Council moves into executive session to consult attorney on immigration enforcement and potential litigation

The chair of the Sedona City Council announced March 24 that the council would move into an executive session to consult with the city attorney about police responses to immigration enforcement and related immigration law, and to consider contemplated litigation involving elections, initiatives and zoning, the chair said.

The chair read agenda item 3(a), citing state statute references and a Sedona Police Department statement dated Jan. 27, 2026, and said the matters were being handled under the city’s executive-session authority. The chair told the clerk to call the roll before taking the motion.

During roll call, Vice Mayor Fultz and Councilor Dunn answered present. Councilor Furman was recorded as excused from the open meeting but the transcript notes he would join the executive session. Councilor Hosseini, Councilor Kinsella and Councilor FAF were recorded present.

After the chair asked for a motion "that we move into executive session to discuss the items as you described," a motion was made, seconded and approved on a voice vote. The chair then said, "We're in executive session." The transcript does not record a roll-call vote or provide individual vote tallies.

The council later returned to open session and the chair said, "We're now back in open session and we'll adjourn until 04:30." No open-session action on the matters described in agenda item 3(a) was recorded in the provided transcript.

What the executive session will address, as read into the public record, includes: legal advice regarding police response to immigration enforcement and immigration law (referenced as ARS 11-1051 in the agenda), the Sedona Police Department statement dated Jan. 27, 2026, city policy on public demonstrations, and use of city property for immigration enforcement purposes. The chair also indicated the council would discuss and instruct attorneys regarding contemplated litigation connected to elections, initiatives and zoning laws under executive-session authority.

The transcript does not include statements by the city attorney, staff reports, or any public-comment exchanges on the subject, and it does not record any formal decisions or vote tallies taken in open session on these items. The council’s move to executive session means substantive legal discussion took place privately under the statutory exception; any actions that require public vote or further public proceedings were not recorded in the excerpt provided.