Flagstaff moves to secure Timberline indoor range as joint law-enforcement training facility

The Flagstaff City Council completed a first reading Nov. 4 to authorize steps toward acquiring the Timberline indoor shooting range, a 12-lane facility located off U.S. 89, as a joint firearms training center for public safety agencies.

City real estate manager Bryce Doty told council the property is a 11,000-square-foot, 1.7-acre indoor range with room for expansion and said staff is negotiating an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) among the city, the Coconino Community College and the sheriff’s office to define operations and funding. Doty said the city is seeking to remove the property from the market while partners finalize commitments.

Doty said the owner’s asking price of about $2.35 million is below recent comparable construction costs for similar academy facilities and that buying an existing facility could produce “significant cost savings over trying to build a facility ourselves.” He stressed the acquisition would be contingent on executing the IGA and securing partner funding.

Finance director Rick Tatter said staff conducted a proportionate-share review and concluded a defensible portion of development impact fees may be used, combined with police-department funds, to cover the city’s share. Tatter said staff must still monitor year-end budget positions to determine whether a formal appropriation or contingency transfer will be required.

Police staff explained the planned indoor range would address training limits at the existing outdoor range—an outdoor site reached by several miles of unpaved road and seasonally inaccessible—allowing more frequent and weather-independent firearms training for officers.

Council completed a first reading of Ordinance 2025-24 to authorize the acquisition; council members said a final purchase authorization will return alongside the IGA once partner commitments and funding are finalized.