[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6247611,"mediaKeyId","3212663-e177298aa4d5b810652e46c3dd32dfe8","parentId",3212663,"title","Flagstaff manager's budget sets aside $11.5M in one-time infrastructure, $2M for police/fire designs and $5.5M for software modernization","audioSeconds",629,"startMs",5422000,"endMs",6051000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3212663-e177298aa4d5b810652e46c3dd32dfe8&start=5422&end=6051","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3212663-e177298aa4d5b810652e46c3dd32dfe8/thumbnail_5422000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6247611/Flagstaff-City/Coconino-County/Arizona/Flagstaff-managers-budget-sets-aside-115M-in-one-time-infrastructure-2M-for-policefire-designs-and-55M-for-software-modernization","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6247611-c2612d18322e10467fc2d9b08dbeea06/orig.mp4?Expires=1771172649&Signature=RzLPWzcwmvwlFoMIiygVjCPyK4Hk8dO9qDt9qcYMxOXtDNpfui~GjsTCfP2mwxcBAh7HR1IJcfa~PU6oRretYwJKT~YnKe99ueZ8onVYQi22MahDra1Gzx2C9IPWHRbjbzU1wevAWe46QUJucsY3LXTwTjawv8N92a5C2hZToSIZqe200FaQCxRP4b73Q1NQ8e13xhHpSdESqYLpqjsyf-nrXSB65uKo2b23I-JmWjFBlLUnThTvIKx-gqoFz7FtCvVpS3g7U8WHK8DQa5peyhtw3KkxQEzoaQQX1j1v1fVuMhEaEalP-Bkw45FWCZvqUsE4qy5YxIv8CiTDanymng__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Flagstaff, AZ","date","2025-05-06T21:07:26Z","article","Brandy Souda, the city's finance director, and Heidi Derryberry, assistant finance director, walked council through the recommended appropriations and the priority-based budgeting alignment that guided funding decisions.

Souda said total requests across all funds this year totaled about $94.7 million and that the budget team recommended approximately $49 million of that in the manager's proposed budget, with roughly $31.8 million in recommended grant requests included. In the general fund, she said staff identified $11.5 million in one-time infrastructure investments and $5.7 million in employee investment.

\"We have total available for fiscal year 25-26 budget of 6,100,000 ongoing and 26,500,000 in one-time,\" Souda said, summarizing available ongoing and one-time resources after updated revenue and year-end estimates.

Major recommended items included design funding for new police and fire facilities (about $2.0 million), $2.9 million for facility repairs and replacements (including J. W. Jively investments), nearly $1 million for fleet replacements and $5.5 million planned over three to five years for software modernization (dispatch/records and a potential new ERP including HR and payroll). Other funds receiving one-time assistance included $4.8 million for the airport and $648,000 for a water-resource infrastructure protection design project.

Heidi Derryberry walked council through the priority-based budgeting alignment showing most requests scored in the \"most\" or \"more aligned\" categories with council priorities and community objectives, and staff said they tried to prioritize the most aligned items when resources were limited.

Ending: Souda said the recommended budget does not assume any property-tax levy increase and that council will have further opportunities to review the capital-improvement program and project-level details before adoption.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Flagstaff City Council Budget Retreat Day 1 - April 24, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Finance staff outlined recommended one-time capital allocations for 2025–26, including $11.5 million in general-fund infrastructure investments, design dollars for future police and fire facilities and $5.5 million earmarked for software modernization and ERP improvements.","taxTitle","Flagstaff City, Coconino County, Arizona","taxId",4650,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6247616,"Flagstaff budget includes modest climate investments; EPA resilience-hub grant under appeal",791,7253000,8044000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3212663-e177298aa4d5b810652e46c3dd32dfe8&start=7253&end=8044","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3212663-e177298aa4d5b810652e46c3dd32dfe8/thumbnail_7253000.jpg","/articles/6247616/Flagstaff-City/Coconino-County/Arizona/Flagstaff-budget-includes-modest-climate-investments-EPA-resilience-hub-grant-under-appeal","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6247616-dd42435d0b210d714592f0b62a989982/orig.mp4?Expires=1771172649&Signature=eUob4EFOQGLsqvHvrkxhh0DGA6Y0ZP3~buMcZuKXF8pGQSPfG9XaBvLB4tp0JT0kyuyawXPLo4Y2qaFTyA2FCXqcX4t0CaoKwHHBGjT99uTSILtW5tAHChF5BA6FjWoJpMX3nm20uCbuQXSZ87gk~z6fiCwJH~WrOQpxdxz-gLoAW44yZai9h9TSv8MQpuxSCu57JsArypSLZJoNwQz3OQB1WYHSMSANPioye-aa~PVKJzwnpAxOsoZkDeCSzwoyQbebWYn2rwDq256xpNaWYwMz8amNVtf-iy6YLlcb4CvgsdxSKEqqEE5A4PZrbV1iinTm92QaN68v~q8zAL-Png__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Nicole (sustainability director) presented council with how the recommended budget supports portions of the city's carbon neutrality plan. She said roughly 5% of the recommended budget advances carbon-neutrality objectives and that staff had identified about $1.2 million in new funding requests that align with the plan.

Key sustainability items in the recommended budget include a $100,000 home-hardening pilot (to reduce wildfire risk at home), $7,500 for fleet EV training, and funding to install Level 3 fast chargers dedicated to city fleet operations. Nicole said the Level 3 chargers are intended to keep emergency and fast-rotation vehicles available during incidents.

Nicole also told the council the sustainability division recently received a stop-work order on a $1 million EPA resilience-hub grant that supported three community resilience hubs and small nonprofit subrecipients. \"We formally appealed,\" she said. Nicole said city legal staff and the city manager's office assisted with the appeal and that the EPA response could take several months (staff said November was a possible timeframe).

Why it matters: The sustainability items are relatively small parts of the total recommended budget but are intended to position the city to match federal grant opportunities, reduce wildfire risk at the household level and prepare for fleet electrification as vehicles are replaced over time.

Ending: Staff said the home-hardening pilot and charger projects would be shovel ready if funding is approved; the outcome of the EPA appeal will determine the timetable for the resilience-hub subrecipient work.","Sustainability staff flagged that roughly 5% of recommended budget items align with the city's carbon-neutrality plan, including a $100,000 home-hardening pilot and fast-charging infrastructure for fleet; staff said an EPA resilience-hub grant was placed on stop-work and that the city has appealed the decision.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6247620,"City to recruit new planning leader, move housing to city manager's office; $7M homebuyer bond proposed",10589,3206000,13795000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3212663-e177298aa4d5b810652e46c3dd32dfe8&start=3206&end=13795","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3212663-e177298aa4d5b810652e46c3dd32dfe8/thumbnail_3206000.jpg","/articles/6247620/Flagstaff-City/Coconino-County/Arizona/City-to-recruit-new-planning-leader-move-housing-to-city-managers-office-7M-homebuyer-bond-proposed","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6247620-775c42b081f892ac9b66276f20a83c5b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771172649&Signature=SaBeyqoIfqceNHWvT3kM3ZPtOZ9bgNbacGdD~~sQYlobDhpxc2UALeqa32U-gALikdgPqihmWTLJA1HkxXvfCY482pKR811Oc9gfZGeWxI6KtwzGwVkBaO~j0pPTieinAgQt125ZpwOSjICgl19Ymczt4veE~ehE~FwumB-KnoT6QKetE9tLml~OtRHzhwXJfevxRSKZVR5aprxSM7d9m0gFi4z9G12ROSrABEDB1jhsARhfaJsu1qSRFt8jAIv8xk8WISqR4ikAJCkTj~SsfcKNJzcB6mGubE--nl7ZGojb2ausxQUVj4YXRaeNIcsk6RRLBUpiSwtMuAWJMNA21A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Joanne Key, deputy city manager, outlined a planned organizational change after the departure of the city's community development director: Key said staff will rebrand Community Development as Planning and Development Services, recruit a director for that unit and move housing into the city manager's office. She said the new housing division would be stood up as a formal division within about six months.

\"The idea is to change community development to planning and development services, have building safety and code and real estate and planning report to that new director recruit for that new director and then move housing, as a report into the city manager's office,\" Key said.

Budget and housing staff also described financing proposals and programs. The recommended budget includes a $7,000,000 bond proposal for a homebuyer assistance program (CHAP) that would be set up as a revolving loan fund, and it sets aside $250,000 for the city's incentive policy to encourage developers to include affordable units. Staff said employer-assisted housing and unit-preservation funding will be supported through program income and available one-time resources.

Other housing items discussed: city staff said the rental-incentive bond program is fully obligated; staff listed reservations for development incentives that total roughly $1 million across multiple projects, and staff said the housing commission would review a proposed amendment to the incentive policy soon.

Why it matters: Housing was presented as a top organizational priority. Key and other staff said moving housing under the city manager's office will shorten decision lines and help the city implement housing projects and bond-funded assistance more quickly.

Ending: Key said recruitment for the planning director will be the first step; staff will move housing functions and return to council with details and any recommended classification or funding adjustments.","Deputy city manager told council staff will restructure Community Development into Planning & Development Services, recruit a new director and move housing to report to the city manager; the budget includes a proposed $7 million bond for homebuyer assistance and $250,000 for incentive pay for affordable housing.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6247625,"Flagstaff budget recommends citywide pay moves, market adjustments and selective new positions",1742,2211000,3953000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3212663-e177298aa4d5b810652e46c3dd32dfe8&start=2211&end=3953","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3212663-e177298aa4d5b810652e46c3dd32dfe8/thumbnail_2211000.jpg","/articles/6247625/Flagstaff-City/Coconino-County/Arizona/Flagstaff-budget-recommends-citywide-pay-moves-market-adjustments-and-selective-new-positions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6247625-7e5c505d338a82999d524816f168c30c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771172649&Signature=aTisKHjPgclRFSMQCK1CFFz8~BdoCrTC9gXHl6VjiTkPLWZAnLXvVVGGBaD5DdQf7zvM-7IgNHktjJwCu-8MrAvKSAMFoZgDa9Np6hAdS5G42gLuhtRLe0iNPK-k1TB14ugpO3iyhAsThOPdXbcr39kvql1bkO77Qo7K-0QgoDMSZ8PP5gqbV6C~t1NMdT3aOMKpy5JRfnvcd4scEUrSv7Zujrmb76cBjhDF0sEhxXo8PPTqxGq~DkCXN1uRm1~JuheK7i-rOxemg31tZCvwKcczeNOLE2UYJR7C0JC9AzQNp~T-2H~xKTE6Eonq0I~lmAfYI0IT6wb7hYHF9OInZg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sarah Schorn, Flagstaff's HR lead, and Brandy Souda, the city's finance director, presented council with human-resources metrics and personnel recommendations during the April 24 budget retreat.

Schorn said the city's vacancy rate \"as of today, we're at 12%\" and that the organization is budgeted for 905.2 full-time equivalent positions. She told the council the city had about 22 active job postings and more than 50 active requisitions, and that applications and hiring activity were up this spring.

The recommended budget emphasizes continued market adjustments and pay-for-performance. Souda said the general fund includes roughly $5.7 million in employee investments for fiscal year 2025–26 (including about $2.2 million for merit and pay-for-performance and $3.5 million in market adjustments for general-fund positions) and that additional citywide market funding was budgeted in other funds.

\"We are going to continue to move positions closer to market,\" Schorn said, describing a multi-year effort that targets classifications more than 7.5% behind market.

Other personnel items: staff recommended a handful of one-time positions to support projects (an IT manager onetime project role, a fire-captain CAD project position, mechanics and temporary library positions); staff also asked council to approve 33 classifications (affecting about 76 FTEs) for reclassification review over the next year. Joanne Key, deputy city manager, described a planned reorganization in community development that would move housing to report to the city manager and create a planning-and-development-services director role.

What the council asked: members pressed on parental leave and other benefits. Schorn said expanding parental leave further would have significant cost: \"That one came down to cost. That one was a cost of about $500,000, to double our ... parental leave,\" she said, and that the larger parental-leave requests were not funded in the recommended package.

Why it matters: The recommended investment keeps the city's pay-schedule modernization moving while limiting recurring additions to head count. Staff said the approach was intended to improve recruitment and retention in hard-to-fill roles (mechanics, lifeguards), and to close pay gaps revealed by the classification study.

Ending: Council agreed to the staff approach in the recommended budget and asked staff to return with implementation details and to monitor vacancy and recruitment metrics monthly.","Council heard staff proposals to continue market-based pay adjustments, fund targeted reclassifications and add a small number of positions; staff said the recommended resources prioritize compensation over new recurring hires.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6247630,"Flagstaff trims some sales- and lodging-tax forecasts, keeps conservative recession plan",1067,1098000,2165000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3212663-e177298aa4d5b810652e46c3dd32dfe8&start=1098&end=2165","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3212663-e177298aa4d5b810652e46c3dd32dfe8/thumbnail_1098000.jpg","/articles/6247630/Flagstaff-City/Coconino-County/Arizona/Flagstaff-trims-some-sales-and-lodging-tax-forecasts-keeps-conservative-recession-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6247630-806f970066f74048b0507b7ffc330ba5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771172649&Signature=O7NZykU1D-JTAB3j5izHbLbxNi34HFOjDiFHhSU761NFdV82OOFI1FVYi-NCytqCksDL-q~b~A5AHSCmA23XbZcZyqRq~aZLY2zACiy0vQpjLLTC3yGV1KMzIWFKd1P9sWGXlBFVgcDSBcEDUsPbgrktjjQOUHU-byao8bYFwXKBSSQMrLS8lmuQRfO24qO5I6lAinySHvYIuCeKZbLtr8HEexN74yCXlg1uERg4aygmRXqJl4EfFa1eTXUtVSHGZ35OXb2Zl8Ooq91MMXOXtKoZOrPt5a81uUtbMePLQcPpwSmL90pbskrq8WG4KKHP~Zr50bduEJHk7vBPn~A58w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Rick Potter, management services director for Flagstaff City, told the City Council at its April 24 budget retreat that revenue growth is modest but uneven and that staff revised some projections after seeing January–March returns.

Potter said the city is projecting about 2.5% growth in general-fund sales tax this year but has pared back estimates in retail/marketplace and in hotel/motel collections after weaker recent months. He also said state-shared revenues and vehicle-registration (auto-license) receipts were stronger than earlier expected.

\"Uncertainty is a a very key word we're having,\" Potter said, describing federal policy changes, tariffs and other national-level developments that complicate forecasting.

Why it matters: General-fund revenues determine how much the city can commit to recurring items such as compensation, public safety staffing and maintenance. Potter said the budget team adjusted its recession planning approach to protect money for staff pay and other priorities.

Details that matter

- Potter told council staff moved down retail/marketplace projections after January declines but saw March collections improve. He said hotel/motel receipts were trimmed to roughly 1% growth in next-year projections after several months of year-over-year declines.

- State-shared revenues were revised up after stronger-than-expected January–March returns; Potter said vehicle-registration (auto) receipts led that improvement and drove a projected 5% gain on the state-share side compared with an earlier 3% assumption.

- On recession planning: Potter said budget staff considered a historic approach of assuming a 3% temporary revenue decline in a downturn but instead \"decided to keep it flat\" in order to free resources for compensation needs, while relying on the city's recession-planning tools if a downturn materializes. \"Instead of doing a 3% decline, let's just keep it flat,\" he said.

- Potter flagged a potential $70,000 annual exposure if certain state income-tax changes affecting tips were adopted; he said Arizona does not tax Social Security so federal changes to Social Security would not directly change state income-tax treatment.

What happened next: Council used Potter's updated projections as the revenue baseline for the city manager's recommended budget and asked staff to continue monthly monitoring and return if conditions change materially.

Ending: Potter closed by urging continued monitoring: \"We'll be watching these revenues month after month,\" he said, and promised to come back to council with updated results and any recommended changes to the budget plan.","City financial staff told the City Council that general-fund revenue growth is modestly positive but uneven across categories; the budget team shifted its recession assumption from a 3% temporary decline to a flatter scenario to preserve capacity for employee compensation.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Flagstaff manager's budget sets aside $11.5M in one-time infrastructure, $2M for police/fire designs and $5.5M for software modernization

Flagstaff budget includes modest climate investments; EPA resilience-hub grant under appeal

City to recruit new planning leader, move housing to city manager's office; $7M homebuyer bond proposed

Flagstaff budget recommends citywide pay moves, market adjustments and selective new positions

Flagstaff trims some sales- and lodging-tax forecasts, keeps conservative recession plan