Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Sedona council sees smaller FY2026 budget as staff warn reverting to state expenditure limit would gut services
Summary
City staff presented a cautious FY2026 budget that they say is smaller than FY2025, citing uncertain tourism-driven revenues and a state expenditure limit that, if applied without Home Rule or a permanent base adjustment, would sharply reduce what the city can spend on essential services.
Sedona's City Council spent its work session scrutinizing the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget and the risks of losing Home Rule, with city finance staff warning that the state's expenditure limit would force deep cuts to essential services if the city did not preserve a local control option.
"The budget before you is actually smaller than this year's budget," City Manager Annette Spicker said as she opened the session, thanking staff for months of preparation. Director of Financial Services Barbara Whitehorn told councilors the administration built the FY2026 proposal on a conservative revenue forecast because Sedona depends heavily on sales and bed taxes, which together account for roughly 61% of total city revenue and about 80% of the general fund.
Whitehorn outlined a technical calculation required by the state of Arizona that sets an automatic expenditure limit for…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
