If you would like to have your say in how Sedona officials spends funds this next fiscal year, the city is offering a way to do so.
The city of Sedona encourages residents to take an online survey before Wednesday, April 7, to provide input on potential projects related to the city’s budget process.
Finance Director Cherie Wright said the information requested is based on those budget topics that the city would like to hear more input on from the community regarding their thoughts. The focus is specifically on services and programs that are being reviewed for expansion or new services and programs that are being considered.
“The survey does not include services and programs that the city is working on and are already well underway, such as traffic, transit and short-term rentals,” she said. “The survey asks questions with multiple-choice responses and asks to rank select budget areas against each other in order of importance. A free-form comments box is available at the end of the survey for any other thoughts that the community may have.”
The city’s budget cycle is based on a fiscal year, which begins July 1 and ends June 30. The current budget for Fiscal Year 2021 is $51,214,284. Capital improvement projects like new roads, parks, community facilities, etc., account for $15.1 million, or 29%, of the total budget.
Every year, the city evaluates what projects will be included in future year budgets by weighing needs, funding and other competing priorities. The survey seeks input from the community on projects city staff has heard should be implemented. Additionally, there are questions that ask residents to rank the projects against each other to help city staff understand priorities.
The survey consists of several detailed questions and covers the following topics:
■ Trailhead parking
■ Expanding communication efforts with the public
■ Landscaping in the medians and shoulders
■ Co-working space
■ Environmental sustainability
■ Posse Grounds improvements
■ Posse Grounds elements in design phase
■ Capital improvement projects
The survey results will influence the development of the FY 2021-22 proposed budget that will be presented to the Sedona City Council at the budget work sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, June 2 and 3, Wright said. The survey results will be presented to council and be available on the city’s website. City staff will also rely on the results of the survey to inform decisions throughout the year as programs are fleshed out and priorities are set beyond budget process.
“We are always striving to ensure the service demands of the community are met,” Wright said. “Getting the community feedback allows us to identify where our focus can be enhanced or reduced. We reach out to the community for their input in a variety of ways, and this survey is one way that we can get input from the community at-large on these budget topics.”
For those looking to take the survey, visit sedonaaz.gov/budgetsurvey. Results will be posted mid-April.
