Flagstaff council approves downtown enhanced services contract and delays parking-rate hike

Flagstaff City Council on Feb. 17 approved a three-year contract with the Flagstaff Downtown Business Alliance to provide enhanced downtown services — sanitation, graffiti and excrement removal, restroom servicing, pressure washing, event cleanup, snow and ice removal, and marketing — and authorized the city manager to execute related documents.

Assistant City Manager Shannon Anderson told the council the contract is a three-year term with up to two additional one-year renewals and includes a team of cleaning ambassadors, team leaders, an operations manager and program staff. Annual compensation for the contract was stated on the record as $666,959.05; the contract will be invoiced monthly and the vendor will provide quarterly reports and biannual briefings to council staff.

Councilors asked how the city would enforce performance standards and how downtown businesses could provide feedback. Anderson said contract remediation would begin with discussions and work plans with the vendor, and, if unresolved, could lead to termination as with other city contracts. Henry Abare of the Flagstaff Downtown Business Alliance said contractors will mark vehicles with contact numbers and operate a dispatch line for rapid response; stakeholders will also be able to provide input through established meetings and email channels.

Shortly after approving the contract, the council took a related action on parking fees. Rick Tatter, management services director, presented an ordinance to delay a previously scheduled parking-rate increase slated for March 1. Tatter said the pause — proposed through Ordinance 2026-04 — would move the effective date to Aug. 1 so residents can see enhanced services in operation before the rates take effect. Council approved the first reading of that ordinance by title only.

Why it matters: The contract and the delayed fee change link service delivery to user fees, aiming to give downtown businesses and residents an opportunity to evaluate improvements before higher rates start. The vendor arrangement centralizes many routine downtown maintenance tasks that the city said are difficult to sustain with current city staffing.

Votes at a glance: The contract motion (moved by Vice Mayor Sweet) and the motion to read Ordinance 2026-04 by title only passed by unanimous voice vote.

What’s next: Staff will implement the contract, provide quarterly reports, and return with the second reading of Ordinance 2026-04 as required for final adoption.