The City of Sedona Historic Preservation Commission agreed Nov. 10 to prepare a written report for City Council summarizing the commission's recent work and to compile updated property surveys and potential landmark candidates.

Commissioners directed staff and volunteers to gather raw data — including counts of meetings, certificates of appropriateness and certificates of no effect, recent surveys and budget figures — so the commission can finalize a packet at its Dec. 8 work session and present a condensed "white paper" to City Council on the Jan. 13 placeholder meeting. "We can get all of that by the December so we can get that out as a packet," staff member Carrie said during the meeting.

Why it matters: City Council asked the commission last year to bring the matter back for further review, and commissioners said a succinct, documented package will help council understand the commission's statutory role, time commitments and accomplishments. One commissioner urged the group to "go back to the law that set us up and say, here's why we were put in place," arguing the white paper should explain legal authority, past activity and future priorities.

What was assigned: Staff said it will send ordinance and CLG materials to a commissioner identified as Steve and will update tables showing the number of meetings, certificates and applicable budget numbers. Commissioners Stupak and Woods were asked to provide a list of surveys completed in the past year; one or more commissioners volunteered to draft the initial white paper from the materials staff provides. The group also agreed to prepare a slideshow of properties the commission has worked on so council members can quickly see examples.

Landmark outreach and surveys: Commissioners reported ongoing outreach to several prospective landmark candidates. The commission briefed the governing council for Church of the Red Rocks about the landmarking process; that council plans to consider the matter at its next meeting. Commissioners said the Star Motel is owned by a consortium and that one owner indicated interest in pursuing landmark status. They also discussed a 33-acre property owned by Hermine Peterson that includes a structure associated with a 1944 John Wayne film; commissioners described that property as a promising candidate for documentation and possible designation.

Concerns about owner hesitancy and code conflicts: Commissioners acknowledged that some owners fear designation will limit future work on their properties. They also noted that modern building-code requirements can sometimes work against historic preservation for smaller, older houses, and said the white paper should help staff and commissioners explain benefits and limitations to owners.

Open meeting law and subcommittee work: Several commissioners requested written clarification from the city attorney's office (referred to in the meeting as Kurt Christensen's office) about how commissioners may work between public meetings without violating Arizona open meeting law. Staff reminded the commission that two commissioners may conduct surveys together, but that discussion among a majority outside a public meeting can create a violation. As one staff member put it, the commission will "get the formal document" from the city attorney's office to clarify allowable practices.

Process and next steps: Staff will compile ordinance excerpts, CLG materials and the requested survey lists into the December packet; commissioners plan to use the Dec. 8 work session to assemble and edit a draft white paper and slideshow. The commission also agreed to place an item on the Dec. 8 agenda to discuss updating its handbook. Chair Myers adjourned the meeting at 4:46 p.m.

No formal contested votes were recorded on substantive policy items during the meeting; the Oct. 13, 2025 minutes were approved by consent.