Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents press council on visitor counts and speeding concerns at public forum
Summary
Two residents used public comment to press the council: Tim Perry challenged the city's frequently cited "3,000,000 tourists a year" figure and urged greater transparency, and Sandy McGids asked the city to address dangerous speeding on Inspirational Drive after reporting a pet was struck.
Two residents spoke during the public forum portion of the Sedona City Council meeting.
Tim Perry of Sedona took aim at the commonly referenced "3,000,000 tourists a year" figure. Perry said he reviewed the city's report and found the average number of visits over three years is about 3,220,000, but the number of individual visitors averaged 1,390,000; he argued counting local county residents as visitors inflates the tourist total and estimated "just over 1,100,000 tourists a year" after correcting for locals. He urged staff to be transparent about the methodology and stop "misinforming the public." Perry referenced staff presentations and earlier use of the higher numbers to justify staffing and budget increases.
Sandy McGids, a resident of Inspirational Drive, described repeated speeding on her street, said she had been in her house nearly 20 years and that one of her cats was hit; she described drivers reaching speeds of "60, 80 miles an hour," lack of street lighting and sidewalks and asked the city to consider traffic calming measures such as permanent speed bumps, noting temporary speed bumps installed during water work "really helped." The vice mayor said staff members present would reach out to her.
Council did not debate or act on these items during the meeting; staff indicated they would be in touch with Ms. McGids about traffic calming and the council did not respond to Mr. Perry with immediate policy action.
