Pete Furman

City of Sedona commits $22M for wells – Sedona Red Rock News

The Sedona City Council, with Councilwoman Kathy Kinsella absent and Councilwoman Charlotte Hosseini attending virtually, directed staff on Dec. 10 to move forward with a $22 million plan over the next two to three years to add recharge wells and explore supplying water to the Dells.

The city will abandon 200 acres of irrigation and construct up to four additional recharge wells.

The plans include two new recharge wells now, with two additional wells planned for future capacity.

“I should note that that $22 million is just for the two wells,” Sedona Wastewater Director Roxanne Holland said. “If we need two more for capacity later, that would be an additional, probably over $22 million, because it will be far in the future. So that $22 million is not for four wells.”

Both irrigation and injection wells are methods cities use to dispose of treated wastewater from the reclama­tion plants.

“From an operational standpoint, my preference would be to abandon [irrigation],” Holland said. “It’s diffi­cult to manage effluent management with irrigation that is unpredictable. Injection wells, they’re tested … and they have been very predictable for us. Every day, our recharge well will take 360,000 gallons” whereas “there are some days that irrigation will take zero.”

Council considered five total options for wastewater, with the cheapest calling for the construction of two recharge wells and keeping irrigation disposal, to the most expensive option of $161 million for the construction of an Advanced Water Purification facility that could purify recycled water back into drinking water that meets federal and local drinking water standards.

“AWP does not seem cost-effective under any circumstances, we’ve got assured water supply,” Interim Vice Mayor Brian Fultz said.

Arizona Water Company representatives reiterated their October presentation to council that AWC’s groundwater modeling shows Sedona’s groundwater meets current Adequate Water Supply Requirements and is reasonably expected to be available for at least the next 100 years.

The “predictive scenarios show: 100-year depth to water ranges from 420 to 790 feet below land surface. A 100-year drawdown of up to 200 feet,” AWC stated.

AWC’s models ran four scenarios with annual ground­water pumping ranging from 2,049 acre-feet per year to 4,361 acre-feet per year that also accounted for a decrease in water availability because of climate change.

Councilman Pete Furman was a dissenting voice, stating that, while advanced water purification is costly, he could see a possibility of a municipality downstream being interested in Sedona’s treated water. His comments come as communi­ties across the Southwest grapple with increasing aridifica­tion — including Phoenix, which received $179 million in federal funding in August for its North Gateway Advanced Water Purification Facility.

“We got a good assured water supply for a while,” Furman said. “What I really believe is the value of our effluent is increasing every day. If we pay attention to the news … folks are trying to figure out how to get new water sources every day … but someone’s going to come knocking on our door to want to … take that effluent, get it into the Verde River, and they’ll pull it off downstream,” and compensate Sedona.

Council’s decision doesn’t preclude a future council from investigating an AWP for the city.

AWC’s existing infrastructure doesn’t go out to the Dells, and while the city currently has a well at the administration site for the wastewater treatment plant for city services, it is not sufficient for development at the Dells and additional water infrastructure is needed to support the buildout of the Dells.

The council’s decision came after environmental and geotechnical studies were conducted on the Dells land, as requested in July. These assessments included testing for 37 specific contaminants. Testubg found no contamination or environmental issues exceeding established standards. The soil was also determined to be suitable for construction, and no remediation was required, confirming the land can be developed without concern for contamination.

The city is looking at building a new maintenance and transit center at the Dells, and is looking at the potential of building residential at the site as well. The December deci­sion help clears a path for eventual development of the Dells property, though a master planning process for that land remains to be completed.

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.

Council OKs arts & culture grant funding – Sedona Red Rock News

The Sedona City Council unanimously approved the recommendations of the Arts and Culture Grant Review Committee on Tuesday, Dec. 9 — award the Sedona International Film Festival and the Sedona Arts Center each $100,000 in the city’s first disbursement of the recently created Arts and Culture Grant Program.

“We have two very fine organizations,” Councilman Pete Furman said. “I don’t like the process. We developed a competitive grant process. [But] it’s not really competi­tive. I would prefer that we do contracts for services for these two fine organizations.”

Council approved the creation of the grant program 5-2 during its Sept. 9 meeting, with Furman and Councilman Brian Fultz opposed. Subsequently, the Arts and Culture Grant Committee reviewed applications on Nov. 17, forwarding recommendations to council.

ACOG eligibility is limited to Sedona-based 501(c)(3) nonprofits focused on arts and culture with annual budgets of $1 million or more. Qualifying organizations must offer year-round programming for residents, expend awarded funds within the fiscal year, submit outcome reports and forgo other city grants during the same period.

SIFF and SAC were the only applicants that satisfied these requirements.

“We are really honored that the city has recognized us and the Sedona Arts Center for the value and the arts and the culture that we bring daily to this community,” SIFF Executive Director Patrick Schweiss said. “This is a huge step in support for arts and culture on behalf of the city, for two very well established longtime organizations.”

Among SIFF programs that ACOG will support are: The Sedona Professional Theatre Company that brings profes­sional actors and directors to the Mary D. Fisher Theatre, the “Movies on the Move” outdoor screening program, a new live music series with four dates and the continuation of the annual festival’s closing night free concert.

A portion of the funds from this grant are earmarked to help support four programs at the upcoming festival taking place from Sunday, Feb. 22 to Monday, March 2: “Marilyn Monroe at 100: A Celebration” with film screenings and a live tribute; “Right In the Eye: Movie Concert on Georges Méliés’ Films” featuring a small live orchestra from France; “From Broadway with Love: Part II” with Megan Hilty.

Finally “‘Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground:’ Live one-man stage production starring Tony Award-winner John Rubenstein as Dwight D. Eisenhower,” SIFF”s grant application reads. This production would be staged as the preevening kick-off event of the festival, in celebration of launching of the Sedona Professional Theatre Company.

ACOG is “something that Patrick Schweiss and I have both been working toward for the past year and a half, just laying all the groundwork to make it happen,” SAC CEO Julie Richard said. “We really need this funding, and it is going to go a long way in helping to support our programming.”

The $100,000 will go towards supporting SAC’s Creative Aging program, the The Sedona Entrepreneurial Artist Development Program a two-day program in March that teaches business skills to artists, Gallery 928 a summer art apprenticeship program for teens, and the “Faces” exhibit series.

SAC and SIFF originally applied for and were awarded $30,000 and $27,300, respec­tively, under the city’s Small Grants Program, on June 24.

With the creation of ACOG, those funds will be redistributed to other area nonprofits under the Small Grants Program: The Sedona Symphony, $19,500; Low-Income Student Aid, $6,065; Chamber Music Sedona, an additional $4,500; the Sedona Chamber Ballet, $4,500; Gardens for Humanity, $4,500; the Sedona-Oak Creek District Educational Foundation, $3,225; Piano on the Rocks, $2,500; the Rotary Club of Sedona, $2,000; the Sedona Arts Festival, $2,000; St. Vincent de Paul, $2,000; the Sedona Sister Cities Association, $1,000; the International Hummingbird Society, $1,000; and Wisdom Age Metaverse, $5,000.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to accurately state Sedona City Council’s prior vote in September.