Sedona City Council took several formal actions Thursday night, approving personnel, procurement and project amendments in votes that were either unanimous or carried by majority voice votes.

Appointments and contracts
- Presiding magistrate judge: Council approved a two‑year appointment and employment contract for Richard Spear (motion approved unanimously). The council interviewed candidates on Sept. 9 and Sept. 29; the appointment is subject to the city attorney’s review of the written contract.

- Wastewater pump and motor service contracts: Council approved awards for RFQ '26‑05 to Pumpman Phoenix (doing business as Scott’s AZ Electric Motor Repair) as the primary vendor and Keller Electrical Industries LLC as backup. Each contract is not to exceed $300,000 over the initial three‑year term with two optional one‑year renewals; council said staff budgeted for typical annual repair work in the $50,000–$80,000 range and that individual repairs often cost $10,000–$25,000.

Project and design work
- Uptown parking garage design amendment: Council approved Amendment No. 5 to the design contract with Garber Lawrence Architects (GLA) for additional design and construction support related to the Uptown Park and Garage project in the amount of $187,693. Staff reported the amendment can be covered within the project’s design contingencies and that the overall project forecast has a modest increase on the order of several hundred thousand dollars (tracking roughly a 5% increase overall). Public comment urged tighter contract controls on change orders before approving additional amendments.

Software and grants
- ADP contract renewal: Council approved a five‑year guaranteed-price agreement with ADP for cloud‑based payroll/HR services (estimated five‑year cost ~ $228,000). One council member recused from the discussion prior to the vote because ADP is a client of that member’s consulting business.

- Transit grant application: Council authorized staff to apply for FY25 Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5339 formula grant funding through the Arizona Department of Transportation to purchase two additional ADA‑accessible transit vehicles (total project $525,000; federal share 85%; local match ~ $78,791). Staff said the award process is competitive and vehicle deliveries, if awarded, typically take about a year.

How council voted
Votes were recorded by voice for the items above; council reported unanimous support for the presiding magistrate appointment and the wastewater service contracts. The GLA amendment and ADP renewal passed after motion and second; one council member recused from the ADP discussion. The transit application authorization passed unanimously.

Ending
Council asked staff for continued budget and contingency reporting on the Uptown garage and for clarity on grant timelines and match funding for the transit vehicles. Several public commenters urged stricter internal controls over change orders and contractor oversight.