Sedona Red Rock News
Candace Carr Strauss, president and CEO of the Sedona Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau, begins her presentation to the Sedona City Council by addressing falsehoods she had heard circulating throughout Sedona on Wednesday, April 28. Several people spreading these falsehoods later spoke during the call to the public.
I don’t go to many Sedona City Council meetings for several reasons: I have staff journalists who go in my stead and report what occurs; I have a 2-year-old who has unrelenting storytime demands; and because I believe in data, math and logic so passionately that I would fill council chamber with my tears.
Sedona Red Rock News
After additional discussion, the Sedona City Council unanimously approved its policies and procedures
during its meeting Tuesday, April 13, making no changes
to current operations. The discussion included how council
interacts with staff, filling a council vacancy and appointing a vice mayor. Photo by David Jolkovski/Larson Newspapers
The Sedona City Council finished up its spring cleaning this week as it approved updates to its own policies and procedures, but not without debate on a few items.
The discussion came during the council’s meeting Tuesday, April 13. The purpose of these rules is to provide standard methods and general policy guidelines for members of council to use when conducting business with city staff, the general public and among its own members.
Sedona Red Rock News
The Sedona City Council did a little spring cleaning of its own rules and procedures on a variety of topics, from selecting a vice mayor to the protocol of requesting staff time.
But two topics near the end of the two-hour agenda item on March 23 that garnered the most discussion centered around the mayor’s emergency power and the starting times of council meetings.
Nearly a year ago, Mayor Sandy Moriarty implemented a mask mandate within the city due to the COVID-19 pandemic, claiming them as part of her emergency powers.
Councilwoman Kathy Kinsella requested discussion on the topic, not because she disagreed with the mayor having emergency powers but because she feels there should be some sort of review in this case the mask mandate.
Sedona Red Rock News
For the better part of five months the Sedona City Council conducted the vast majority of its meetings online. But beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 8, the council resumed meetings at City Hall. Photo by David Jolkovski/Larson Newspapers
For most, 2020 is a year they’d rather forget. But now that the new year is here, there may be hope for optimism, including among those on the Sedona City Council.
Each of the seven current members of council, as well as the two who chose not to seek re-election this year, were asked to give their personal opinions on 2020 and the struggles, and in some cases accomplishments, that came with it as a council and city.
Sedona Red Rock News
The Sedona City Council spent two-and-a-half hours
on Tuesday, Nov. 24, discussing the future of the Sedona
Community Pool. While no decisions were made, council was presented three options for pool operations moving forward. David Jolkovski/Larson Newspapers
It’s been called one of the jewels of Sedona. And for some residents, they’d like to see that jewel on public display more than it is these days.
The Sedona Community Pool opened in 1974 by the Sedona-Oak Creek School District, which still owns the facility. Through an intergovernmental agreement, the city is responsible for operations, repairs and improvements of the pool while school programs take priority over public programming.