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Sedona amends city code to update mayor's powers, emergency-declaration review and gender-neutral language
Summary
The council unanimously adopted amendments to Sedona City Code section 2.10.040 to update mayoral duties, remove outdated emergency closure authority, add a vice-mayor emergency-declaration provision and permit council to terminate mayoral emergency proclamations by majority vote; the ordinance also modernizes language to be gender-neutral.
The Sedona City Council voted unanimously on May 13 to adopt amendments to Sedona City Code section 2.10.040, updating the powers and duties of the mayor, clarifying emergency-declaration procedures, removing a mayoral authority to order business closures (a state law change), and making language gender-neutral.
City staff (Curtis) explained the amendments came from an earlier review of council rules of procedure and were intended to avoid duplication between the rules and city code. The changes align the city code with state law by removing language that would permit a mayor to order the closing of any business during an emergency; staff said state law removed that authority following COVID-19 emergency proclamations.
The revised code also clarifies that the vice mayor may act in the mayor's place for emergency proclamations if the mayor is unavailable, and it adds an explicit council check: a majority vote of council may terminate any mayoral emergency proclamation. Councilors asked for minor wording changes to ensure gender-neutral phrasing (for example, replacing "chairman" with neutral terms and removing gendered pronouns) and staff said those edits were incorporated into the final document.
A motion to adopt the ordinance as amended passed unanimously. Council did not specify an ordinance number in the public record on the motion transcript beyond the read-back used at the meeting; staff will publish the final ordinance number and updated code section after clerical processing.
Votes at a glance: ordinance amending Sedona City Code §2.10.040 adopted unanimously.
