THE STREAMLINING.
UH, SO I SUPPORT GOING FOR A 50%, UH, DISCOUNT IN BOTH CATEGORIES, UH, BECAUSE NOT ONLY DOES IT STREAMLINE THE PROCESS, BUT STREAMLINES OUR PROCESS OF SEEING THIS AGAIN.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT'S A WAY TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR BOTH ARTS AND NONPROFITS, BOTH OF WHICH ARE EXTREMELY DESERVING CATEGORIES.
[00:50:01]
ALL SIDES LEAD TO ME.I JUST WANNA STATE TO JOSH, THIS IS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE PRE PRESENTATION I'VE SEEN IN A LONG TIME FROM PARKS AND REC.
YOU, YOU WERE VERY CONCISE AND I THINK WHAT, WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO REALLY SHOW THE DIFFERENCES AND THE FEE STRUCTURE WAS JUST BIZARRE BEFORE.
AND THE FACT THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR THE PUBLIC AND FOR YOURSELF AND EVERYBODY ELSE INVOLVED, IT'S REALLY APPRECIATED.
SO THANK YOU FOR A GREAT PRESENTATION.
SO MAKE IT SO
THIS IS, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
THERE'S NOBODY HERE TO DO THE WASTEWATER.
WHO'S DOING THAT? ANDY, YOU CAN GO AHEAD.
SOMEBODY'S SHERRY WILL TAKE IT.
THE ONLY THING TO REALLY SAY ABOUT WASTEWATER IS IT IS THE ANNUAL INFLATIONARY ADJUSTMENT.
I, I'D LIKE TO MAKE COMMENTS ON WASTEWATER.
SO, UH, KAREN ALREADY GOT TO HEAR ME WHINING AND COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS YESTERDAY.
SO BEING ON THE RECEIVING END OF A RECENT, UH, CAPACITY FEE TO GET A BUILDING PERMIT TO RENOVATE MY HOUSE, IT WAS BREATHTAKING TO SEE WHAT THE COST IS.
AND WHILE THAT CERTAINLY IS FRUSTRATING TO ME IN MY PERSONAL POCKETBOOK, LOOKING AT IT FROM THE IMPACT ON TRYING TO BUILD HOUSING IN THIS TOWN, UH, CERTAINLY BEGS THE QUESTION OF, IS THE STRATEGY THAT IS LONG BEEN IN PLACE FOR RECOVERING FEES FOR THE WASTEWATER SYSTEM STILL THE RIGHT STRATEGY? AND IS IT ACTUALLY DISCOURAGING WORKFORCE HOUSING, UH, IN SEDONA AT THIS TIME? IT'S CLEARLY NOT A TOPIC THAT WE'RE GOING TO GET INTO TONIGHT, BUT I THINK IT IS WORTHY OF A FUTURE DISCUSSION, AND I HOPE MY FELLOW COUNSELORS WOULD HAVE INTEREST IN SAID DISCUSSION IN THE FUTURE.
OVERALL, THE FEES ARE REALLY HIGH AND I HONESTLY DON'T SUPPORT, UH, CONTINUING TO INCREASE THEM, UH, GIVEN WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH.
MAYOR, CAN WE RESPOND TO THAT OR NO, THERE'S NOT A, YES.
IT'S RE IT'S RELATED TO THE, THE WASTEWATER FEE, WHICH IS ON THE CONSOLIDATED FEE SCHEDULE.
UM, AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ALWAYS INFORMS, UH, DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES.
BUT I DO THINK THAT, UM, SINCE THAT ALL HAPPENED PRIOR TO THE CURRENT COUNCIL BEING SEATED, IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THE HISTORY OF THAT.
WE HAD SOME CONSTRUCTION THAT WAS BEING BUILT INTENTIONALLY AS COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES IN MY MIND WITH A RESIDENTIAL DESIGNATION THAT HAD NUMEROUS AMOUNTS OF HOOKUPS FOR WASTEWATER.
AND THE FEES WERE TAKING THAT INTO CONSIDERATION OF WHAT THESE USES, WHY THINGS WERE BEING BUILT, THAT MANY WITH THAT MANY HOOKUPS.
AND I DON'T WANNA LOSE SIGHT OF THAT, THAT THIS WAS A TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX.
UM, AND I THINK IF, IF WE'RE GONNA EVER HAVE A CONVERSATION, I JUST DIDN'T WANNA LEAVE THAT ONE PERSPECTIVE HANGING OUT THERE WITHOUT SOME OF THE HISTORY COMING INTO PLAY.
AND I DON'T KNOW, KAREN LOOKS LIKE SHE WANTS TO SAY SOMETHING OR NOT.
I THOUGHT YOU LOOKED THAT WAY.
UM, JUST AS A REMINDER THAT WHEN WE DID LAST UPDATE THE WASTEWATER CAPACITY FEES, WE SWITCHED TO A WATER FIXTURE UNIT CALCULATION.
UM, RATHER THAN TYPE OF, UH, BUILDING TYPE OF USE THAT WAS TO INCENTIVIZE SMALLER UNITS AND THEREFORE MORE AFFORDABLE UNITS.
SO WE HAVE USED THAT IN THE PAST, UM, AND, AND INTEND TO CONTINUE TO USE THAT FOR PROJECTS THAT ACTUALLY DELIVER THE TYPE OF HOUSING WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
ANY, YEAH, I JUST THANK YOU, KAREN.
[00:55:01]
JUST EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR.UM, SO YOUR CONCERN IS JUST FOR THE CAPACITY FEE AT THIS POINT? THAT WOULD BE CORRECT.
AND I MEAN, IT'S STILL $870 PER FIXTURE UNIT.
SO UNLESS YOU'RE GETTING THE BENEFIT OF, UH, RELIEF FROM OUR HOUSING FUND.
BUT IF YOU, IF YOU DEED RESTRICT IT, UM, YEAH, THEN YOU CAN, I MEAN, IF YOU WANTED TO DEED RESTRICT IT OR IF SOMEONE WOULD BUILD IT AND DEED RESTRICT IT, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING WE WOULD LOOK AT.
SO I I I THINK THAT THAT'S A A, A GREAT N WHEN HOUSES DO HOUSES ARE GOING FOR $1.5 MILLION.
ALTHOUGH IT DOES FOR YOU, BRIAN.
HOW DO YOU FOLLOW THAT? UH, I DON'T KNOW.
SO THE UPDATES TO THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE IN LIGHT OF TRYING TO SUPPORT NEWER POLICY GOALS LIKE HOUSING, LIKE SAY SUSTAINABILITY, LIKE SUSTAINABLE TOURISM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE DIRECTLY CORRELATED TO WHAT WE REQUIRE IN THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE.
THAT IS ONE OF THOSE COUNCIL PRIORITIES.
WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT AT THE RETREAT THAT HAS BEEN DEFERRED AND DEFERRED AND WILL LIKELY BE DEFERRED FOR ANOTHER YEAR, TWO YEARS, POSSIBLY MORE.
IT, BECAUSE IT NEEDS TO BE DONE IN SUCH A COMPREHENSIVE WAY THAT GIVEN THE FACT THAT WE HAVE ONE, A SHORTAGE OF STAFF AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, BUT WE HAVE THE CULTURAL PARK MASTER PLANNING THE INTENT TO DO A COMPREHENSIVE CITYWIDE PARKING MASTER PLAN.
WE'VE NOW GOT SOME NEW PARKING INITIATIVES, UM, POLICY DRIVEN TYPE OF PRO AND PROGRAMMATIC THINGS, UM, GOALS FOR UPTOWN RELATIVE TO THE, THE PARKING STRATEGY.
THIS IS JUST NOT SOMETHING WE'RE READY TO, TO TACKLE AT THIS POINT.
I, I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND WE'LL, I HAVE, YEAH.
WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT AT A PRIORITY SETTING BECAUSE I WANT, I DON'T WANNA WAIT TWO, THREE YEARS FOR A DU DISCUSSION THAT WE DEFERRED BECAUSE WE WANTED IT IN.
WELL, THERE'S AN A, YOU CAN ABSOLUTELY HAVE AN A DU DISCUSSION.
I GUESS WHAT I'M SAYING IS THAT YOU HAVE AN A DU DISCUSSION IN A VACUUM.
I KNOW THAT WAS WHAT WE DIDN'T WANNA DO.
AND THE ONLY WAY TO LOOK AT THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE AS COMPREHENSIVELY AS IT NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT IN ORDER TO RECONCILE THE CHANGES.
SO THERE AREN'T UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES IN OTHER POLICY AREAS OF CHANGES THAT WE MAKE A MOTION FOR ADU OR FOR COOL PAVEMENTS OR SOME OF THESE OTHER THINGS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT DOES NEED TO BE DONE MORE COMPREHENSIVELY.
AND THAT TAKES A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF STAFF EFFORT, BOTH FROM LEADERSHIP AND THEN ALL OF THE VARIOUS DISCIPLINES INCLUDING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
MAYOR, COULD I ADD ONE MORE THING? SURE.
SO AS FAR AS LIKE THE WASTEWATER CAPACITY FEES THAT ARE ON THE, THE SCHEDULE FOR TONIGHT, UM, THE WASTEWATER FUND IS REQUIRED TO BE SELF-SUPPORTING.
AND WHEN YOU OVERLY DISCOUNT IN ONE AREA, YOU'RE ASKING OTHER USERS TO PICK UP THAT COST.
AND SO THE WAY THAT WE REDESIGNED THE STRUCTURE OF THE CAPACITY FEES WAS TO ALLOW SOME OF THAT DISTINCTION BETWEEN SMALLER HOUSES AND LARGER HOUSES TO MAKE IT MORE EQUITABLE.
UM, SO AS FAR AS LIKE LOOKING AT COSTS AND WHERE WE CAN FIND AFFORDABILITY, I DON'T THINK THE WASTEWATER FUND IS REALLY THE PLACE THAT WE CAN DO MUCH MORE THAN WHAT WE HAVE.
YOU WANT A MOTION? I WOULD LIKE, WELL, KURT, KURT SENT US A MOTION.
SO YOU WANNA GO BY THAT? YEAH.
I'M GONNA, THE 50% THAT WE DISCUSSED WILL BE INCORPORATED IN THE CURRENT LANGUAGE OF THE MOTION AS IT IS, RIGHT? YES.
I MOVE TO APPROVE RESOLUTION NUMBER 2023 DASH 33 33, CREATING A PUBLIC RECORD ENTITLED 2023 AMENDMENTS TO THE SEDONA CONSOLIDATED FEE SCHEDULE WITH THE AMENDMENT.
[01:00:01]
YEAH, KATHY, THAT'S WHAT I WAS TELLING YOU, KURT SAID WITH THE AMENDMENT.OH, THAT'S WHAT I ASKED IF THE AMENDMENT WAS CAPTURED IN THE LANGUAGE.
YOU NEED, WE NEED TO STATE THAT AMENDMENTS TO THE SEDONA CONSOLIDATED FEE SCHEDULE WITH THE AMENDMENT THAT THE DISCOUNTS FOR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS FOR SEDONA PARKS AND RECREATION FACILITY RENTAL FEE FOR THE HUB AND PAVILION BE AMENDED FROM 30% TO A 50% DISCOUNT.
NOW DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND.
UH, ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE.
AND NOW YOU NEED THE SECOND ONE? WE DO HAVE A SECOND ONE THAT'S GOING BY THE AGENDA.
MAYOR, YOU NEED A MOTION FOR THE ORDINANCE, MAYOR? YEP.
AND THAT ONE DOESN'T NEED TO BE CHANGED FROM THE PACKET.
IF COUNCIL IS LOOKING TO APPROVE IT.
'CAUSE WE'VE ALREADY AMENDED THE KATHY CAN DO IT.
I MOVE TO ADOPT ORDINANCE NUMBER 2023.
1111, ADOPTING THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FEE SCHEDULE.
NOW WE GOT THE TOUGH ONE COMING UP.
WELL, YOU GOT THE, THE ARTICLE FOR JOSH.
WE'LL, DO YOU, YOU'LL DO AUTOGRAPHS LATER? YES.
[8.c. AB 3014 Discussion/possible action regarding City Council’s State Legislative priorities for the 2024 legislative session and a Second Amendment to the Agreement with the Policy Development Group. ]
OKAY, GENTLEMEN, YOU ARE UP.THANK YOU, MAYOR, VICE MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
UH, MY NAME IS TODD BOWMAN, PAUL POLICY DEVELOPMENT GROUP AND PAUL SENSEMAN.
THANK YOU FOR, UH, HAVING US, UH, WITH YOU AGAIN TODAY.
UM, IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO BE WITH YOU.
UM, WE ARE ABOUT A MONTH AWAY FROM THE START OF OUR LEGISLATIVE SESSION, WHICH IT, UH, IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT WE'RE ALMOST THERE, UM, IN PART BECAUSE THE LAST SESSION WAS THE LONGEST SESSION IN ARIZONA HISTORY.
AND THAT SESSION, WHICH EXTENDED WELL INTO THE SUMMER, UM, PUT BACK THE, UH, EFFECTIVE DATE OF ANY BILL THAT WAS PASSED LAST YEAR IN ARIZONA.
IT TAKES 90 DAYS AFTER WE SIGN AND DIE FOR A BILL TO BECOME LAW.
SO ALL OF THE BILLS THAT WERE PASSED, UH, AND BECAME LAW, BECAME LAW ON OCTOBER 30TH OF THIS YEAR.
SO THEY HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN IN EFFECT, FULL EFFECT FOR, UH, A MONTH.
AND SO, UM, THAT WILL, UH, AS PAUL AND I WERE CHATTING ABOUT IT, THAT WILL IMPACT THIS COMING SESSION BECAUSE TYPICALLY WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A BILL'S INTRODUCED, THEY SEE HOW IT WORKS.
SOMETIMES THERE'S CHANGES TO IT.
SOMETIMES THEY CREATE NEW BILLS.
I THINK EVERYBODY'S STILL WAITING TO SEE, UM, HOW SOME OF THESE, UH, BILLS WORK.
SO WITH THAT, UM, WE'LL GIVE A QUICK OVERVIEW AND HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OR GO INTO MORE DETAIL ON ANY OF THE, UH, QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
BUT, UM, THIS, UH, LEGISLATIVE SESSION, THIS WILL BE THE SAME MAKEUP AS, UH, AS LAST YEAR.
UM, GOVERNOR HOBBES, UM, HAS A FULL YEAR, UH, UNDER HER BELT, UM, WHEN SHE STARTS THIS SESSION.
SO SHE'S ADDED SOME NEW FOLKS TO HER STAFF, UH, WHICH IS NORMAL FOR A, UH, UM, A GOVERNOR AS THEY, UM, ARE IN FOR THEIR FIRST YEAR.
SHE HAS A NEW CHIEF OF STAFF THIS YEAR.
HE'S, UH, A GENTLEMAN WHO WAS A FORMER LEGISLATOR.
SO HE IS NEW CHIEF OF STAFF, AND HE'S BROUGHT ON SOME NEW FOLKS AS WELL ON STAFF.
THEY BROUGHT ON, UH, UH, SEVERAL, UM, DIFFERENT, UH, STAFFERS ON THE LEGISLATIVE TEAM, SO THAT HAVE SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCE, UH, FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
SO AS THEY HEAD INTO THIS SESSION, UM, WITH THEIR LEGISLATIVE AGENDA, THEY'LL HAVE SOME FOLKS, UH, MORE FOLKS DOWN THERE TO HELP THEM OUT.
THE, UH, LEGISLATIVE MAKEUP IS THE SAME.
UH, IT'S, IT'S AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN GET, UH, 31, 29 AND 1614.
SO THAT, UH, REALLY SETS UP A, I MEAN, WITH A ONE BOAT MAJORITY, UM, FOR THE GOP ONE, ONE GOP MEMBER CAN ESSENTIALLY STOP A BILL FROM, FROM PASSING.
IT'S THE SAME MAKEUP, SAME LEADERSHIP, UH, SAME LEADERSHIP TEAMS, UM, AS WE ENDED THE SESSION WITH LAST YEAR, UM, ONE ITEM I WOULD NOTE, UH, THAT THAT'S OF AN IMPORTANCE IS, UH, SPEAKER TOMA, WHO WAS SPEAKER LAST YEAR, HE'S GOING TO REMAIN A SPEAKER, AND THAT'S NOTEWORTHY BECAUSE HE HAS ANNOUNCED THAT HE'S GOING TO RUN FOR CONGRESS.
SO CONGRESSWOMAN LESKO HAS, UH, DECIDED TO RETIRE.
SO THAT OPENS UP A SEAT IN THE NORTHWEST, UH, PART OF PHOENIX, PEORIA.
AND THAT, UH, UH, SPEAKER TOMA LIVES IN THAT DISTRICT.
SO THERE HAD BEEN SOME THOUGHT THAT HE'LL RESIGN AND, UH, YOU KNOW, RUN, BUT HE'S GONNA STICK AROUND.
AND THAT WILL PROVIDE SOME CONTINUITY TOO, UM, WITH, WITH, UH, STAFF AND, UH,
[01:05:01]
JUST KIND OF HOW THINGS HAVE RUN.SO THAT WILL PROVIDE SOME CONTINUITY AS PRIOR YEARS.
SO, UM, IT'S AN ELECTION YEAR.
UH, I THINK EVERYBODY EITHER KNOWS THAT NOW, OR THEY WILL KNOW THAT VERY SOON BY ALL THE COMMERCIALS AND, UH, MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT ARE SPENT IN ARIZONA.
BUT, UM, THAT WILL, UM, OFTENTIMES THEY, UH, WE HAVE A LITTLE SHORTER SESSION WHEN THERE IS, UH, AN ELECTION YEAR.
'CAUSE THEY WANT TO GET OUT AND CAMPAIGN, ESPECIALLY WITH OUR EARLIER PRIMARIES.
NOW, I'M NOT SURE THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN THIS YEAR.
UM, I THINK THE BUDGET PROCESS WILL BE, UH, IT'LL BE A LITTLE MORE DRAWN OUT THIS YEAR THAN IT WAS IN PRIOR YEARS FOR A FEW DIFFERENT REASONS, UM, THAT WE CAN TOUCH ON AS WE GO FORWARD.
SO, UH, HOT TOPICS THIS YEAR, UM, THERE, IT'S, IT'S THE, THE OLD ADAGE IS IF YOU'VE SEEN ONE SESSION, YOU'VE SEEN ONE SESSION.
AND THAT WILL, UH, PROVE TRUE AGAIN THIS YEAR.
I THINK, UH, MAYBE I'LL START WITH THE BUDGET.
UH, THE BUDGET IS GENERALLY WHAT DRIVES, UM, EVERY LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
THAT'S THE ONE ITEM THAT THE LEGISLATURE HAS TO DO CONSTITUTIONALLY IS PUT TOGETHER A BUDGET, AND THEY'VE GOTTA DO THAT BY THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR, WHICH IS JUNE 30TH.
SO WE, UH, WE WE'RE ABLE TO GET A BUDGET LAST YEAR IN, IN FAIRLY SHORT ORDER, CONSIDERING WHAT, UH, THE DIVIDED GOVERNMENT THAT WE HAVE NOW.
I THINK THIS YEAR WE MAY SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A DRAWN OUT PROCESS, UM, IN PART BECAUSE THE REVENUES ARE NOT, UH, WHAT, UH, UM, WE HAD HOPED FOR.
UH, THERE'S A CURRENT, UH, DEFICIT OF ABOUT, UH, A LITTLE OVER $300 MILLION THAT THE STATE IS LOOKING AT IN FISCAL YEAR 24 WITH A BUDGET THAT THEY JUST PUT TOGETHER.
SO THAT NUMBER CHANGES AS NEW REVENUE NUMBERS COME IN.
SO IT CAN GO UP, COULD GO DOWN.
SO I THINK AS THEY COME BACK IN JANUARY AND SEE SOME OF THOSE REVENUE NUMBERS COME IN, THEY'LL BEGIN DISCUSSING THE BUDGET.
BUT THAT CONVERSATION WILL GREATLY CHANGE AS THE NEW REVENUE NUMBERS COME IN.
SO, UM, WITH THAT, UH, THERE'S, THERE'S TOPICS THAT EVERY YEAR ARE TOUCHED ON, AND, UH, AGAIN, THEY WILL, AGAIN, THIS YEAR, WATER IS A BIG ONE.
UM, NOW THEY'RE TOUCHED ON, THEY'RE DEBATED, THEY'RE HOTLY DEBATED.
DOESN'T MEAN A BILL GETS ACROSS THE FINISH LINE AND GETS, UH, SIGNED INTO LAW.
IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO DO, ESPECIALLY GIVEN, UH, THE MAKEUP OF, UH, THE CAPITOL.
UM, BORDER SECURITY, I THINK WE TOUCHED ON, AGAIN, ELECTION REFORM IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, IS TALKED ABOUT.
UH, THERE'S COMMITTEES, THERE'S LONG, LONG, UH, HEARINGS, UM, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WILL CONTINUE TO BE TALKED ABOUT.
HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS IS SOMETHING THAT I IMPACTS NOT ONLY THE STATE, BUT, UH, PARTICULARLY, UH, CITIES ACROSS THE STATE OF ARIZONA.
UM, THE HOUSING TRUST FUND IS SOMETHING THAT THE GOVERNOR WAS VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT.
UM, AND THE GOVERNOR AND THE LEGISLATURE, UH, BOTH PUT, UH, MONEY INTO THE, THAT BUDGET THAT WAS ULTIMATELY SIGNED INTO LAW.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, UH, IS, IS VERY IMPORTANT.
AND I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WILL BE CONTINUED TO BE DISCUSSED.
UM, TAX PROPOSALS, UH, THE, THE FOOD TAX IS SOMETHING THAT I KNOW, UH, UH, AS MANY CITIES ARE WATCHING WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THE FOOD TAX, THE LEGISLATURE, UM, HAS PASSED A BILL, AND THAT WAS NOT ULTIMATELY SIGNED INTO LAW, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, I WOULD ANTICIPATE WILL CONTINUE TO BE LOOKED AT.
UM, AND THEN FINALLY, WHENEVER YOU HAVE A DEFICIT, UH, THE MONEY'S GOTTA COME FROM SOMEWHERE,
AND SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'LL SEE, UH, HOTLY DEBATED, UH, NOT ONLY AT THE LEGISLATURE, BUT, UH, BEYOND TOO, IS HOW DO YOU BALANCE THIS BUDGET.
AND, UH, I THINK ONE THING THAT PAUL AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT IS AS WE SIT IN COMMITTEE HEARING AND AS WE TALK TO LEGISLATORS, BEING ACUTELY AWARE OF, OF THE NEEDS OF SEDONA TO MAKE SURE THAT AS, UH, THE BUDGET IS DEALT WITH, THAT IT DOES NOT PENALIZE, UH, THE CITY OF SEDONA, UM, GOING FORWARD.
ONE OTHER ITEM I I WOULD JUST MENTION, UH, BEFORE I GET TO SHORT TERM RENTALS, IS, UH, UNIVERSITY FUNDING.
UH, UNIVERSITIES HAVE, EVERY STATE AGENCY HAS PUT IN THEIR REQUEST FOR, UH, DOLLARS IN THIS COMING BUDGET.
UNIVERSITIES HAVE PUT IN REQUESTS FOR SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS HOPING TO, UH, GROW AND EXPAND, UH, THE UNIVERSITIES, PARTICULARLY ON THE MEDICAL, UH, SCHOOL FRONT.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY'LL CONTINUE TO ASK FOR.
AND, UM, THAT'S WHY WE HAVE HEARINGS DOWN THERE.
THEY'LL, THEY'LL MAKE THE CASES AND WE'LL HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THAT.
BUT I THINK FROM A LARGE DOLLAR PERSPECTIVE, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING TO KEEP AN EYE ON, ON THE SHORT TERM RENTAL FRONT.
UH, I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING WE'VE HAD SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS WITH, UH, YOU ALL ABOUT AND YOUR STAFF.
AND, UM, I, IT'S, IT'S AN ISSUE THAT, UH, I WILL SAY THAT WE, WE HAVE FOR YEARS, UH, UH, HAD CONVERSATIONS AND I, I THINK WE'VE SEEN THE NARRATIVE BEGIN TO CHANGE AT THE CAPITOL.
UM, NOT ONLY WERE THERE A COUPLE BILLS PASSED A FEW YEARS AGO, BUT INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS ARE STARTING TO REALIZE THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT THEY'RE NOT ONLY HEARING ABOUT NOW FROM, UH, THEIR
[01:10:01]
CONSTITUENTS, BUT IT'S NOT JUST ONE REGION OF THE STATE EITHER.THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I KNOW AT THE LEAGUE, A CITIES AND TOWNS CONFERENCE, I WAS THERE AND, UH, WATCHING, AND MAYOR, YOU DID A, A, A GREAT JOB OF EXPLAINING THE ISSUE AS IT PERTAINS TO THE CITY OF SEDONA.
AND I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPACTFUL, AND I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPACTFUL TOO, TO HAVE THE 91 MAYORS OR THEIR REPRESENTATIVES SITTING AROUND AND HEARING THIS ISN'T JUST A SEDONA ISSUE.
YOU HAVE THE CITY OF WILLIAMS WHO IS SPEAKING TO THE PERCENTAGE OF SHORT-TERM RENTALS THAT THEY HAVE IN THEIR COMMUNITY, WHICH IS IN THE HIGH TEENS AS WELL,
AND SO YOU, YOU LISTEN TO THAT AND YOU START TO SEE A NARRATIVE BUILD, AND THAT STARTS TO PERCOLATE BACK TO MEMBERS.
SO, UM, THERE WERE SOME RESOLUTIONS ON, AT THE LEAGUE LEVEL THAT WERE ADOPTED.
UM, I KNOW I'VE BEEN IN CONVERSATION WITH, UH, STAFF FROM SOME OF THE DIFFERENT CITIES, UH, CONVERSATION WITH YOUR STAFF AS WELL HERE TO, UH, TALK ABOUT THOSE PROPOSALS, TALK ABOUT, UM, HOPEFULLY AS THEY ARE FORMULATED THAT THEY WOULD BENEFIT, PARTICULARLY THE NEEDS OF THE CITY OF SEDONA.
AND THEN ALSO, UM, AS, AS IS ALWAYS THE CASE, UM, WE'RE SUPPORTIVE WORK WITH THOSE, UH, LOBBYISTS AND TO PUSH THAT FORWARD, BUT ALSO BE AWARE IF THERE'S NEEDS THAT ARE SPECIFIC TO SEDONA.
UM, I, I BELIEVE WE WOULD BE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THOSE, UH, LEAGUE RESOLUTIONS AND SUPPORT THOSE WHOLEHEARTEDLY.
BUT ALSO, ARE THERE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OUTSIDE OF THAT THAT WE WOULD WANT TO, UH, PINPOINT AND PROMOTE AND SUPPORT AND CONTINUE ON WITH INDIVIDUAL LEGISLATORS? I KNOW I'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH, UM, OUR THREE LEGISLATORS, UH, REPRESENTATIVE WYNN, REPRESENTATIVE BLISS, AND SENATOR BENNETT.
AND, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE AWARE OF, THAT THIS ISSUE HAS NOT GONE AWAY.
THEY CONTINUE TO HEAR, NOT ONLY FROM YOU ALL, BUT FROM CONSTITUENTS AS WELL.
SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO KEEP THAT MOMENTUM GOING FORWARD BECAUSE THIS ISSUE, UM, HAS NOT SUBSIDED IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO GOING FORWARD, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT PAUL AND I WANT TO CONTINUE TO DO IS, UH, UM, COMMUNICATE WITH YOU ALL.
WE'RE, WE'RE A MONTH BEFORE SESSION BEGINS.
WE START THE SECOND MONDAY OF JANUARY, LIKE WE DO EVERY YEAR.
AND IT GOES THROUGH, UH, IT GOES THROUGH UNTIL THEY GET A BUDGET.
JUNE 30TH IS TYPICALLY THE DATE.
YOU KNOW, MY HOPE, AND PAUL, PAUL AND I'S HOPE WOULD BE THAT WE, YOU KNOW, WE'D BE ABLE TO EITHER, UH, DEPENDING ON HOW, HOW A CRAZY SESSION IS DOWN THERE, EITHER UPDATE YOU VIA ZOOM OR, UH, HOPEFULLY COME BACK UP HERE IN PERSON AND HAVE A CONVERSATION.
WE, UM, WE TALK WITH YOUR STAFF, UH, REGULARLY AS WELL AS ISSUES POP UP, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO DO.
SO, AND THEN I'LL JUST QUICK, QUICKLY GO THROUGH THESE.
UM, PROTECTING THE, THE RIGHTS OF CITIES IS SOMETHING THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT FROM A REVENUE STANDPOINT.
UM, WE HAVE LIMITED OPTIONS TO, UH, UH, FROM A, FROM CITY OF SEDONA STANDPOINT TO BE ABLE TO, UH, COLLECT REVENUE.
SO, UH, THE, THERE'S OFTEN THE LEGISLATURE WILL LOOK AT WAYS TO, UH, CURTAIL THAT, TO, TO PULL THAT BACK.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT PAUL AND I ARE VERY AWARE OF.
UM, WE, WE ATTEND THE COMMITTEES TO MAKE SURE THAT IF THERE ARE BILLS THAT ARE INTRODUCED, WE'RE ABLE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS EITHER WITH A SPONSOR OR STAFF TO EXPLAIN WHAT THE IMPACT WOULD BE.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE, I'M JUST GRATEFUL TO YOUR STAFF THAT YOU HAVE HERE TO BE ABLE TO GET THOSE NUMBERS SO THAT WE CAN GET THAT ACTUAL DATA TO TAKE TO THEM, TO STAFF AND SAY, OR MEMBERS AND SAY, THIS IS WHAT'S IMPORTANT.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHY REPRESENTATIVE BLISS AND REPRESENTATIVE WYNN AND SENATOR BENNETT, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S IMPORTANT.
AND, AND I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE TIME THAT YOU ALL HAVE SPENT TOO WITH THEM, UH, TO BE ABLE TO, SO PAUL AND I CAN SHOW UP IN THEIR OFFICE AND, AND THEY'RE VERY RESPONSIVE.
SO, AND THEN, UH, JUST KIND OF TOUCHING ON THAT TOO, THE LOCAL CONTROL, THE ZONING IS SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO US.
I KNOW IT'S SOMETHING THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO A LOT OF CITIES, BUT IT'S PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THE ZONING RIGHTS ARE NOT, UH, UH, PROHIBITED IN ANY WAY.
AND ALSO TOUCHING ON THE SHORT TERM RENTALS IS SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO, UH, CONTINUE TO WORK WITH.
UM, I THINK THERE IS A GROWING, NOT ONLY IS THE LEAGUE ENGAGING ON THE SHORT TERM RENTAL ISSUE, UH, INTENSELY, BUT I THINK THERE ARE MORE AND MORE, UH, CITY, UH, LOBBYISTS AS WELL THAT ARE STARTING TO ENGAGE.
AND SO WE'RE WORKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH THOSE, UH, INDIVIDUALS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ISSUE IS PUSHED FORWARD.
AND THEN OHV, UM, I KNOW THAT'S AN ISSUE, UM, THAT IS, UH, OF IMPORTANCE TO SEDONA.
THERE WAS THE OHV STUDY COMMITTEE, UH, WHICH HAPPENED IN THE OFF SESSION.
UM, I WAS, YOU KNOW, UH, TALKING WITH FOLKS RECENTLY.
THERE'S NOTHING CONCRETE YET THAT HAS COME OUT OF THAT, AND AS FAR AS LEGISLATION THAT WILL BE RUN, BUT I THINK THEY'RE, UM, CONTINUING TO LOOK AND EXPLORE AND SEE IS THERE ANYTHING THAT THEY CAN DO, UM, THAT COULD, UH, HELP, UH, PROMOTE SAFETY ON THE OHV FRONT.
UH, WE'LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THAT AND, UH, WORK ON THOSE ISSUES ON YOUR BEHALF.
[01:15:02]
I JUST TOUCH ON HOUSING TRUST FUND AS WELL.THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT.
UM, THAT ISSUE IS NOT GOING AWAY.
THAT WILL CONTINUE ON THIS YEAR.
AND, UH, REGARDLESS OF THE STATE OF OUR BUDGET, UH, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO BE AT THE TOP OF THE LIST THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DEALING WITH.
UM, AND THEN FINALLY, I GUESS I WOULD JUST SAY, UH, ONE THING THAT PAUL AND I DO TOO IS AS WE'RE DOWN THERE, IT'S, UH, ONCE JANUARY ROLLS AROUND, WE'LL, WE'LL BE DOWN THERE.
AND SO WE KEEP OUR EYES AND OUR EARS OPEN FOR OPPORTUNITIES TOO.
IF THERE'S THINGS THAT IMPACT YOU THAT MAYBE DON'T DIRECTLY HAVE THE NAME SEDONA ON IT, BUT THEY WOULD IMPACT YOU, OR WE COULD DO TO THINGS WE COULD DO TO PUSH, UM, THAT WOULD BENEFIT YOU, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE LOOK FOR THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO PUSH FOR.
SO, DO YOU WANNA MENTION THE RURAL TRANSIT SCOTCH? OH, YEAH.
UM, ALSO FROM A TRANSPORTATION STANDPOINT, IT'S SOMETHING, UH, PAUL AND I HAVE, HAVE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR STAFF AS WELL.
UM, RURAL TRANSIT, UM, UH, IS SOMETHING THAT WE, AS WE GO FORWARD, WE, UH, WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR RURAL LEGISLATORS, THREE OF WHICH REPRESENT OUR DISTRICT, BUT THERE'S MORE, UM, THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
UH, IF THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO PUSH, UH, FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT FROM A, FROM A PERCENTAGE STANDPOINT THAT WE WOULD, WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN FOR SEDONA.
UH, THE FLIP OF THAT, OFTENTIMES WHEN YOU HAVE A, A BUDGET DEFICIT IS WHEN THEY GO TO LOOK TO CUT.
UH, WE HAVE TO PROTECT THE PERCENTAGES AND THE AMOUNT THAT COMES TO RURAL ARIZONA.
UM, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE, WE'RE KEEPING AN EYE ON.
SO, UM, WE WILL, ESPECIALLY AS, UH, TRANSPORTATION DOLLARS, UM, SOME OF THE TRANSPORTATION DOLLARS, UH, WERE DONE IN, IN A ONE-TIME FUNDING FASHION, WE WANT TO GO AHEAD AND, AND KEEP AN EYE AND MAKE SURE THAT NOTHING IS TAKEN FROM RURAL ARIZONA.
UM, AND IF THERE'S, UH, IF THERE'S ANY CHANGES THAT IT DOESN'T JUST BENEFIT, UH, THE METRO CITIES, THAT IT, IT, THAT IT CAN BE REACHED TO RURAL.
SO, UM, AND THEN FINALLY, UH, I KNOW THAT IN THE PAST, WE'VE, UH, I BELIEVE YOU ALL HAVE A, UH, LOGINS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO WEIGH IN ON LEGISLATION.
PAUL AND I ARE DOWN THERE, UM, WHEN IT'S RISES TO THE, TO THE LEVEL OF A, A CITY POSITION, AND YOU ALL TAKE A POSITION, WE, UH, UH, GLADLY WEIGH IN ON THAT REPRESENTING YOU ALL.
SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT INDIVIDUALLY.
BUT, UH, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALL HAVE THAT ABILITY TO DO THAT, UM, AS WELL, UM, WEIGHING IN.
SO, UM, WE'LL CONTINUE TO, UH, DO THAT AND, UH, MAKE YOU AND YOUR STAFF AWARE OF ISSUES THAT YOU MAY CARE ABOUT.
AND I, I, I BELIEVE, UH, YOU ALL HAVE, UH, PAUL AND MY CONTACT INFO HAPPY TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS, UH, YOU KNOW, DIVE DOWN INTO A SPECIFIC ISSUE IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT'S OF IMPORTANCE TO YOU ALL INDIVIDUALLY, WE WANT TO HAVE BE AVAILABLE TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION.
UM, SO WITH THAT, UM, I THINK, I DUNNO, PAUL, IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD OR BE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
MAYOR, MAY I JUST BRIEFLY, UH, IT'S SURE.
NICE TO SEE YOU ALL IN PERSON.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING US UP, UH, AND ALLOWING ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO ESCAPE THE CITY FOR A LITTLE WHILE AND, UH, REMEMBER HOW, UM, HOW MAGICAL THIS PLACE IS.
SO THANK YOU FOR, AGAIN, FOR SHARING IT AND FOR BEING OUR, UH, UH, UH, PROTECTORS OF THIS AMAZING, UM, PART OF OUR STATE AND OUR WORLD.
BUT I, I DID, I DID WANNA SAY ONE BENEFIT OF BEING HERE AND LISTENING TO YOU ALL IN PERSON WAS WE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR YOUR, UH, YOUR DESIRE TO PROTECT, UH, YOUR, YOUR VERY BUSY CITY ATTORNEY'S TIME.
AND I THOUGHT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE HELPFUL, UH, HOPEFULLY ON, UH, YOUR DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE QUESTIONS.
AND SO WE'LL BE DELIGHTED TO, UH, ENGAGE WITH KURT AND SEE HOW WE CAN, UH, SUPPORT THOSE EFFORTS SO HIS TIME CAN BE, UH, CAN BE SPARED A BIT, UH, AS WELL.
SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN BE MORE SUPPORTIVE IN THOSE ARENAS AS WELL.
PLEASE FEEL JESSICA QUESTIONS.
DOWN, YOU SAID THAT THE LEADERSHIP REMAINS THE SAME.
DOES THAT MEAN THIS COMMITTEE HEADS ARE THE SAME FOR THE MOST PART? YES.
UH, THE COMMITTEE HEADS HAVE REMAINED THE SAME THERE.
WELL, WE HAD THAT ISSUE WITH THE COMMITTEE HEAD WHO WOULDN'T MOVE OUR PLAN, UM, BILL FORWARD, DOES IT HAVE TO GO TO HIM? IS THAT, WHAT CAN WE DO TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT, UH, ISN'T STEPPED ON FOR STUPID FOR REASONS THAT NOBODY, NOBODY AND OR I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
SO WHAT CAN WE DO? WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR US THERE? YEAH.
COUNSELOR, WE, IT'S GONNA SEE IT.
WE HAD, UH, UH, A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT YEARS WHERE WE'VE HAD DIFFERENT COMMITTEE CHAIRS, UH, HOLD OUR LEGISLATION UP AND, AND BOTH DIFFERENT AND BOTH SETS OF THE BODIES, UH, BOTH HIS HOUSE AND THE SENATE.
SO LAST YEAR IT WAS, UH, SPEAKER, UH, TOMA, WHO'S, UH, WHO INDIVIDUALLY HELD UP THAT LEGISLATION, UM, AND DID NOT ALLOW IT TO BE PRESENTED TO THE COMMITTEE THAT
[01:20:01]
IT WOULD BE NORMALLY SERVED IN.SO IT NEVER EVEN WENT TO COMMITTEE, RIGHT? CORRECT.
SO IT DIDN'T ACTUALLY HAVE A BILL ASSIGNMENT.
NOW, SINCE THAT OCCURRED, UH, BOTH MAYOR AND VICE MAYOR AND, UM, AND, AND, AND TODD AND I HAVE HAD A VARIETY OF, OF CONVERSATIONS DIRECTLY WITH THE SPEAKER AND HIS, UH, CHIEF OF STAFF AND HIS LEADERSHIP TEAM.
THEY'VE EXPRESSED A WILLINGNESS TO WORK WITH US BOTH, UH, IN THE LAST SESSION AT THE END, AND AS WELL AS THROUGHOUT THIS VERY, VERY BRIEF, HISTORICALLY BRIEF INTERIM PERIOD BETWEEN, UH, THE REGULAR SESSION AND THE NEW UPCOMING REGULAR SESSION.
UH, UH, WE HAVE HAD CONVERSATIONS.
THERE REMAINS A CONTINUED WILLINGNESS TO DO IT.
WE LIKE OUR CHANCES, GIVEN THE FACT THAT YOUR COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD, AND WE ENCOURAGE THEM.
OBVIOUSLY, YOU OF ALL ARE ENCOURAGING THEM TO CONTINUE TO SHARE THEIR OPINIONS WITH THE LEGISLATIVE STAFF.
BUT IT HAS HAD, TODD TODD ALLUDED TO THIS EARLIER, IT'S HAD AN IMPACT BEYOND JUST A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL MEMBER.
SO, UH, UH, I, I DON'T WANT TO, I, I DON'T WANNA RAISE YOUR HOPES UP TOO MUCH THAT WE'RE GONNA GET AROUND THEM, BUT WE'VE TAKEN THOSE STEPS IN ORDER TO DO EXACTLY THAT SO THAT WE'LL GET A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN THIS TRACK.
WELL, WOULD HE EVER TELL YOU I'M NOT GONNA WORK WITH YOU? UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, YOU'VE HAD EXTENSIVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT A NOTHING BILL
YOU KNOW, HE DIDN'T SAY, OH, YEAH, OKAY, I'LL LET IT GO THIS TIME.
YOU KNOW, HE, I DON'T, YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S A DIFFICULT JOB.
I THINK YOU'RE CONFUSING THE, THE CONVERSATION IS WE'RE NOT ON THE SAME PAGE.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY PLAN? I AM.
WHICH ACTUALLY GOT THROUGH THE HOUSE.
THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT SHORT-TERM RENTALS.
I'M TALKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT SOMEONE HELD UP THAT WAS ON THE SENATE SIDE.
AND THAT'S WHAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT, IS, IS THIS GONNA HAPPEN AGAIN? AND SO, I, I MEAN, I'M NOT, I'M JUST TRYING TO GET SOME SENSE.
SO ON THE SENATE SIDE, WHO HELD IT UP? YES.
UH, UH, COUNSELOR, GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN TOO.
UM, IN THIS, THE BILL PASSED THROUGH THE HOUSE.
AND IT MADE IT OVER TO THE SENATE BECAUSE IT IS A, THERE IS A NOTHING OBJECT.
A SENATE GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE.
THEY GOT THE COMMITTEE, THE SENATE GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE.
JESSICA, CAN I, JESSICA? OKAY.
JESSICA, CAN I JUST ASK YOU, LET, LET TODD LET TODD FINISH WHAT HE SAID.
BECAUSE I DON'T WANT, WE DON'T WANT BANTER BACK AND FORTH, SO ASK THE QUESTION, LET HIM ANSWER.
SO, SO YEAH, THE BILL WAS HELD IN GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE.
AND SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, CAN THE BILL GO TO A DIFFERENT COMMITTEE? CAN IT BE STARTED A DIFFERENT WAY? CAN IT, THERE'S OFTENTIMES THAT HAPPENS.
THE A BILL CAN, CAN GO A DIFFERENT ROUTE.
UM, MY UNDERSTANDING WITH THAT PARTICULAR BILL, UH, WAS THAT THERE WAS, IT WAS TIME SENSITIVE AS WELL.
BECAUSE AS YOU ALL MOVE FORWARD WITH YOUR GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT, UM, THAT YOU HAVE, AS YOU PASS IT IN ORDER TO REFER IT, IT, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD ESSENTIALLY BE 10 YEARS DOWN THE ROAD WHEN IT, I MEAN, ASSUMING 90 DAYS AFTER THE BILL PASSES, IT GOES INTO LAW.
FROM A TIMING PERSPECTIVE, IT MAY NOT BE ABLE TO HAPPEN THIS, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR YOU ALL TO BE ABLE TO REFER IT, TO GO TO THE BALLOT THIS YEAR.
SO, UM, THAT, THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING OF THAT PARTICULAR BILL.
NOW, SHOULD IT BE CHANGED FOR 10 YEARS FROM NOW WHEN YEAH, I MEAN, THAT, THAT, THAT'S A, THERE'S A REASON THAT
AND I WILL SAY TOO ON THAT BILL, UM, I JUST WANNA SAY IT BECAUSE IT, IT WAS, I WANNA GIVE HER CREDIT.
REPRESENTATIVE BLISS WAS VERY, WAS A VERY, VERY STRONG ADVOCATE.
I I SAW HER MARCHING ACROSS THE ROSE GARDEN AND TALKING, SAYING, WE GOTTA HEAR THIS BILL.
SO SHE WAS A STRONG ADVOCATE ON THAT.
BUT TO ANSWER YOUR POINT DIRECTLY, YES, IT WAS HELD IN GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE.
DO YOU HAVE ANY, DO YOU AS LOBBYISTS HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH WHAT, WHERE THIS BILL MIGHT END UP IN TERMS OF COMMITTEE? HISTORICALLY, WE, WE HAVE WEIGHED IN ON A NUMBER OF PIECES OF LEGISLATION WITH THE, IT'S THE RESPONSIBILITY TO SEND A PRESIDENT AND THE HOUSE SPEAKER TO ASSIGN THE BILLS COMMITTEE OR THE MULTIPLE COMMITTEES SUCCESSFULLY.
CAN'T SAY THAT WE WOULD, THIS TIME IS 'CAUSE WE HAVEN'T, WE HAVEN'T BEEN, YOU, YOU HAVE NOT YET DIRECTED US TO PROPOSE THAT LEGISLATION AGAIN.
BUT IF, BUT SHOULD YOU, UH, THAT'S, THAT WOULD BE ONE OF OUR FIRST CALLS.
COULD YOU SHARE WITH ME VERY, VERY, VERY BRIEFLY, UM, TO WHAT THE REVENUE SHORTFALL IS BEING ATTRIBUTED? YES.
UM, I'D BE HAPPY TO SHARE THAT, AND I CAN, WHAT I'LL DO IS AFTERWARDS I'LL SEND YOU ALL, UM, AN EMAIL TO, WITH THE LATEST FINANCIAL DATA SPECIFICALLY, UH, OUT, UH, LAYS THAT OUT.
SO THE REVENUE SHORTFALL, UM, WHEN THE BUDGET WAS PASSED, NEW FISCAL YEAR STARTED JULY 1ST, 2023.
IT WAS A BALANCED, BALANCED BUDGET ESSENTIALLY.
UM, AND SO WHAT HAPPENED WAS, UH, PERSONAL, PERSONAL, UH, INCOME TAX IS DOWN, UH, SALES TAX IS DOWN.
[01:25:01]
NUMBERS SLIGHTLY TICKED UP, WHICH KIND OF BUCKED THE TREND.SO WE WERE ON A DOWNWARD TREND, WHICH FOLKS, OBVIOUSLY THAT WOULD'VE MADE IT A LOT HARDER.
SO THAT'S WHY EVERYBODY'S KIND OF WAITING TO SEE WHAT THE NEXT NUMBERS ARE, UM, THAT WOULD COME OUT.
BUT THE CORPORATE INCOME TAX WAS ACTUALLY UP.
SO IT'S, IT'S KIND OF A MIXED BAG, UM, WHAT YOU ATTRIBUTE, UH, SALES TAX, UH, UM, A LOWER SALES TAX TO, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S ANYBODY'S GUESS.
UM, PERSONAL INCOME TAX, UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THAT'S DEBATED AS WELL.
BUT, UM, WE HAVE IN RECENT YEARS, UH, IMPLEMENTED A FLAT TAX, A TWO POINT A HALF PERCENT FLAT TAX.
UM, SO THAT'S KIND OF, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT THE CONVERSATION HAS BEEN AROUND THAT.
SO FROM THE REVENUE SIDE, WHICH, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY PASSED IT, THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY WHAT THEY'VE, UM, THAT'S WHY THAT REVENUES HAVE BEEN DOWN.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE ACTUALLY PRETTY, I DON'T KNOW, I KIND OF GEEK OUT ON 'EM.
THEY'RE KIND OF INTERESTING TO LOOK AT EVERY MONTH AS THEY COME OUT.
AND THEN THEY HAVE A FINANCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING AS WELL.
I JUST HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION.
UM, ARE WE GOING TO SEE THE ZONING BILL AGAIN? I THINK, YEAH.
I MEAN, I, I, I, I BELIEVE WE WILL.
UM, I, I, SO ONE THING ON THE BILL IS I, I THINK WE PROBABLY WILL.
UM, THAT'S THE SHORT ANSWER, I THINK.
I, I THINK WE WILL SEE FEWER BILLS PUSH THIS YEAR.
I COULD BE WRONG, BUT LAST YEAR, AS I'M SURE EVERYBODY SAW, THERE WAS A RECORD NUMBER OF VETOED BILLS, UH, PAST BILLS, VETOED BILLS.
I'M NOT SURE WE'RE GONNA SEE THAT AGAIN THIS YEAR.
UM, I THINK SOME BILLS WILL, WE WILL STILL SEE A HIGH NUMBER OF VETOES IF I HAD TO GUESS, BUT I'M JUST NOT SURE THAT WE'RE GOING, THAT THERE WILL BE AS MANY BILLS THAT WERE PASSED AND VETOED AS WE SAW LAST YEAR.
THAT'S AN IN INFORMED GUESS COUNSELOR TOO.
UH, THAT'S FROM MULTIPLE CONVERSATIONS WITH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT LAWMAKERS AND WHAT THEIR ATTITUDES ARE AND DISPOSITIONS ARE FOR IN REDUCING LEGISLATION THAT THEY NOW KNOW, HAVING EXPERIENCED THIS GOVERNOR'S VETO PEN ON MORE THAN A FEW OCCASIONS THAT THEY'RE NOT INTERESTED IN EITHER EXPERIENCING THAT VETO AGAIN OR JUST DON'T SEE THE, THE USE IN IT.
THAT'S, THAT'S GONNA HAVE AN IMPACT.
I ALSO LIKE COUNCILMAN WILLIAMS NOTICED THAT THE COMMUNITY PLAN VOTE NO VOTE WASN'T IN YOUR PRESENTATION.
AND I WAS CURIOUS WHETHER WE STILL HAD THE ENERGY TO DO THAT.
BUT THE QUESTION IS, HAVE YOU TALKED WITH REPRESENTATIVE BLISS AND IS SHE INTERESTED IN MOVING THAT AGAIN THIS NEXT SESSION? WH WHEN WE ENDED THE, ENDED IT LAST YEAR, UM, WHEN IT DID NOT MOVE IN THE SENATE, REPRESENTATIVE BLISS, UM, EXPRESSED INTEREST IN CONTINUING TO PUSH THIS BILL FORWARD.
UM, BUT I THINK THAT WOULD BE UP TO US IF WE DID WANT TO PUSH THAT BILL FORWARD TO, UM, YOU KNOW, RE-ENGAGE HER AND HAVE THAT CONVERSATION.
SO YEAH, THAT'S WHERE, THAT'S WHERE WE LEFT OFF WITH HER.
I CERTAINLY HAVE ENERGY TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON FIXING THIS PROBLEM, EVEN IF IT DOESN'T HELP US RIGHT NOW IN OUR CURRENT PLAN.
BUT I, YOU KNOW, IT'S FOR OTHERS, WE CAN FIX IT.
AND JUST THAT ERROR OVERSIGHT IN THE, IN THE LAW DESERVES TO BE FIXED MAYBE FOR ANOTHER COMMUNITY, MAYBE FOR US IN 10 YEARS.
SO I GUESS THAT'S UP TO US TO SEE IF WE GET SUPPORT FOR PUTTING THAT ON THE AGENDA.
UH, TODD AND PAUL, GOOD TO SEE YOU BOTH BEEN A WHILE SINCE, UH, TWO TUCSON OVER TIME.
SO, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE MENTIONED THE HOUSING TRUST FUND A COUPLE OF TIMES, AND TO ME THAT IS A NEBULOUS SUBJECT.
SO MONEY GOES IN, HOW DOES IT COME OUT AND HOW DOES IT GET REAL FOR US HERE? YEAH.
UH, MAYOR COUNCIL, THERE IS, UH, A VARIETY OF APPLICATION PATHS TO THE ARIZONA STATE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND THE, AND THE HOUSING TRUST FUND.
THERE COULD BE AN ASSIGNMENT MADE, A PARTICULAR ASSIGNMENT MADE BY LAWMAKERS.
IT'S TYPICALLY NOT, THEY DON'T USUALLY LEGISLATE AND THAT WAY AT ALL.
UM, IT'S MORE OF AN ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS AND A GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS, COMPETITIVE PROCESS WHERE THE, UH, A METRIC FOR ACUTE NEED IS IDENTIFIED AND CONFIRMED.
UH, UH, THE DEFINITIONS FOR HOW THAT AGENCY, UH, AWARDS A GRANTS GENERALLY FLEXED BASED UPON HOW MUCH MONEY IS IN THE FUND.
UH, BECAUSE IF THEY HAVE A MORE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY, THEY CAN SPREAD IT OUT A LITTLE BIT FURTHER, UM, BOTH GEOGRAPHICALLY AND, UH, SO TO IMPACT OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT MAY NOT NECESSARILY HAVE THE SAME LEVEL OF, OF INTENSITY THAT, UH, THAT YOU'LL SEE IN URBAN PHOENIX OR, UH, UH, OR OTHER DENSER POPULATIONS, POPULATION AREAS.
[01:30:01]
SO, UH, I, I, I, I GUESS, UH, TO, WE COULD DISCUSS THAT FURTHER IF YOU'D LIKE TO BE ILLUMINATED A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW WE COULD, UH, ABOUT HOW THAT ACTUAL PROCESS APPLICATION PROCESS GOES.BUT WE, WE WOULD, WE WOULD BE DELIGHTED TO, UH, TO SUPPORT THAT TOO WITH THE AGENCY TO HAVE THOSE KIND OF CONVERSATIONS, IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU AND THE COUNCIL WOULD LIKE US TO ENGAGE UPON.
I MEAN, I WANT EVERY DOLLAR WE CAN GET FOR HERE, RIGHT.
HOW DO YOU GET IT AND IS THERE A REQUIREMENT THAT SOME AMOUNT OF IT HAS TO BE DISTRIBUTED OR CAN IT JUST KEEP TURNING INTO A BIGGER AND BIGGER POT OF GOLD? YEAH.
IT, TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION IS DIRECTLY, IS IT'S, IT, IT, IT VARIES.
IT'S NOT GENERALLY LEFT, IT'S GENERALLY DISTRIBUTED, BUT IT'S ALSO OVER MULTIPLE YEARS.
THERE'S A, WHEN MANY OF OF THE VIABLE DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE TAKING PLACE, IT'S UH, UH, IT CAN BE MIXTURES OF PRIVATE SECTOR DOLLARS, LOCAL DOLLARS, STATE DOLLARS, GETTING THOSE ALL TIMED TO A PARTICULAR, YOU KNOW, BUDGET YEAR, FISCAL YEAR IS A LITTLE MORE CHALLENGING RIGHT.
SO IT, IT, IT, THERE IT'S, IT'S, IT'S ONE, I, I, LET ME PUT IT, I GUESS THE BEST WAY TO PUT IT RIGHT NOW IS THIS GOVERNOR AND HER EXECUTIVE BRANCH, UH, UH, UH, CABINET OFFICIALS HAVE MADE THIS A PRIORITY NOT JUST TO ADD MONEY INTO THE FUND, BUT TO GET IT SPENT EFFECTIVELY.
SO THAT HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT SHE HAS SPOKEN ABOUT ROUTINELY AND PUBLICLY AND, UM, AND WITH HER LEGISLATIVE SUPPORTERS ON A REGULAR BASIS SINCE TAKING OFFICE.
'CAUSE WE'VE SPENT MONEY TO BUY LAND AND THEN DEVELOPERS ARE CRYING POOR THAT THEY CAN'T GET ANYTHING BUILT.
YOU KNOW, THEY CAN'T GET IT TO PENCIL OUT.
UH, IT KIND OF GOT REFERRED TO ALREADY ABOUT, UM, ANY OF THE, THE ZONING TYPE, UH, USURPING OF CONTROL BY, UH, NOW FORMER SENATOR KAISER.
SO IS HE GONNA REAR HIS UGLY HEAD IN SOME PRIVATE LOBBYING CAPACITY TO CONTINUE TO TRY TO STEAL LOCAL CONTROL? UH, COUNSELOR, HE IS, UH, YEAH, AS YOU SUGGESTED, HE IS, UM, HE'S NOW RETIRED, SO, NO, I ACTUALLY, THERE'S A PROHIBITION ON, UH, STATE LAWMAKERS, UM, RETURNING TO LOBBY THE LEGISLATURE DIRECTLY FOR, UM, UH, ONE ANNUAL YEAR.
SO YOU WON'T SEE HIM AT THE LEGISLATURE THIS, THIS COMING SESSION.
BUT WHAT'S HE REALLY GONNA DO? RIGHT? BECAUSE I MEAN, I REMEMBER READING ABOUT THE RESIGNATION AND IT BASICALLY WAS LIKE, OH, YEAH, I WANT TO KEEP WORKING ON THIS.
BUT FROM THE, A PRIVATE SECTOR PERSPECTIVE, SO YEAH.
YEAH, THERE'S CERTAINLY THE, THE, THE SAME PRIVATE INTEREST THAT SAT ON THIS DICE WITH, WITH HIM AND, UH, WILL BE ACTIVELY ENGAGED AS THEY HAVE BEEN FOR YEARS ON THESE KIND OF ISSUES.
AND, UH, UH, AND WE ANTICIPATE, AS WE'VE ALLUDED TO, THAT THEY'LL BE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THIS YEAR.
AND I, I, I HAVE NOT SPOKEN TO, TO THE SENATOR, UM, LATELY, UH, IT'S BEEN A COUPLE OF MONTHS, THREE MONTHS.
BUT, UH, UH, I'M CERTAIN THAT AS A A, FROM HIS CAPACITY, AND IT'S A BUSINESS OWNER AND HIS INVOLVEMENT BEFORE ACTUALLY RUNNING FOR THE LEGISLATURE, HE WAS ACTIVE IN RAISING MONEY AND SUPPORTING THOSE KIND OF FUNDS IN THE PAST, SO, SURE.
THEY'LL CONTINUE TO BE WELL FINANCED VOICES THERE.
AND, AND I DO WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE SHORT TERM RENTAL, UH, LEGISLATION THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD ALL LOVE TO SEE HAPPEN.
AND THIS SUNDAY MORNING, I WENT ONLINE, LOOKED, PULLED UP, USA TODAY, FOUND AN ARTICLE FROM THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC ON USA TODAY.
COULD YOU ENJOY THE LUXURY SEDONA ARIZONA OFFERS KNOWING THAT THE HELP SLEEPS IN CARS? AND I'M GETTING SICK AND TIRED OF THESE POO POO ON SEDONA ARTICLES THAT ARE BEING WRITTEN BY UNINFORMED, UH, JOURNALISTS, AND THAT'S GENEROUS CALLING SOME OF THEM JOURNALISTS GIVEN HOW UNIN ILL-INFORMED THEY ARE.
THE REALITY IS, WE DO HAVE TO OWN THE FACT THAT WE HAVE WORKERS HERE SLEEPING IN CARS, AND IT'S AN AWFUL SITUATION.
BUT WHAT THAT ARTICLE DOESN'T POINT TO IS THE FACT THAT THIS HAS LARGELY BEEN AN OUTCOME FROM SHORT-TERM RENTALS EATING UP 16% OF OUR HOUSING STOCK, KAISER AND HIS BUDDIES SITTING UP HERE, AND NOT GIVING A DARN ABOUT THE FACT THAT THAT'S A BIG PART OF THE HOUSING PROBLEM WE HAVE.
AND SO MY QUESTION THERE ACTUALLY IS ONE HERE, MY QUESTION IS, ARE YOU GUYS READY TO GO LAY AN ARTICLE LIKE THIS AT TOMA AND PETERSON'S FEET AND SAY, LOOK, GUYS, YOU'RE DAMAGING
[01:35:01]
THE REPUTATION OF, YOU KNOW, A GOLDEN GOOSE IN THIS STATE, YOU KNOW, A BRIGHT SHINING STAR FOR TOURISM, AND YOU'RE LETTING THIS HAPPEN, RIGHT? THIS IS HAPPENING ON YOUR WATCH.SO MY QUESTION REALLY WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT IS, IS LIKE, LOOK, GUYS, I LIKE YOU, YOU GUYS ARE A GREAT DATE, BUT WHAT ARE YOU GONNA GO MAKE HAPPEN? RIGHT? BECAUSE YOU'VE HAD TWO BITES OF THE APPLE.
I KNOW IT'S A LONG GAME, I GET THAT IT'S A LONG GAME, BUT WHAT ARE YOU GUYS GONNA DO THAT'S GONNA BE DIFFERENT ABOUT THE 24 LEGISLATIVE SESSION THAT'S DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED SO FAR? YEAH.
WELL, NO, BUT YOU ACTUALLY, YOU, YOU, YOU MESSAGED, YOU MESSAGED THAT DESIRE TO ME LOUD AND CLEAR THIS SUMMER, COUNSELORS.
SO WE, WE'VE OBVIOUSLY TAKEN THE INITIATIVE SINCE EVEN, UH, BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THAT CONVERSATION OF EXACTLY WHAT WE SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON IN TERMS OF, UH, WHAT OUR ODDS ARE TO IMPROVE THE SITUATION.
AND, AND, AND, AND RATHER THAN LOOKING, I THINK, I THINK IT'S ALL PRETTY OBVIOUS THAT IT, IT IS A, THERE IS A LONG GAME TO IT THAT YOU HAVE TO KEEP TAKING SWINGS AT THIS BAT IN ORDER TO CONNECT AT SOME POINT.
UH, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME CONNECTIONS OVER THE YEARS THAT FOLKS DID JUST DID NOT SEE HAPPENING.
AND THERE HAVE TO BE, UH, THERE HAS TO BE AN ALIGNMENT OF A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT INTERESTS THAT THEN RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT, YOU KNOW, COMPROMISE.
AND WE HAVE TO STAND AT THE READY AT ALL TIMES TO BE AVAILABLE FOR THAT COMPROMISE TO BE REACHED, LOOKING AND PROBING ALL ALONG THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION, SOME IN PROACTIVE WAYS WITH NEW LAW, NEW FRESHMAN LAWMAKERS THAT ARE WILLING TO REALLY, YOU KNOW, PUBLICLY STICK THEIR NECKS OUT AGAINST THEIR OWN CAUCUS MEMBERS TO, IN MANY CASES, UH, YOU KNOW, VOCALLY.
SO, UH, TO STICK THEIR NECKS OUT AND, AND ENGAGE FOR US, ENGAGE ON OUR BEHALF AND, AND, AND, AND DO IT EFFECTIVELY AS WELL AS THE REACTIVE NATURE OF WHAT WE ARE REQUIRED TO BE AVAILABLE TO DO WHEN AND IF WE SEE THE PROPER CONDITIONS AND ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS TO MAKE A, A, A GRANDER COMPROMISE TAKE PLACE.
UM, IF I TRIED TO PREDICT FOR YOU, AND THAT, YOU KNOW, TODD ALLUDED TO EARLIER, BUT IF I TRIED TO PREDICT TO YOU AT ALL, AND TODD TRIED TO PREDICT TO YOU ALL WHAT THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION IS GONNA BE LIKE, WE'D, WE'D BE PULLING YOUR LEG.
THAT, THAT WE, THE, BOTH THE LEADERSHIP LAWMAKERS, LEADERSHIP STAFF FOLKS HAVE BEEN THERE A LONG TIME AS WELL AS SOME OF THE, UH, UH, SOPHOMORES AND JUNIOR CLASS MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE HAVE, HAVE A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE GONNA SEE IN THIS UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
THERE'S A LOT OF DISSENSION ON BUDGET.
BUT THIS IS THE FIRST BUDGET WE'VE HAD IN MANY, MANY YEARS, UH, THAT IS NO LONGER IN A SIGNIFICANT SURPLUS FASHION.
HOW THAT GETS RESOLVED, HOW WE CAN BE CONNECTED TO THE RESOLUTION OF THAT POTENTIAL PROCESS, THOSE ARE THE KIND OF THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR ALL ALONG THE MM-HMM.
AND SO, UM, I, I, I GUESS, I GUESS I WOULD SAY IS, YOU KNOW, OUR SUGGESTION WOULD BE STAY THE COURSE, CONTINUE TO TAKE A SWING AT THE BAT, AND YOU'LL FIND THAT YOU'LL, YOU'LL CON YOU'LL CONTINUE TO SEEK AND FIND THOSE, THOSE BASE HITS ALONG THE WAY, AND HOPEFULLY AT SOME POINT FIND THE HOME RUN THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
WE THINK THAT THERE'S THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
WE KNOW THAT EVEN IN THE LAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION, THAT THAT, THAT WHAT SOME OF THE LEADERSHIP WAS ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH WITH THE GOVERNOR WAS SURPRISING TO BOTH OF THEM.
UH, I THINK WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA BE SEEING A FEW MORE SURPRISES IN THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION, AND THEN WE'LL SEE WHAT THE, YOU KNOW, HOW THE VOTERS FEEL ABOUT THIS AND IF THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THIS DIVIDED GOVERNMENT, IF WE HAVE A LITTLE CLEARER PATH IN THE, IN THE FOLLOWING SESSIONS AS WELL.
I'LL HAVE COMMENTS WHEN WE GET TO THAT STAGE.
SO MY QUESTION IS, ARE REALLY PRACTICAL.
SO THE LAST TIME THAT REPRESENTATIVE BLISS WAS HERE, SHE SAID SHE WAS GOING TO REINTRODUCE THE BILL WITH THE CAPS JUST AS IT AS IT WAS INTRODUCED THE LAST TIME, AND SHE SAID SHE HAD SOME OTHER POTENTIAL SMALLER ASKS IN OTHER BILLS, SO SHE DIDN'T SAY HOW MANY THERE WOULD BE.
HAVE YOU BEEN IN DISCUSSIONS WITH HER AND WHAT IS HER LATEST THINKING ABOUT WHAT SHE'S GONNA INTRODUCE? THAT'S QUESTION NUMBER ONE.
QUESTION NUMBER TWO IS, HOW DOES THE LEAGUE FOUND LEGISLATORS TO INTRODUCE THEIR BILLS SO THAT THERE WOULD BE MULTIPLE BILLS? AND QUESTION NUMBER THREE, AGAIN, RELATED TO THE SAME SHORT-TERM RENTALS, IS THAT WE TALKED TO SENATOR BENNETT ABOUT INTRODUCING SOMETHING IN THE SENATE, AND HAVE YOU FOLLOWED UP WITH HIM ON THAT? SO, YES.
UH, WITH REPRESENTATIVE, UH, BLISS, SHE, UM, UM,
[01:40:01]
SHE, THIS IS STILL AN ISSUE THAT SHE'S ACUTELY AWARE OF, AND, UH, THE LEAGUE HAS TOOK NOTE OF THAT AS WELL.SO I WOULD, BASED OFF CONVERSATIONS THAT I'VE HAD, SHE WILL BE IN THE MIX, UM, ON ALL LEVELS ON THIS ISSUE.
SO, AND, AND SHE'S SPOKEN TO LEADERSHIP ABOUT THOSE ISSUES AND THE TACTICS THAT SHE MIGHT DEPLOY ON HER OWN.
UH, SHE'S SPOKEN TO HER LEADERSHIP, HER LEADERSHIP, YES.
ABOUT THE SUBJECT AND THE TACTICS SHE MIGHT DEPLOY IN ORDER OH, THE TACTICS IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
SO ULTIMATELY FROM THE LEAGUE PERSPECTIVE, UM, THEY HAVE SEVERAL PROPOSALS THAT THE LEAGUE HAS ADOPTED, UM, WHO RUNS, WHICH BILL I DON'T THINK HAS BEEN FINALIZED YET.
BUT, UM, SHE, SHE IS IN THE MIX ON THAT AND THEN ON THE ISSUES FOR, SPECIFICALLY FOR SEDONA AS WELL.
SO, UM, WE HAVE MET, UH, WITH THE LEAGUE OF CITIES AS WELL AS OTHER CITIES ABOUT WHAT THAT DESIGN SHOULD LOOK LIKE FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, WHAT THEY'RE INTERESTED IN, WHAT WE ALL, WHAT YOU ALL WILL DIRECT US TO DO TO, UM, IN TERMS OF THE PURSUIT, WELL, IT IS DECEMBER SHORTLY, AND THE LEGISLATURE'S GONNA BEGIN IN WHAT, SIX OR SEVEN WEEKS, SO WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE THEM PRE-FILED, ACTUALLY.
AND I THINK WE NEED AS MANY CO-SPONSORS AS WE COULD POSSIBLY GET.
WHICH WOULD SHOW A WIDE GEOGRAPHICAL MIX OF PEOPLE CONCERNED.
SHE RAN ALMOST BY HERSELF, AND SHE WAS A FRESHMAN LEGISLATOR.
SHE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF SUPPORT, YOUNG, BUT MIGHTY, UH, SHE, SHE WAS MIGHTY.
AND I GIVE HER A LOT OF CREDIT FOR THAT.
BUT YEAH, THE ODDS OF SUCCESS ON A FRESHMAN LEGISLATOR WITHOUT MAJOR CO-SPONSORS IS VERY LOW.
THERE, THERE ARE, THERE ARE CURRENTLY 16 BILLS INTRODUCED FOR THE NEW LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
UM, SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S DEFINITELY GIVING TIME RIGHT NOW.
AND SENATOR BENNETT, YOU KNOW, WE, THE MAYOR AND I PUSHED HIM PRETTY HARD, AND I DO THINK WE NEED BILLS IN THE SENATE SO THAT IF THE HOUSE IS AGREED STUCK, WE HAVE SOMETHING MOVING BOTH.
UM, SO MY QUESTIONS TO YOU, IS THIS, UH, ARE YOU STILL WORKING WITH, UH, MAYOR ORTEGA OF SCOTTSDALE? BECAUSE I KNOW HE WAS GONNA BRING UP SOME OTHER BILLS AND MOVE.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF, UH, UH, PRESSURE HE CAN LEVY, BUT HE, HE WAS HERE, HE MET WITH THE VICE MAYOR MYSELF SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, AND HE WANTED TO WORK WITH, YOU KNOW, HAVE HIS, UH, GROUP MEET WITH YOU AND, AND, UH, OTHER GROUPS AS WELL THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
IS THAT HAPPENING? YES, THAT IS HAPPENING.
MAYOR, UM, I MEET WITH, UH, UM, CITY OF SCOTTSDALE INTER GOV REGULARLY HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH HIM ABOUT THESE ISSUES.
SO, AND, AND FRANKLY, WE, WE, WE BRAINSTORM AND THAT'S WHERE LIKE A REPRESENTATIVE BLISS, WE, WE DIALOGUE ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE THAT WE'VE HAD ACUTELY WITH HER AND HOW THAT COULD PLAY INTO WHICH BILLS AND WHICH, WHICH BILLS SHE WOULD RUN OR HOW THAT WOULD WORK WITH BOTH THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE STRATEGY.
UM, ARE YOU WORKING WITH ANY OTHER GROUPS, UH, SUCH AS YOURSELVES AROUND THE STATE FOR THE SAME, UH, TOPIC OF SHORT-TERM RENTALS? AND ARE THEY PROPOSING TO BRING ANY NEW LEGISLATION? YOU KNOW, WHAT I'VE SEEN SO FAR, TODD, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, WHAT I'VE SEEN SO FAR IS SUPPORT FOR THE LEAGUE POSITIONS AS WELL AS FOR SOME KIND OF SEDONA BLISS, UH, UH, CAP LEGISLATION AGAIN.
SO I, I HAVEN'T SEEN A PARTICULARLY UNIQUE APPROACH OR DESIRE FOR, UH, CERTAIN CITIES TO, UH, COME OUT OF THE COMBINED EFFORTS, BUT, UH, ALREADY, UH, ADDRESS IT UNIQUELY.
BUT, UM, SOME OF THE USUAL FOLKS THAT YOU HAVE BOTH ALL SEEN IN ACTIVE THERE, LAKE LAKE, HAVASU CITY, HE'S VERY, VERY INTERESTED AND BEEN ACTIVE, UM, OF LATE.
AND WE HAVE TALKED TO THEM AS WELL, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO.
YEAH, I, I, I GUESS I WAS JUST ADD TO THAT, I DO THINK, I DO THINK THE, THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS IN CITIES THAT ARE ENGAGING ON THIS ISSUE, I MEAN, THE FACT THAT THERE WERE THREE RESOLUTIONS THAT WERE ADOPTED UNANIMOUSLY FIRST TIME, YEAH.
THERE, I, I DUNNO WHAT THE RIGHT METAPHOR IS, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE A WAVE IS BUILDING AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, IT'S, IT'S BRINGING IN OTHER LEGISLATORS FRANKLY, TOO, BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST, I MEAN, I WILL TELL YOU, THREE YEARS AGO, I THINK YOU OPEN UP THE PAPER, YOU READ IT, YOU SAY, OH, THIS IS A SEDONA ISSUE.
[01:45:01]
MM-HMM.THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT CROSSES LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS AND BRINGS IN OTHER LEGISLATORS ON BOTH, BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE, FRANKLY, TOO.
I MEAN, I'LL TELL YOU THIS, WHEN THIS BILL, WHEN THE BILL THAT DUCEY SIGNED INITIALLY WAS SIGNED INTO LAW, IT WAS, THERE WAS MORE OF A PARTISAN BENT TO THIS.
THIS IS THE, THE REACTION TO THAT, TO THIS IS BECOMING NONPARTISAN.
BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE 91 MAYORS THAT ADOPT IT TOO, THAT'S A, THOSE THEY'RE BIPARTISAN MAYORS AND THOSE, THOSE MAYORS, IT'S AN ISSUE THAT THEY'RE DEALING WITH.
IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT LETTER YOU HAVE BEHIND YOUR NAME ON THE BALLOT.
UH, SO MY LAST QUESTION TO YOU IS, AND I, YOU SPOKE ABOUT OHVS AND EXCUSE ME, PROPOSING LEGISLATION FOR THAT, AND YOU TALKED ABOUT OUR COMMITTEE WITH THE GREATEST SEDONA RECREATIONAL COLLABORATIVE.
DO YOU SEE A NEED RIGHT NOW TO PUT THE OH, FEES UP TO THE STATE WHERE, AND I THINK WE ALL, WE, THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN, UH, WORKING WITH THAT, THAT GROUP, UH, COUNCIL DUNN'S BEEN WORKING REALLY DILIGENTLY WITH THE GSRC.
UH, I THINK THEY'RE REALLY PUSHING AND THE STATE'S PUSHING FOR MORE EDUCATION, AND I DON'T THINK THAT EDUCATION'S GOING TO DO A DARN THING PERSONALLY.
MY POINT BEING IS DO YOU THINK, WELL, AS, UH, O TREES ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO US HERE IN THE GRAND SCOPE OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING, DO YOU THINK IT, IT'S, WE BEST SERVED TO HAVE YOU FOREGO THAT TILL NEXT YEAR TO SEE WHERE THE STATE GOES AND WHERE OUR GSRC GOES AND WHERE WE GO IF WE EVER BRING BACK OUR, UH, OUR ORDINANCE AND THIS WAY CAN FOCUS ON THE OTHER TOPICS THAT YOU MENTIONED, OR DO YOU FEEL THAT IT'S WORTH GOING AND PUSHING FOR? OH, FEES.
UM, BASED OFF MY CONVERSATIONS, UH, AT THE CAPITOL, UM, IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS, I THINK IT'S PROBABLY BEST AT THIS POINT TO SEE WHAT PLAYS OUT ON THAT ISSUE THIS YEAR.
UM, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE CAN'T, OR WE CAN'T, OR WE SHOULDN'T CONTINUE TO EDUCATE MEMBERS, UM, BEYOND, YOU KNOW, OUR DISTRICT AND BEYOND ON THE ISSUE.
AND THEN ADJUST ACCORDINGLY IF SOMETHING EITHER HAPPENS AT THE LEGISLATURE OR FRANKLY HAPPENS UP HERE.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S THE, THE CADENCE OF, OF THE LEGISLATURE IS COMMITTEES JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH, AND THEN TYPICALLY COMMITTEES ARE DONE IF THEY'RE NOT EXTENDED BY THE END OF MARCH AND APRIL IS WHEN THEY START TO LOOK AT THE BUDGET.
UM, SO FROM THAT STANDPOINT, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE IN CONVERSATION AND IF, IF SOMETHING WERE TO CHANGE UP HERE OR DOWN THERE, THEN WE CAN ADJUST ACCORDINGLY.
IF YOU, IF THAT'S YOUR SUGGESTION TO CONTINUE, THEN FINE.
MAYOR, I'D JUST ADD THAT, THAT IN TERMS OF PUSHING OF THE STATE, WE WE'RE SPEAKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT LEGISLATION, INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION AT THE LEGISLATURE, BUT, BUT THERE, THE, THERE ARE MANY STATE AGENCIES INCLUDING ONE I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO IN THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH THAT ARE INCREASINGLY FAMILIAR AND AWARE AND UPSET ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE WITNESSING, UH, IN OUR, UH, HOW OUR STATE NATURAL RESOURCES BEING IMPACTED.
AND SO, UM, I THINK WORKING WITH THEM TO COORDINATE AND PUSH FURTHER IS AN ACTIVITY THAT WE SHOULD ALSO BE ENGAGED IN AT YOUR DIRECTION AND APPROVAL.
I'M JUST WITH, UH, RECENT INFORMATION ABOUT THE, UH, STATE SUBCOMMITTEE.
I'M NOT HEARING, I'M NOT VERY CONFIDENT ANYMORE.
WE, WE, THERE WAS SOME BREAKDOWN IN THEIR LEADERSHIP, UH, THE SENATOR WHO WAS LEADING THAT, UH, UH, COMMITTEE HAS SOME MAJOR FAMILY ISSUES AND HASN'T BEEN PUSHING THE COMMITTEE FORWARD, BUT IT IS STILL MOVING AT LAST I HEARD, BUT NOT TO THE MOMENTUM AND I THINK THEY HAVE TO BE DONE THE END OF THIS YEAR.
IS THAT CORRECT? MELISSA, HAVE YOU HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT, UH, THAT COMMITTEE, THE STATE? THE ONLY THING I'VE HEARD IS THEY'VE MET TWICE.
UM, AND THE SECOND MEETING WAS BASICALLY ALL INDUSTRY PEOPLE PRESENTING ABOUT THE INDUSTRY AND WHY ARIZONA SHOULD BE THE SHOWPLACE FOR THE INDUSTRY.
UM, AND TO YOUR POINT, THE, UH, CHAIRMAN, I BELIEVE IT WAS HER SON-IN-LAW, UM, UNEXPECTEDLY DIED IN AN ACCIDENT.
AND SO, UH, IT HAS BEEN PUT ON HOLD FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
UM, THE MEMBERS OF THE GSRC WHO SIT ON IT, ARE NOT, UM, ENCOURAGED THAT THEY WILL MEET VERY OFTEN, IF AT ALL BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR.
UM, THAT THEY HAVE THEIR ALLOTTED YEAR.
SO, UM, IT'S NOT REALLY GOING TO BE EXTREMELY HELPFUL AS FAR AS CONVERSATIONS GO IN THE LEGISLATURE AROUND THE
[01:50:01]
O HVS.UM, I DO KNOW, JUST TO ADD, UM, TO THAT, THAT ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE GSRC WHO WORKS FOR GAY MEN FISH HAS, UH, WORKED VERY DILIGENTLY AND HARD ON THE CURRENT LAWS, UM, ALONG WITH THE POLICY GROUP, OF WHICH I ALSO SIT TRYING TO CLEAN UP THE LANGUAGE AND MAKE IT MORE ENFORCEABLE.
JUST WHAT WE HAVE, LET ALONE ADDING IN, CAN WE AT LEAST PUT SOME KIND OF EDUCATION CLAUSE IN THERE, LIKE, OH, UTAH HAS, RIGHT.
UM, UH, KAREN HAS GRACIOUSLY, UH, EXTENDED AN OFFER TO HIM TO WHEN HE'S READY TO SPEAK WITH YOU.
SO IF YOU'VE NOT, UM, HAD THAT CONVERSATION, JUST BE AWARE.
SO THAT'S NOT KIND OF COMING OUT OF THE BLUE, BUT AGAIN, THEY'RE NOT ASKING FOR CHANGES TO THE LAW.
THEY'RE ASKING FOR, UM, BASICALLY MODIFICATIONS OR AMENDMENT TO EXISTING LAW TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT.
UH, THAT JUST LEAVES A BAD TASTE IN MY MOUTH.
UH, NOT SO MUCH WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THAT COMMITTEE, BUT I SAW SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR WITH THE SHORT-TERM RENTAL SUBCOMMITTEE THAT ENDED ABRUPTLY WITH THE ONSET OF COVID AND IT NEVER WENT ANYWHERE.
THE INFORMATION WAS NEVER FORWARDED, THEY DID NOTHING WITH IT.
I'M AFRAID OF THE SAME THING HAPPENING, UH, LIKE A DEJA VU KIND OF A THING.
START WITH BRIAN AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO PUT THE BREEZES ONE.
SO PAUL AND TODD JUST, UH, CONTINUING TO STRONG ARM A BIT HERE.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF THE BLISS BILL WERE TO BE SUCCESSFUL, IT LITERALLY PROVIDES US NO SHORT-TERM BENEFIT, NOT NECESSARILY EVEN MEDIUM TERM BENEFIT, BECAUSE IN THEORY, ANYTHING THAT'S A STR CURRENTLY WOULD EFFECTIVELY BE GRANDFATHERED BECAUSE OF PROP 2 0 7, RIGHT? SO ASKING FOR THE STARS AND THE MOON, I MEAN, THE BLISS BILL REALLY NEEDS TO INCLUDE A CARVE OUT OF 2 0 7 OR THAT HOUSING TRUST FUND, YOU KNOW, HOW ABOUT PAYING OUT SOME 2 0 7 CLAIMS FROM THAT SO THAT WE COULD ACTUALLY SET A CAP AT SAY, 5% OR SEVEN OR WHATEVER THE NUMBER IS, SOMETHING LESS THAN THE 16% THAT WE'RE AT NOW.
THAT'S THE ONLY MEANINGFUL WAY TO GET HOUSING BACK FROM THE STOCK THAT EXISTS CURRENTLY THAT'S BEEN CONVERTED.
AND YES, IT'S ABSOLUTELY A STARS IN THE MOON REQUEST.
I FULLY RECOGNIZE THAT, YOU KNOW, I, I'M, I THINK TONIGHT, UM, MELISSA, PETE AND I, UH, MOVED FROM FRESHMEN TO SOPHOMORES, UH, OURSELVES.
UH, I BELIEVE THIS IS OUR ANNIVERSARY TONIGHT.
UM, MELISSA, WE BRING CAKE THOUGH.
SO, YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE'RE ASKING FOR A MIRACLE, I MEAN, LET'S BE ASKING FOR EVERYTHING BECAUSE IF WE REALLY WANNA MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH THIS, THERE'S GOT TO BE A CARVE OUT OR SOME KIND OF SUPPORT FOR THE INEVITABLE 2 0 7 CLAIMS RIGHT NOW HERE, AND KAREN, YOU CAN CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT BY, BY MEASURES THAT THAT WE HAVE HERE IN THE CITY, IT APPEARS THAT WE HAVE STABILIZED IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF HOMES THAT HAVE CONVERTED TO SHORT-TERM RENTALS, WHICH PRESUMABLY HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH INTEREST RATES NORTH OF 7% AND MONEY NOT BEING FREE ANY LONGER, RIGHT? SO WE'VE KIND OF HIT A LITTLE BIT OF AN EQUILIBRIUM FOR THE TIME BEING AND WHETHER IT REMAINS AS ANYBODY'S GUESS, UH, JUST LIKE YOU TRYING TO GUESS WHAT'LL HAPPEN IN THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
THE OTHER IS, UH, POINTING TO KURT.
SO KURT, I, AS I UNDERSTAND, YOU'RE GOING TO BE THE ONE, UH, SPEAKING ON, UH, TOPICS FROM THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION AS WE MOVE INTO THE NEW YEAR.
AND I WOULD AT LEAST LIKE TO ASK THAT WE GET IT WAY MORE STREAMLINED THAN WHAT WAS GOING ON LAST YEAR.
I FOUND IT TO BE EXCRUCIATING THAT IT SEEMED LIKE WE WERE HAVING A RED DESCRIPTION OF THE BILLS EVERY SINGLE TIME AND NOT FOCUSING SIMPLY ON WHAT HAS CHANGED, WHAT HAS UPDATED SINCE THE PRIOR COUNCIL MEETING.
AND, AND I WOULD ALSO JUST ASK, YOU KNOW, LET'S KEEP IT FOCUSED ON BILLS THAT AFFECT SEDONA, NOT ONES THAT ARE JUST INTERESTING FOR THE SAKE OF BEING INTERESTING.
SO I WOULD JUST LOVE TO SEE US STREAMLINE THAT.
'CAUSE I THOUGHT THAT ATE UP A TON OF TIME AT THE END OF THE MEETINGS WHERE EVERYBODY'S ALREADY TIRED AND HAD ENOUGH.
SO, AND I KNOW YOU DON'T WANNA SPEND ANY MORE TIME ON THIS THAN NECESSARY, BUT I WOULD JUST LOVE TO SEE US STREAMLINE THAT IN, UH, 2024.
[01:55:01]
DON'T THINK I COULD FOLLOW THAT WITH ANYTHING ELSE HERE TO GO.UM,
AND BY HOUSING I ALSO MEAN SHORT TERM RENTALS, UM, AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND NEW HOUSING, UM, TO COUNSELOR FOLKS.
UH, POINT, AND THESE ARE JUST REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS FOR THE CITY.
OBVIOUSLY ZONING, KEEPING THE LEGISLATURE FROM DETERMINING THAT THEY SHOULD BE, UM, SORT OF THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THE DECISIONS FOR LOCALITIES IN WHICH THEY DO NOT LIVE AND THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND, UM, THE ISSUES OF THOSE LOCALITIES.
ANY OF THOSE BILLS SHOULD BE IMPORTANT TO ALL OF US UP HERE.
AND SOMETIMES I, I'VE DISCOVERED THEY SEEM TO BE DISGUISED, UM, AS, AS SOMETHING ELSE.
UM, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF THEY WERE ACTUALLY ENACTED, IT WOULD GIVE THE LEGISLATURE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT WATER AND HOW MUCH WATER WOULD NEED TO BE REQUIRED.
WE'VE JUST BEEN READING ABOUT THAT RIGHT IN, IN THE PAPER.
UM, AND THAT ACTUALLY IMPACTS EVERY CITY, NOT JUST A CITY.
AND SO I, I REALLY WOULD LIKE FOR US TO, TO HAVE YOU USE YOUR TALENTS OF UNDERSTANDING THE IMPLICATIONS OF BILLS IF THEY WERE TO BE ENACTED, TO BE BROUGHT FORWARD TO US, NOT JUST THE READING OF THE WORDING OF THE BILL.
AGAIN, I REALIZE THEY AREN'T ALWAYS THE SAME.
SO, UM, THAT FOR ME IS, IS THE ONLY DIRECTION THAT I WOULD GIVE THAT I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE NONE OF US ON THE DAES NOR OUR ATTORNEY HAVE THE TIME OR THE CAPABILITIES TO LOOK AT THE TANGLE THAT IS POLITICS AND, UM, BE ABLE TO COME AND SUCCINCTLY, ESPECIALLY IF THERE'S A THOUSAND BILLS, SUCCINCTLY, COME AND TELL US WHAT ARE THE THINGS WE REALLY NEED TO BE AWARE OF BECAUSE OF THE IMPLICATION POTENTIAL AND NOT THE WORDING.
VICE MAYOR, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THERE MAY BE SOME PROPOSAL ON OHV LEGISLATION COMING FROM THE COUNTIES, SO THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING TO JUST KEEP AN EYE ON.
UH, YOU KNOW, THE GOVERNOR HAS REALLY SUPPORTED SOME CHANGING TOPICS.
THE GOVERNOR HAS REALLY SUPPORTED HOUSING IS ONE OF HER NUMBER ONE PRIORITIES.
AND, AND, AND SHE UNDERSTANDS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN STR AND HOUSING.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO GET THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE MORE ENGAGED WITH US AS WE MOVE FORWARD ON SOME OF THESE INITIATIVES.
'CAUSE I THINK THEY WERE REALLY ABSENT LAST YEAR THEN I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WE'RE GETTING THEIR FEET, YOU KNOW, UNDER THEM.
AND IT WAS A NEW ADMINISTRATION.
BUT SHE'S COME OUT WITH SOME REALLY STRONG STATEMENTS AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, IF, IF IT IS IMPORTANT TO HER, THEN HAVING STAFF FROM THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE INVOLVED WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL.
SECONDLY, UH, THE, ACCORDING TO SHANNON BOONE, WHO'S OUR HOUSING COORDINATOR, SOME OF THE, UH, DOH RFPS THAT HAVE BEEN COMING OUT HAVE BEEN PRIMARILY FOCUSED ON URBAN AREAS AND NOT, AND WE CAN'T RESPOND TO THEM BECAUSE THEY'D HAVE NO MEANING HERE.
UH, THE, THAT $150 MILLION CAN GO PRETTY FAST ON A, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE OF URBAN PROJECTS.
AND WE NEED TO WORK AGAIN WITH THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE TO HELP THEM TO UNDERSTAND.
AND THEY HAD A, THEY REACHED OUT NOT TOO LONG AGO TO TRY TO, TO ASK FOR THE RURAL AREAS.
WHAT IS IT THAT YOU NEED? AND I THINK WE NEED TO BE REALLY SPECIFIC WITH THEM AND THE KINDS OF RFPS THAT WOULD HELP US.
AND, AND SHANNON BELIEVES THEY JUST DON'T HAVE THE EXPERIENCE IN EVEN KNOWING HOW TO WRITE THEM.
SO MAYBE WE CAN HELP THEM IN THAT REGARD.
'CAUSE WE DO, RURAL COMMUNITIES NEED HELP AND
[02:00:01]
WE'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, OUR ESTEEMED CITY MANAGER IS GOING TO BE RETIRING AND WE'VE BEEN READING RESUMES OF SOME OF THE POTENTIAL CANDIDATES.AND WHAT I FOUND INTERESTING WAS HOW MUCH HOUSING THROUGH RIGHT.
HAS RISEN TO THE TOP AND SOME CREATIVE THINGS FROM PEOPLE BOTH INSTATE AND OUT OF STATE ON HOW TO TACKLE HOUSING.
BUT IT'S A HUGE ISSUE ACROSS SOME OF THESE RESUMES THAT WE'VE BEEN REVIEWING.
UH, ABOUT, OH, FEES SEEMS TO ME THAT IT, I MEAN, I, I UNDERSTAND IN TERMS OF, OF BILLS THAT IT MAY NOT BE THE RIGHT TIME.
UM, I DON'T THINK IT'S EVER GONNA BE THE RIGHT TIME FOR THE STATE.
I THINK IF THEY NEVER HOLD A COMMITTEE MEETING AGAIN ON NO FEES, THEY'LL BE PERFECTLY HAPPY.
UM, BUT I DO REALLY WANT TO PUSH AND CONTINUE TO, TO WORK WITH THE, UH, CONSERVATION ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCIES THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH.
'CAUSE I DO THINK THAT THAT'S THE PLACE WHERE THERE'S GOING TO BE THE MOMENTUM GENERATED TO GET IT TIME TO DO, TO DO THE BILL.
'CAUSE I HAVEN'T SENSED IN TERMS OF, OF OHVS THAT THERE'S, IT'S NOT AN ISSUE AS SHORT-TERM RENTALS HAVE BECOME FOR MOST COMMUNITIES.
UM, OR IS IT, HOW MANY COMMUNITIES ACTUALLY HAVE YOU TALKED TO OR DO, YOU KNOW, HAVE ISSUES WITH OH, FEES? DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF THAT? IS IT MOSTLY RURAL COMMUNITIES OR, IT IS ALL, IT'S ALL, AND A LOT OF THE RURAL COMMUNITIES ARE GOING TO BE FOR IT BECAUSE A LOT OF THEIR PEOPLE USE IT.
IS THAT, I'M JUST, ANYWAY, THAT'S NEITHER HERE NOR THERE.
I THINK WE SHOULD, I THINK WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO PUSH ON NO HVS.
BUT I THINK THAT PUSHING WITH THE, WITH THE, UM, MANAGEMENT OF OUR PUBLIC LANDS IS PROBABLY A GOOD PLACE TO, TO BE THIS YEAR AT LEAST.
SO I, I WOULD LIKE YOU TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
UM, YEAH, I'D LIKE TO CONTINUE, I'D LIKE TO PUSH THE COMMUNITY PLAN BILL.
'CAUSE I WANT US PARTLY 'CAUSE I JUST WANNA SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO THIS YEAR TO, UH, TOTALLY INNOCUOUS BILL THAT DOESN'T AFFECT ANYBODY BUT US.
SO YEAH, I WANNA PUSH IT FORWARD BECAUSE 10 YEARS IS GONNA HAPPEN.
BE BEFORE YOU CAN BLINK YOUR EYES.
UM, AND THE OTHER THING IS, I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO KNOW, I LIKE THINGS SAID REALLY DIRECTLY.
IF SOMETHING AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN, TELL US IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN.
DON'T TELL US THERE'S A SLIGHT CHANCE BECAUSE IF IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN, TELL US THAT.
IF, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I REALLY WANT SPECIFICS AND I REALLY, I LIKE TO KNOW IF IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN, LET'S JUST KNOW THAT, UM, SINCE ALMOST LITERALLY NOTHING WE WANT HAPPENS.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GONNA REPORT, BUT I MEAN, YOU'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
BUT IN SOME THINGS, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S JUST NOT WORTH DOING, LET US KNOW.
DON'T KNOW THAT I HAVE MUCH TO ADD TO THE CONVERSATION THAT'S ALREADY BEEN HAD I SUPPORT MY COUNCILOR'S COMMENTS.
I DEFINITELY DID WANNA ECHO THE STREAMLINED FOCUS PROCESS, UH, IMPROVEMENT, UH, THIS COMING YEAR WOULD BE AWESOME.
AND I KNOW THAT SOME OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS DIDN'T EXPRESS AN OPINION ON THE COMMUNITY PLAN VOTE.
DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS INTENTIONAL OR OVERSIGHT, BUT WE'LL DO THAT.
I'LL GO BACK, WE'LL GO BACK TO DO THAT.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE ON OUR BEHALF.
I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE IT AND I THINK WE ALL DO.
UM, ALL YEARS ARE DIFFICULT BECAUSE ALL YEARS ARE UNIQUE.
LAST YEAR THOUGH, I THINK WAS PARTICULARLY DISAPPOINTING BECAUSE GLIMMERS OF HOPE FOR ANY KIND OF BIPARTISANSHIP GOT QUICKLY SHATTERED.
AND OUR LEGISLATORS TRIED ON OUR BEHALF AND COULDN'T GET SUPPORT WITHIN THEIR OWN PARTY BECAUSE IT WAS SEEN AS SOMETHING THAT THE OTHER SIDE HAD INTEREST IN.
HOW DO YOU FIGHT AGAINST, AND THAT'S WHAT YOU GUYS DO.
YOU TRY TO GO OUT THERE AND NAVIGATE THAT VERY ROUGH WATER.
UM, SO I THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT ON OUR BEHALF.
I WANTED TO ALSO JUST SAY THAT SOME OF THE STREAMLINING THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT UP HERE IS ON US.
BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH THAT LONG LIST
[02:05:01]
OF LEGISLATION, AS YOU SAID, MAYBE IT'LL BE A LITTLE LESS THAN LAST, LAST YEAR'S, UM, BILL INTRODUCTIONS.BUT WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THEM AND WE'RE ALL GONNA HAVE DIFFERENT IDEAS OF THINGS THAT WE THINK IMPACT ON SEDONA, BECAUSE ONE MAY SAY IT DIRECTLY IMPACTS AND ANOTHER ONE MAY SAY, WELL, IT DOESN'T IMPACT US DIRECTLY, BUT IT HAS AN IMPACT ON AIR QUALITY, WHICH WILL IMPACT US.
WE DO, WE WANNA OPINE, WE'RE GONNA COME UP WITH THIS LIST, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO TRACK ALL THOSE BILLS.
SO THE STREAMLINING, I I I JUST WANT US TO BE AWARE OF OUR ROLE IN THAT AS WELL TO MY COLLEAGUES.
UM, OTHER THAN THAT, EVERYTHING TO BE SAID HAS BEEN SAID, SO I'M NOT GONNA REPEAT IT.
UH, SO LET ME GO OVER SOME OF THE THINGS, UH, MY COMMENTS HERE AS FAR AS, UH, KURT TAKING OVER THE LEGISLATIVE, UH, UH, REPORT.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THAT LAST YEAR THE REPORT GOT A LITTLE LONG BECAUSE WE WERE ASKING FOR DIFFERENT BILLS TO BE FOLLOWED, BE TRACKED.
SO THAT GOT ADDED TO THE LIST.
AND I THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING WE HAVE TO BE COGNIZANT OF.
WE WANNA KEEP THAT REPORT SHORTER.
WE HAVE TO STOP PUTTING THINGS ON THE LIST.
SO, UH, AND I'M SURE THAT, UH, KURT WILL DO HIS BEST TO KEEP THAT SHORT.
UM, FOR THE COMMENT THAT WAS MENTIONED ABOUT PROP 2 0 7, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA.
BUT IF IT'S MOVED NOW, IN MY OPINION, THAT WILL KILL ANY SHORT-TERM RENTAL IF IT'S ATTACHED TO IT.
AND, AND YOU WERE CLEAR, YOU UNDERSTOOD THAT, BUT I HAD A L LENGTHY DISCUSSION, AND WHILE YOU WERE THERE WITH, UH, UH, REPRESENTATIVE BLISS AND KEN BENNETT, I, I DUNNO IF YOU WERE WITH THE KEN BENNETT DISCUSSION, I WAS, I HAD WITH HIM.
THEY ARE BOTH REALLY COMMITTED TO DO, YOU KNOW, PUSHING THINGS FORWARD.
UH, SENATOR BENNETT REALLY IS, I MEAN, HE AND I HAD A REAL HEART-TO-HEART DISCUSSION.
FIRST WE TALKED ABOUT THE SHORT-TERM RENTAL LETTER THAT THEY SENT TO US, AND THEN HE, THE OHV LETTER, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
TOO MANY LETTERS TODAY,
BUT THEN WE DISCUSSED THE, UH, SHORT TERM RENTAL, AND HE HAS COMMITTED TO HELP.
AND HE, HE, UH, REITERATED THAT AT A MEETING WE HAD RECENTLY, THE VICE MAYOR AND MYSELF HAD WITH THEM AT THE, THE, UH, AT ELKS CLUB.
SO, UH, BUT I THINK IF WE PUSH FORWARD FOR 2 0 7 AND IT WOULD, THAT WOULD BE FABULOUS.
BUT ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE NOT, THERE'S NO MONEY IN THE BUDGET OR THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT DOING A DEFICIT, I COULD, I, I'D BE SURPRISED IF THEY DID ANYTHING.
SO TO ADDRESS, IN MY OPINION ON, UH, PETE'S, UH, PROPOSAL FOR THE COMMUNITY PLAN, I, I WOULD NOT SUPPORT DOING THAT NOW.
UH, ONLY FOR THE FACT IT'S 10 YEARS AWAY AND IT, IT, IF IT WAS VOTED ON THIS SESSION, IF IT WAS TO BE VOTED ON, I THINK IT WOULD BE TOO LATE TO HELP US NOW.
AND A LOT OF THINGS COULD HAPPEN IN 10 YEARS.
LET'S BRING IT BACK IN THE FUTURE.
I WOULD SUPPORT BRINGING IT BACK.
DEFINITELY ASSUMING WE'RE ALL HERE IN, IN SEVEN YEARS.
I WOULD SUPPORT BRINGING IT BACK, BUT I, WELL, YOU, YOU DEFINITELY WON'T BE HERE
BUT, UM, I REALLY WANNA FOCUS ON WHAT CAN HELP US NOW WHEN THAT'S THE, UH, SHORT-TERM RENTALS.
SO I WOULD NOT BE SUPPORTIVE OF THAT, PETE.
UH, BUT, UH, AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT WAS SAID ABOUT, UH, THE COMMENTS FOR SHORT-TERM RENTALS, I, I SUPPORT FROM THE COUNCIL, FROM MS. DEIS.
SO, UH, I'VE WORKED WITH BOTH OF YOU, UH, TODD AND PAUL, UH, EXTENSIVELY THIS PAST YEAR AS THE MAYOR AND EVEN AS THE VICE MAYOR BEFORE.
I KNOW HOW HARD YOU'RE PUSHING AND WE CAN ONLY DO WHAT WE CAN DO WITH THE FACT THAT, UH, YOU CAME WITH US TO, UH, UH, REPRESENTATIVE TOR MEETING LAST FEBRUARY, AND YOU WERE RIGHT THERE WITH US AND YOU JUMPED IN AND REALLY HELPED.
SO UNFORTUNATELY, IT IS WHAT IT IS.
UM, HOPEFULLY IT'LL BE DIFFERENT THIS SESSION.
SO, UH, THAT'S IT FOR MY COMMENTS.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO GO THROUGH THE, I HAVE ONE MORE COMMENT IF THAT'S OKAY.
IS IT, IS, IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE A MECHANISM TO REMOVE SHORT TERM PROPERTIES? I MEAN, HAS THAT BEEN PART OF, FROM THE INVENTORY? HAS THAT BEEN PART OF ANY DISCUSSION? A WAY TO HAVE THEM REMOVED AT SOME, UM, UM, POINT, UM, SAY, I DON'T KNOW, LIKE RIGHT NOW IT'S A PROPERTY, RIGHT? IS THERE, AND I SUPPOSE THAT THAT'S THE, THE CONTENTION THAT THAT WOULD PROBABLY NEVER CHA BE ABLE TO BE CHANGED FROM BEING A PROPERTY, RIGHT? IS THAT YOUR SENSE? BECAUSE IF, IF IT COULD, IF IT LIKE, COULDN'T BE SOLD, IF WHEN IT WAS
[02:10:01]
SOLD, IT LIKE WENT OUT OF, OF SHORT-TERM RENTAL, AND THEN THE CITY HAD AN, HAD A LOTTERY EVERY, EVERY YEAR WHERE WE SAY PICK 25 PROPERTIES TO, TO BE ABLE TO BE SHORT-TERM RENTALS.IF SOME COULD FALL OUT, THEN SOME COULD COME IN.
AND SO HAS THAT EVER BEEN A DISCUSSION? UH, YES.
AND I, I, I THINK THE, THE, IT'S, IT'S NOT OUR, NOT, IT'S NOT BEEN OUR POSITION THAT WE, THAT WE'VE STATED THAT, UH, ABOUT PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS.
IT'S OUR OPPONENTS HAVE MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT THERE WOULD BE LAWSUIT CHALLENGES E EVEN WITH THE MINIMALIST APPROACH, UM, EVEN WITH THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT INSIST THAT IT EVEN THAT WOULD BE UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
SO, UM, IF TWO PARTIES AGREE, UH, TO AN APPROACH, NO, I, YEAH, YEAH.
THEN OBVIOUSLY DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT BALLGAME ALTOGETHER.
BUT THERE, BUT THERE HAS BEEN, THERE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSIONS.
IN FACT IN OUR, IN OUR CONVERSATION WITH THE SPEAKER, HE WAS, UM, HE WAS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN THE DISTINCTIONS IN OUR STATUTES CURRENTLY BETWEEN HOW AN ORGANIZED HOA, UM, IS MECHANICALLY ALLOWED TO PREVENT THOSE FROM LOCATING WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITIES, BUT THAT THE REST OF THE COMMUNITIES ARE NOT.
AND SO WE'VE TRIED TO USE THAT AS A, OBVIOUSLY AS A, AS A DISTINCT A POINT OF DISTINCTION IN SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD PURSUE.
DID THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? UM, I THINK THE ANSWER TO WHAT QUESTION IS NO,
SO I WOULD, UH, SOMETHING THAT, UH, UH, PETE SAID, I WOULD LIKE TO GO DOWN THE DAYS AND SEE I'VE ALREADY GIVEN MY OPINION ABOUT TWO OH, UH, ABOUT THE, I'M SORRY, THE COMMUNITY PLAN.
IF WE COULD SEE IF THERE'S ANY SUPPORT, UH, TO, UH, HAVE, UH, THE GROUP MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT OR NOT.
I MEAN, IT PASSED UNANIMOUSLY IN THE HOUSE, RIGHT? I MEAN, THIS WAS BASICALLY JUST OBSTRUCTION AT THE SENATE LEVEL.
SO WHY NOT GIVE IT A GO AGAIN AND RATHER THAN KICK THE CAN DOWN THE CURB, MELISSA, UM, CY I AGREE WITH, UH, COUNCILOR FOLTZ, IT, IT DOESN'T DO ANY HARM TO CONTINUE GOING FORWARD WITH IT AND IT PASSED THE HOUSE.
UM, SO, AND WHOEVER DECIDED TO BE OBSTRUCTIONIST LAST TIME MAY FEEL LIKE HE'D RATHER DO THAT FOR SOMETHING ELSE.
THIS TIME VICE MAYOR, IT HAS TO BE REINTRODUCED ALL OVER AGAIN AND GO THROUGH THE PROCESS.
I DON'T WANT THEM TO GIVE US THAT BILL WHEN IT DOESN'T HELP US THIS TIME.
THAT'S, AND NOT GIVE US SHORT TERM RENTALS.
SO THAT WOULD BE MY, MY HESITATION, UH, BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T GIVEN US ANYTHING IN A LONG TIME AND THEY PROBABLY WANNA GIVE US SOMETHING.
NOT NOT WHEN IT DOESN'T HELP US.
FOR THIS GO AROUND FOR THE COMMUNITY PLAN.
YOU DONE KATHY? YEAH, I'M, I'M, I'M SIMILARLY CONCERNED THAT OUR CONTRACT WITH YOU IS SOMEWHAT LIMITED, UM, IN TERMS OF WHAT YOU CAN, CAN DO FOR US BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF MONEY WE'RE PAYING.
UM, AND I DON'T WANNA DIVERT TO SOMETHING THAT'S NOT GONNA HAVE AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT WHEN THERE ARE THINGS THAT ARE REALLY PRIORITIES FOR US AT THE MOMENT.
AND NUMBER TWO, AGAIN, I DON'T WANT THAT CAUGHT UP.
I THINK THERE IS TIME, AS THE MAYOR SAID, TO BRING IT BACK IN THE FUTURE IN PLENTY OF TIME.
I, WE NEED THAT BILL TO HAPPEN.
I ALSO DON'T KNOW IF THINGS MAY CHANGE LEGISLATIVELY IN SOME OTHER AREA THAT WOULD AFFECT THAT, AND THEN IT WOULD'VE BEEN SORT OF, WE DID THAT FOR NOTHING.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS THE YEAR THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON THAT.
I DON'T, I JUST DON'T WANNA TAKE OUR FOCUS OFF OF OUR OTHER PRIORITIES.
IF IT CAN BE DONE THAT WAY, GREAT.
BUT SINCE IT HAS TO BE REINTRODUCED AND WE WOULD BE ASKING SOMEBODY TO DO THAT, I MEAN, I JUST THINK IT'S A BIG NUT TO TO, TO CRACK IN AN OFF YEAR.
I THINK JESSICA, PETE ALREADY SHOWN HIS, HE'S I DID TOO.
I SAID I WANTED STILL CONTINUE ON THAT, ALTHOUGH I AM KIND OF CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT HOLLY BROUGHT UP.
[02:15:01]
A THOU, I THINK, I THINK WHAT COULD BE SAID IS, HEY, WE HAVE TAKEN CARE OF YOU, WE GOT YOUR COMMUNITY PLAN COMPLETED THIS YEAR.IT WOULD PROBABLY BE A LITTLE ELSE SAID.
BUT THERE'S, THERE'S, THERE'S ALWAYS POTENTIAL FOR, FOR, FOR, FOR THAT TO, TO HAPPEN.
I DON'T, I DON'T FORESEE A SINGLE MEMBER IN YOUR DISTRICT SAYING SUCH A THING, BUT THAT'S, NO, I KNOW.
MY DISTRICT WOULDN'T SAY THAT YET.
BRIAN, YOU WANT TO SAY SOMETHING? YEAH, MAYOR, I MEAN, I, I, BASED ON THE VICE MAYOR'S COMMENTS AND SUPPORTED BY OTHERS, AGAIN, I WOULD NOT WANT TO BE GIVEN THE COMMUNITY PLAN IN LIEU OF PROGRESS ON SHORT-TERM RENTALS.
SO FOR THAT REASON, I WOULD BE WILLING TO TAKE THAT OFF OF THE CURRENT SESSION, UH, PRIORITY LIST AS WELL.
IS IT, IS, DOES IT HAVE TO BE TAKEN OFF? IS THAT PART OF THE CONVERSATION THAT YOU, YOU WOULD BE HAVING WITH LEGISLATURES THAT NOPE, THIS ISN'T A TRADE.
WE'RE NO, DON'T THINK OF IT AS A TRADE.
WE'RE NOT SUPPORTING, YOU KNOW, THAT POSITION.
WE PROBABLY WOULDN'T OFFER THAT AS AN ALTER, AS A DISCUSSION POINT TO THEM UNLESS, UH, WE JUST DID.
WE WOULD IT WOULD WE JUST DID ON THE RECORD THOUGH.
TYPICALLY WE WOULD NOT, WE, WE WOULD.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE OFFER, BUT IF, IF YOU HEAR SOMEBODY SAY THAT TO YOU, YOU JUST SHUCK, YOU'D NIP IT IN THE BUD SAY, NO, THIS, I'M ASSUMING THAT REPRESENTATIVE BLI WON'T EVEN MOVE IT FORWARD.
SHE MAY NOT, I MEAN, I DON'T WANNA SPEAK FOR THAT.
I THINK MAYOR, THAT YOU NOW HAVE, UM, A MAJORITY OF COUNCIL VOTING AGAINST PROCEEDING WITH IT.
I SAW THAT, BUT I JUST WANNA BE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL STILL ON THE SAME PAGE.
SO IT WOULD, IT AGAIN, I THINK IT'S VITAL THAT IT DOES COME BACK.
IT CAN COME BACK IN THE YEAR OR TWO, THREE, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOMETHING ON THE AGENDA.
IT'LL ALWAYS, YEAH, NO, I GET IT.
BUT NOT, I COULD HOPE THAT THERE'S NOTHING AS AS VITAL AS SHORT-TERM RENTALS.
UM, DO YOU HAVE YOUR DIRECTION, UH, TODD POOL? WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE.
IS THERE ANYTHING THAT, UH, KAREN, YOU WANT TO ADD? NO.
CAN I HAVE A MOTION PLEASE? I MOVE TO APPROVE THE SECOND AMENDMENT TO THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH THE POLICY DEVELOPMENT GROUP IN THE AMOUNT OF $75,000.
ANY OPPOSED? OKAY, THAT'S UNANIMOUS.
GENTLEMEN, NEXT TIME YOU'RE UP IN TOWN.
OKAY, SHERRY'S GONNA BE UP ITEM D,
[8.d. AB 2953 Presentation/discussion regarding the September 2023 Sales and Bed Tax Report. ]
AB 29 53 PRESENTATION DISCUSSION REGARDING THE SEPTEMBER, 2023 SALES AND BED TAX REPORT.GOOD EVENING MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
SO, UM, I'M NOT GONNA GO OVER SOME OF THAT BACKGROUND INFORMATION THAT WE WENT OVER LAST TIME.
I DID INCLUDE SOME OF THAT IN THE AGENDA BILL FOR ANYONE WHO WANTED A REFRESHER ON ANY OF IT.
WE'RE JUST GONNA JUMP RIGHT INTO NUMBERS.
SO, UM, HERE WE HAVE COMPARISON OF THE, UH, PRIOR YEAR, UH, INFORMATION AND BUDGET INFORMATION TO, UM, WHAT WE HAVE THROUGH SEPTEMBER.
AND SO WE ARE UP FOR THE YEAR.
UM, SALES TAX IS UP 4% AND BED TAX IS UP 9%.
UM, AND UP COMPARED TO WHAT OUR BUDGET WAS, WE WERE A LITTLE CONSERVATIVE IN OUR BUDGET, UM, BECAUSE OF SEEING THE TREND THAT WAS GOING DOWNWARD.
AND BACK AT THE TIME WHEN THE BUDGET WAS PREPARED, THERE WAS MORE DISCUSSION ABOUT A RECESSION THAT'S ALL OVER THE MAP.
UM, AT THIS POINT, UM, A LOT OF THE ECONOMISTS AREN'T REALLY THINKING THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE A RECESSION ANYTIME SOON.
SO SHERRY, I JUST WOULD LIKE TO EMPHASIZE FOR THE BENEFIT OF ANYBODY LISTENING ONLINE, PERHAPS THE LOCAL MEDIA WERE 4% AHEAD OF LAST YEAR ON SALES TAX, 9% AHEAD ON BED TAX EVEN FURTHER AHEAD
[02:20:01]
COMPARED TO BUDGET.THINGS ARE LOOKING GOOD THROUGH THE FIRST QUARTER OF OUR FISCAL YEAR.
UM, WE'VE ALSO BEEN LOOKING AT WHERE THE NUMBERS, UM, ARE COMPARED TO PRE COVID.
SO FOR THE WESTERN REGION, CPI, THE INCREASE FROM SEPTEMBER, 2019 THROUGH SEPTEMBER, 2023 WAS 20%.
AND WHEN WE LOOK AT FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER AND FOR FISCAL YEAR TO DATE, WE ARE WELL AHEAD OF THAT 20%.
UM, AND WE HAVE BEEN TRACKING WELL AHEAD.
SO, UM, IT IS A, A WAY TO LOOK AT INFORMATION MEASURE, BUT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY SAYING THAT THAT IS THE INFLATION THAT WE HAVE EXPERIENCED HERE, SPECIFICALLY IN SEDONA.
IT COVERS THE WHOLE WESTERN REGION OF THE UNITED STATES.
IT INCLUDES, UM, URBAN AREAS AND RURAL AREAS.
I DON'T FEEL LIKE LOOKING AT THE CITY OF PHOENIX DATA BECAUSE OF THE, THE URBAN NATURE OF IT IS A GOOD INDICATOR.
UM, I DID WANT TO POINT OUT, UM, ON THE TRENDS, SO I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY HAD REALLY KIND OF NOTICED.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ORANGE LINE, WHICH IS FISCAL YEAR 24, SO WE WERE DOWN COMPARED TO THAT HIGH PEAK THAT WE HAD IN FISCAL YEAR 22 IN JULY AND AUGUST.
AND SAME THING ON THE BED TAX, WE'RE UP ABOVE WHAT THAT HIGHEST PEAK WAS IN SEPTEMBER OF, UM, 2021, WHICH IS FISCAL YEAR 22.
SO IN LOOKING AT THE SEASONALITY OF OUR, OUR SALES AND BED TAX, TYPICALLY JULY, AUGUST IS, IS OUR SUMMER SLOW TIME.
AND JANUARY FEBRUARY TENDS TO BE OUR WINTER SLOW TIME.
IT KIND OF DEPENDS UPON WHAT MONTH WE GET HIT WITH OUR ONE BIG STORM FOR THE YEAR.
IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S ONE EACH YEAR
UM, SO, UM, I, I DON'T PUT A WHOLE LOT OF STOCK IN JULY AND AUGUST BECAUSE THEY'RE SLOW TIMES.
AND IT DEPENDS UPON HOW, HOW HOT IT IS AND, AND ALL OF THAT.
WHEREAS SEPTEMBER BEING HIGHER THAN THAT PEAK, IT'S ONLY ONE MONTH.
UH, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT I CAN SAY THAT WE'VE GOT ENOUGH OF A TREND TO REALLY PROJECT ON, BUT IT IS A POSITIVE INDICATOR THERE OF UM, NUMBERS NOT GOING DOWN, BUT, BUT HEADING UP.
SO SHERRY, YES, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK OUR LOBBYISTS A QUESTION.
YOU, YOU WERE SAYING TODD, IN YOUR REPORT THAT THE, THE STATE SAW AN INCREASE WAS THAT SEPTEMBER NUMBERS? DO YOU KNOW THE NOVEMBER REPORT? ACTUAL PUBLISHED NOVEMBER REPORT FOR OCTOBER.
SO WE DON'T HAVE OUR OCTOBER YET.
I WONDERED IF THERE WAS A CORRELATION BETWEEN THE STATE'S NUMBERS AND R NUMBERS.
AND THEN I ALSO WONDERED IF IN SEPTEMBER THERE WAS ANY CATCH UP THAT MADE, YOU KNOW, COLLECTION CATCH UP THAT MADE THE NUMBERS GO UP.
UM, THERE WAS SOME, BUT IT REALLY WASN'T SUBSTANTIAL ENOUGH TO, UM, TO, TO REALLY IMPACT WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE.
SO, SO IT IT REALLY IS A POSITIVE TREND UPWARDS.
THERE'S A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF DELAYS IN EVERY MONTH, RIGHT? EXACTLY.
AND UM, SOMETIMES IT'S MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN OTHERS AND I POINT THAT OUT, BUT WHEN IT SEEMS PRETTY COMPARABLE THEN I, I DON'T POINT THOSE OUT.
SO LOOKING AT THE HOTEL, TRADITIONAL HOTEL OCCUPANCY AND A DR NUMBERS, UM, SO WITH OCCUPANCY, UM, SO THE SEPTEMBER FOR 2023 IS THIS LIGHTER BLUE LINE, SO IT'S KIND OF THERE IN THE MIX.
SEPTEMBER'S A LITTLE, UM, CLOSE TOGETHER IN ALL OF THOSE.
AND ON THE A DR IT IS TOWARDS THE UPPER END, UM, COMPARED TO THESE LOWER NUMBERS THAT WE HAD SEEN BEFORE.
SO, UM, PRETTY DECENT NUMBERS I WOULD SAY.
I'M, I'M NOT A HOTELIER, SO HOW SIGNIFICANT EACH POINT OF OCCUPANCY DATA IS TO THEM.
I, I CAN'T REALLY INDICATE, BUT WHEN I LOOK AT 'EM, LIKE THEY LOOK LIKE THEY'RE, THEY'RE PRETTY CLOSE.
SHERRY, EXCUSE ME, SAME THING I SAY TO THE LODGING COUNSEL, UH, AND OTHER PRESENTATIONS THAT THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SHORT-TERM RENTAL NUMBERS 'CAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE THOSE NUMBERS, RIGHT? CORRECT.
SO IF WE DIDN'T HAVE SHORT-TERM RENTALS, YOU DON'T KNOW THESE NUMBERS WOULD BE SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER BECAUSE THE PEOPLE ARE STAYING IN SHORT-TERM RENTALS AND NOT STAYING IN CONVENTIONAL OR TRADITIONAL HOTELS? UH, NOT NECESSARILY.
UM, BECAUSE BASICALLY YOU'D NEED TO BLEND THE TWO,
[02:25:02]
WHICH WOULD BE VERY PROBLEMATIC ANYWAY BECAUSE YOU WOULD NEED TO KNOW OKAY, HOW MANY WERE OFFERED AND WHAT PERCENT WERE FILLED AND THEN IT MIGHT BE THE SAME PERCENTAGE AS WHAT THE HOTELS ARE EXPERIENCING.'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE DATA.
THAT'S THE POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE.
UM, I'VE ALSO BEEN LOOKING AT THE AVERAGE FOR THE YEAR AND SO ON THE, UM, HOTEL OCCUPANCY FOR THE YEAR SO FAR.
UM, IT'S COME UP SINCE THE FISCAL YEAR 23, BUT IT IS STILL ON THE LOWER END.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT FOR YEAR TO DATE, UM, A LOT OF THESE WERE, WERE QUITE A BIT HIGHER.
SO, UM, WITH SEPTEMBER OR UM, EXCUSE ME, JULY AND AUGUST BEING LOW MONTHS AS BRINGING DOWN THAT SEPTEMBER, UM, OCCUPANCY TO A POINT, UM, LOOKING AT YEAR TO DATE AVERAGING OF THE A DR, UM, IT IS STILL IN THAT HIGHER AREA BUT IS CONTINUING TO COME DOWN SOME.
SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW, SPECULATION MAYBE THE HOTELS FELT LIKE THAT THEY KIND OF PRICED THEMSELVES OUTTA THE MARKET A LITTLE BIT AND THEY'RE TRYING TO BRING THEIR PRICES BACK DOWN.
UM, LOOKING AT, UM, THE COMPARISON, SO AGAIN, THIS IS A REPEAT OF THE AVERAGE FOR THE YEAR OF A DR AND LOOKING AT IT COMPARED TO REVPAR.
AND YOU CAN SEE I WANTED TO BASICALLY SHOW THAT THESE CHARTS LOOK VERY, VERY SIMILAR.
UM, THEY, THE REVPAR TRACKS PRETTY CLOSELY TO, UM, THE SAME TREND THAT THE ROOM RATE DOES.
UM, YOU CAN SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE DISTINCT DROP FROM FISCAL YEAR 22 TO 23 COMPARED TO THE, TO THE A DR NUMBERS.
UM, BUT A LOT OF IT LOOKS VERY SIMILAR.
UM, I WANTED TO ALSO SHOW YOU AGAIN, SO FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, UM, THE AMOUNT THAT REALLY TRULY WAS SEPTEMBER DATA, UM, AT LEAST BASED OFF OF THE WAY IT WAS REPORTED, BECAUSE THIS IS ONLY AS GOOD AS HOW THE TAXPAYER REPORTS IT AND TAXPAYERS CAN MAKE PLENTY OF MISTAKES.
SO OF THE 3.5 MILLION TOTAL FOR SEPTEMBER, THE WAY IT WAS REPORTED, 3.3 MILLION WAS CURRENT.
THE REST OF IT WAS ALL, UM, DELINQUENT COLLECTIONS.
BUT THEN THERE'S SOME STUFF WHERE THERE'S LIKE STUFF FOR FUTURE.
I MEAN THERE'S SOMETHING FOR OUT FOR FISCAL YEAR 24.
UM, IS THAT CORRECT? ARE THEY PAYING EARLY? MAYBE? I DON'T KNOW.
UM, SO, UM, IT'S NOT TOO SIGNIFICANT THERE.
THE DIFFERENCES, UH, LOOKING AT COMPARISON BASED OFF OF THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES.
SO FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, EVERY CATEGORY COMPARED TO SEPTEMBER OF LAST YEAR WAS UP.
SOME OF THEM MORE SIGNIFICANTLY THAN OTHERS.
HOTEL MOTEL WAS UP 21% CONSTRUCTION, 31% LEASING 18%.
UM, HOWEVER, I DO HAVE A FOOTNOTE HERE THAT LEASING DID HAVE SOME SIGNIFICANT DELINQUENCIES AND, UM, WITHOUT THOSE, MY ESTIMATE IS THAT IT WOULD'VE BEEN ONLY 2% HIGHER THAN THE YEAR BEFORE.
BUT, UM, LEASING IS, UM, KINDA A SMALLER CATEGORY COMPARED TO THE TOTAL.
SO IN TOTAL FOR SEPTEMBER 11% INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR AND THEN YEAR TO DATE.
SO WE ARE STILL DOWN A LITTLE BIT IN A COUPLE CATEGORIES YEAR TO DATE CONSTRUCTION AND AMUSEMENTS AND OTHER.
HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOME THAT AREN'T QUITE AS, AS MUCH.
SO, UM, CONSTRUCTION DIDN'T QUITE MEET THE 20% COMMUNICATIONS AND UTILITIES AND AMUSEMENTS AND OTHERS DID, DID NOT.
UH, LOOKING AT THE DOLLAR AMOUNT OF HOW MUCH WE'RE AHEAD OF LAST YEAR, SO THROUGH SEPTEMBER OF LAST YEAR COMPARED TO SEPTEMBER OF THIS YEAR, WE'RE AHEAD BETWEEN SALES AND BED TAX, A TOTAL OF 426,000.
AND COMPARED TO, UH, THE ESTIMATION OF THE BUDGET, WE ARE 487,000 AHEAD OF WHERE, UM, THE BUDGET HAD US PROJECTED.
AND YES, THAT WAS MY LAST SLIDE.
KATHY, THESE NUMBERS LOOK OPTIMISTIC.
[02:30:01]
REPORTS OF BUSINESSES THAT CLAIM SALES ARE DOWN, CLAIM THAT, UM, ROOMS ARE GOING INFILLED.I HAVE A HARD TIME RECONCILING THE ANECDOTES WITH THESE NUM THIS IS DATA OF SHOWING COLLECTIONS THAT ARE MADE.
WHAT AM I NOT SEEING? SOMETHING? UM, SO INDIVIDUAL BUSINESSES MAY HAVE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES, SO YOU MAY HAVE SOME THAT ARE DOING WELL IN OTHERS THAT AREN'T THAT MM-HMM.
UM, AND AS FAR AS WHAT HAS BEEN OUR ACTUAL INFLATION IMPACTS COMPARED TO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AS FAR AS, UH, WESTERN REGEN, CPI, MM-HMM
I'VE HEARD OF SOME OF THE HOTELS TALKING ABOUT CERTAIN VERY SPECIFIC THINGS OF LIKE HOUSEKEEPING AND HOW MUCH MORE THEY'VE HAD TO PAY FOR HOUSEKEEPING.
BUT HOW DOES THAT RELATE TO THEIR OTHER COSTS? I, I DON'T KNOW.
UM, SO IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT WITHOUT, YOU KNOW, DIGGING INTO THEIR BOOKS AND SEEING TO REALLY KNOW WHERE THAT STANDS.
UH, AS FAR AS LIKE OCCUPANCY, LIKE WE ARE LOOKING AT HOTEL MOTEL NUMBERS, UM, IN TOTAL, WHICH INCLUDES THE SHORT TERM RENTALS AND ALL THE OTHER TRANSIENT LODGING TYPES AND HOW MUCH OF IT IS IMPACTING HOTELS THAT MAY BE SHORT TERM RENTALS MAY OR MAY NOT BE GETTING MORE OR LESS OR HAVE IT HAS IT BALANCED OUT? IT'S, IT'S HARD TO SAY.
I THINK WHAT YOU SAID, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT INDIVIDUAL BUSINESSES MAY HAVE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES, BUT INDUSTRY-WIDE, I THINK ASSUMPTIONS CAN BE MADE FROM DATA LIKE THIS.
I WOULD JUST ECHO COUNSELOR ELLA'S OBSERVATION THAT IT APPEARS THE STATE OF OUR ECONOMY IS REASONABLY HEALTHY, UH, THAT THAT ONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DRAW THAT CONCLUSION.
SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, SHERRY AND, UH, FOR NOW INCLUDING THIS AS PART OF A REGULAR CADENCE OF, OF TALKING WITH US.
UH, VICE MAYOR SHERRY, CAN YOU GO BACK A COUPLE OF SLIDES? I'M STARING AT THIS PAGE.
IT'S THE COMPARISON TO PRE COVID BY CATEGORY.
THAT'S THE ONE TWO PACKET PAGE? NO, WE HAVE A DIFFERENT CHART IN OUR PACKET THAN YOU'RE SHOWING UP THERE.
IT'S THE SAME, I JUST FIXED THE DATES AT THE TOP.
YEAH, WHAT IS IT? YEAH, THIS IS THE IT THE NINE, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY.
IN, IN THE ONE I'M LOOKING AT, THE FIRST COLUMN SAYS 2019.
AND THE SECOND COLUMN SAYS 23, I THINK.
AND THANK YOU FOR PRESENTING TO US
I APPRECIATE AND I, I DO APPRECIATE THE, THE UPDATES.
SO, UH, I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.
[8.e. Discussion/possible action regarding future meeting/agenda items. ]
DISCUSSION, POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING FUTURE MEETING, UH, AGENDA ITEMS. AND WE HAVE A MEETING TOMORROW AT 1130 IN THE VOL TEA.UH, THERE WILL BE NO WORK SESSION IN THE AFTERNOON.
SO, UM, DOES ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY FUTURE, UH, SUGGESTIONS, QUESTIONS FOR MEETINGS, AGENDA ITEMS? NO.
[10. ADJOURNMENT]
THEN THIS MEETING IS OVER.DID YOU HAVE FINE DEREK? RIGHT.