Council updated on photo enforcement, STR caps, road & sewer funding

The Arizona legislative session is a little over halfway done, city lobbyist Kathy Senseman and Deputy City Manager Lauren Browne told the Sedona City Council during their legislative update Tuesday, March 10.

HCR 2004

Council decided to not take a position on HCR 2004, sponsored by Rep. Teresa Martinez [R-District 16], that would allow voters to decide if they want to curb vehicle red light and speeding photo enforcement by prohibiting cities from purchasing photo systems at the end of the year. If approved, municipalities with existing photo enforcement would need voter approval for them to remain operational.

The council briefly discussed the idea of putting a perfunctory photo-enforcement contract in place, solely to preserve Sedona’s future ability to use photo enforcement, if it came down to the voters. It was promptly swatted down by council.

“It has not been something that the [Sedona] Police Department has implemented or asked for up to this point,” Browne said. “It’s about preserving the right to have that conversation.”

“The community and council spoke very loudly on this topic,” Vice Mayor Brian Fultz said. “I don’t see where this is a good use of your time to spend another nanosecond on this.”

Sedona Police Department Cmdr. Chris Dowell and City Attorney Kurt Christianson said they are not aware of photo radar cameras in Yavapai County, although the city of Cottonwood has registered opposition.

The measure mirrors SCR 1004, sponsored by Sens. Mark Finchem [R-District 1], who represents Sedona, and Wendy Rogers [R-District 7], also moving through the legislature.

HB 4064

Council decided to support House Bill 4064, sponsored by Rep. Selina Bliss [R-District 1] and crafted with help from the Town of Camp Verde, which has passed out of the House. The bill seeks to streamline the Municipal Improvement District process by moving the community petition earlier in the timeline. The change is cited by Camp Verde Town Manager Miranda Fisher as a cost-saving move to assist a proposed sewer expansion along State Route 260.

“We’re all a little frustrated because of the sheer amount of bills,” Bliss said on March 6. “We just got an update today: 2,120 bills were introduced. We’re on day 54, with 11 vetoes and three signed into law.”

Bliss has the second-most bills this session with 70, three fewer than Sen. John Kavanagh [R-District 23].

“At this rate, with the bloat, last year we were at a high watermark of about 1,800 and some bills last session,” Bliss said. “The sheer volume is testing the system, and I don’t think the system is handling it well. It’s frustrating to see the clock ticking, and our time in the Senate with our House bills is already half over, and both chambers are still voting on their own bills.”

HB 2429

Bliss’ House Bill 2429 was approved by the House 36-19 earlier on Tuesday, March 10, to allow municipalities limit on the number of people who can occupy a short-term rental. HB 2429 caps overnight occupancy at two people per bedroom plus two additional guests, not counting children — but places no restrictions on daytime visitors. It also allows municipalities if there are three violations of local permits within two years to be able to suspend licenses.

However, the bill originally sought to allow municipalities to have a maximum limit on STRs within their boundaries, and could have set minimum distances between rentals. If passed, it would be the first time municipalities could curb STR occupancy since 2016’s Senate Bill 1350 legalized STRs and restricted local government from regulating them.

“We’re hoping to have it third read [the final vote],” Bliss said. “It’s again caught up in the system, but now that it’s been rewritten with that strike everything for the short-term rentals, we’re getting more bipartisan support. I feel optimistic that this is something we can agree on, because we see the stakeholders, Realtors association, Airbnb, have come to agreement with the League of [Arizona] Cities and Towns that this is what we can do for short-term rentals when it comes to giving cities and towns back a little more control on their situation.”

Bliss announced on the morning of Thursday, March 11, that she is bringing the bill back for a revote “in order to get a majority of the majority vote to move this bill forward.” Additionally, Bliss wrote that she is seeking “to require a local government that requires a local regulatory permit or license, to adopt an ordinance requiring sex offender background checks on a vacation rental or short-term rental booking guests.”

Sedona Infrastructure

Sedona is pursuing state and federal funding for nearly $14 million in road projects near the “Y” Roundabout. The projects include two new roundabouts: One at the intersection of State Route 89A and the Forest Road Extension, and one at the Ranger Road and Brewer Road intersection, with an extension of Ranger Road to connect to the new Forest Road and State Route 89A roundabout.

House Bill 2201 requests $8,025,600 for the new State Route 89A roundabout and the Ranger Road extension, and is sponsored by Bliss; HB 2609 seeks $5 million for the “Y” roundabout. Appropriations will be decided later in the session as budget talks start.

“We’re waiting to go into negotiation with the governor,” Bliss said. “This last week, we had our small group meetings start where we negotiate what we want to see as our district priorities. We are also given an update by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee … it’s not looking good for any amount of excess spending. [Arizona] is not in a deficit, we’re not in a great excess either. So there may not be a lot to go around.”

Sedona City Council is scheduled to discuss and possibly approve a Congressionally Directed Spending application through the offices of the U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly [D] and Ruben Gallego [D] during its meeting Tuesday, March 24. It requests $5,412,064 to fund construction of the Brewer Road and Ranger Road roundabout.

House Bill 2762, the “Andy Groseta Act,” sponsored by Rep. Quang Nguyen [R-District 1], who also represents Sedona, passed out of committee on Feb. 25. Named for a long-time Cottonwood rancher, the bill seeks to require that meat grown from cultivated cells be labeled as such.