Sedona City Council may create an independent auditor – Sedona Red Rock News
The Sedona City Council’s annual retreat gave some early direction for 2026. Council could potentially add crisis shelter Hope House of Sedona as a city Community Service Provider, create a Council Audit Subcommittee, create a citizens’ committee to look at increasing the compensation for council members and bolster city public relations.
Council Pay
Currently, the monthly salary for city council members is $550, and the mayor receives $800. Councilman Pete Furman is seeking to raise these amounts in an effort to attract younger and more working-class candidates to run for office, with a citizens committee recommending to the council whether or not to increase salaries.
“There’s never a good time for the council to consider raising its compensation,” Furman later said, when asked if he thought the potential to raise salaries is counter to council’s general direction to staff for this budget cycle to not increase the number of staff positions and to project essentially flat revenue. “But I thought it would be a good effort to start a community conversation with a citizens work group and kind of think through all the issues and come back to council with a report.”
Increasing the compensation would require an ordinance amendment and can not take effect until after the 2026 elections.
Independent Auditor
Additionally, following the recommendation by Furman, Councilwoman Melissa Dunn and Vice Mayor Brian Fultz, council agreed to create another subcommittee to look at the creation of an independent auditor to monitor city spending and operations.
Phase 1 would involve hiring a consultant with the subcommittee and staff to create a committee to develop city performance metrics and use the Enterprise Resource Planning to create publicly available dashboards.
Phase 2 would involve the “creation of an office of independent performance auditor whose function would be to hold government accountable, both elected officials and city management; recommend ways to improve services; report how government funds are being spent; assess emerging risks and showcase successes; ensure compliance with policies, laws and regulations; and identify cost savings,” the council packet reads.
No timeline has been set for the creation of either committee.
Hope House of Sedona
Dunn submitted a discussion request to potentially add Hope House of Sedona, which provides transitional housing services for homeless local families, and the Sedona Community Food Bank to the city’s Community Service Providers — organizations that receive city funding through formal contracts to deliver social services on behalf of the municipality.
For example, for city fiscal year 2026 the Sedona Heritage Museum’s city service provider contract is for $167,050, according to museum Executive Director Nate Meyers.
“I spend a large chunk of my job fundraising … that’s one of my main priorities,” Hope House Executive Director Turiya Weiss later said, adding that she is “cautiously excited.”
“Having another piece of our funding secured for fiscal year 2027 means that it frees up a small amount of my time to … ensure that we are able to expand in a conscious way,” she said.
Dunn wrote that her intention for adding them is to bolster the city’s response to homelessness.
“I do not believe the community has any interest in creating a drop-in center, or any additional services already being provided by non-profit organizations already within the community,” Dunn wrote in the council packet. “Based upon this assumption, I would like council to consider adding Hope House and [Sedona Community Food Bank] as current Sedona contributions to help the homeless within the community as service contractors, if those facilities are interested in such a contract.”
Councilwoman Charlotte Hosseini requested that staff develop environmental sustainability performance measures in the Community Service Provider contracts and “Update on any county owned streets within the city limits dating to annexation in order to understand the city’s intent” such as with repairs the packet reads.
Fultz’s retreat proposal could expand public participation through semi-annual listening sessions. The new Communications and Public Affairs Manager Tyler Maffitt who started on Monday, Dec. 22, would develop an engagement plan potentially including weekly podcasts.
Liaison Roles
Interim Mayor Holli Ploog serves as liaison to the Greater Arizona Mayor’s Association, League of Arizona Cities & Towns, Sedona Historical Society, Sedona Wastewater Municipal Property Corporation, Verde Valley Mayor/Manager Group and Yavapai County Mayor/Manager Group.
Furman was named as the liaison with Councilwoman Kathy Kinsella as the alternate to the recently formed Yavapai County Water and Open Space Committee that is slated to start in January. Furman will serve as liaison to the Airport Advisory Committee, Coconino Plateau Water Advisory Committee, Keep Sedona Beautiful, Northern Arizona Municipal Water Users Association and Public Safety Personnel Retirement.
Kinsella is liaison to the Sedona Community Center Board.
Dunn is liaison to the Greater Sedona Area Recreation Collaborative, Community Library Sedona and the Verde Valley Caregivers.
Fultz serves as liaison to Northern Arizona Council of Governments and the Sedona Lodging Council.