Did Sedona City Council kick the can down the Road in 2015?

Did Sedona City Council kick the can down the road in 2015? Did they discriminate against the hospitality industry?

There is much confusion on the law as those that are manipulating the city to gain access and control the municipalities money are creating a lot of smoke and mirrors. Please read my email. Let your friends, family and employees know.

Currently we are making it more difficult to do business in the city limits. Under the law, the City of Sedona can use that money in many ways to enhance Sedona. Please write city council and ask them to gracefully bow out of any agreements. This will make the environment better for residents, employees, visitors and businesses.

It doesn’t matter if you work live or play in the Sedona City incorporated area speak up or forever pay. Silence is endorsing or agreeing with what is being done, it makes the businesses, employees and residents work harder without the benefit of the taxes they collected.

City of Sedona Arizona has a population of approximately 10K of which about 6K are considered year round residents.

Please let City Council know. Here is link to send a quick email to them http://www.sedonaaz.gov/Sedonacms/index.aspx?page=1096

Here is a letter sent to Sedona City Council February 23,2015

Subject: Arizona State Statute for Cities and Towns,
9-500.06. Hospitality Industry; discrimination prohibited.
February 23, 2015

To Sedona Mayor and Sedona City Council,

I want to thank you each for the thoughtful questions and actions that I have seen so far via City Council meetings. I am very impressed. I can see in each one of you concerns and gestures in making the right decisions for our beautiful city. In watching part of the meeting on priorities, I wonder how we will get enough money to do all that. This morning I came across something that will give you enough money for those items on your wish list plus more.

How would you like enough money to make improvements such as hiking trails, Western Gateway, mitigate traffic, parking, economic development and Brewer property improvements? The answer is simple.

Below is the law that enables you to make these improvements with your existing income. It fits in perfectly with the new community plan. It will also enable you to measure and track the results so that more income is generated from these investments year after year. Watch your investments grow and see the clear returns on your investment. This also fits in seamlessly with Larry Harmer’s presentation for Economic Development.

With your visionary insight and leadership this will create sustainability and propel Sedona into the future with a benefit for the entire Sedona community from retirees to our youth including your businesses.

I am over the moon excited for our cities opportunity in this and am willing to help in any way I can.

Here is the law and links to State Statute for Cities and Towns, 9-500.06.Hospitality Industry; discrimination prohibited; use of tax proceeds Title 9 – Cities and Towns:

(Click here) – http://azleg.state.az.us/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/ars/9/00500-06.htm&Title=9&DocType=ARS
9-500.06. Hospitality industry; discrimination prohibited; use of tax proceeds; exemption; definitions

This statute guides and mandates what is acceptable and how Cities and Towns can grow their revenues. It gives you options on how you can legally use municipality’s monies. You are able to use 100% of the bed tax to facilitate “expenditures by the city or town to develop, improve or operate tourism related attractions or facilities or to assist in the planning and promotion of such.”

Here are some great things the city can do:

· City Owned Visitor Center- easy access west Sedona
· Parking lots, walk ability, hiking and bike trails
· Attractions – build, buy and operate them. Historical, Event Centers, Wedding venues, Sport facilities
· City owned Websites branding and bringing visitors to Sedona
· Improve traffic and transportation making our city easy to get around
· Acquire assets and develop them into parks, gathering places, entertainment locations.

The list is endless. The law is clear the City of Sedona can do all that plus more with the revenue generated by the bed tax. Take the revenues generated by the bed tax and invest it in your City building City assets and growth.

Here are some examples of how those funds have been misused in a violation of the law:

· Hospitality in Incorporated Sedona does not benefit unless they pay the Chamber for memberships (Chamber plus Tourism). Those Sedona incorporated lodging facilities that are not Chamber members do not benefit from the hospitably tax therefore are being discriminated against.
· Only 30 lodging facilities operating in the city limits, some reluctantly, are members of the chamber. Included in this 30 are timeshares who do not routinely contribute to bed tax.
· The entire amount given to the Chamber had no restrictions or accountability. Therefore, you cannot track the return on investment.
· The majority of your sales tax generators are not Chamber members.
· The Chamber used the entire amount to market their regional membership.

All marketing collateral generated was 100% targeted to the Chamber and NOT the city of Sedona. Ownership of these assets are owned by the Chamber, including the website and videos all are paid for by the City of Sedona.

· The visitor center is a chamber visitor center not the City of Sedona’s. Only Chamber members get promoted there. The chamber sends the visitors to their members outside the city district to shop stay and play without generating businesses fees or taxes.
· These actions have created an unlevel playing field. Large events and business routinely get lost to outside city limits.
· The businesses and hospitality industry within the confines of the City limits of Sedona are all being discriminated against.

Now is the time for all City revenues to come back to the city to build and grow a better Sedona. The contract with the Chamber only needs a thirty day written notice to terminate.

It is not the city’s responsibility to market chamber members. The chamber is responsible for their members. The City is responsible for only the city district. More confusion occurs when the city forces the city district businesses to join a non-city regional trade organization in order to get the benefits they are legally entitled to.

I find it appalling when the chamber takes credit for all sales tax and bed tax. We all work very hard as businesses in the City. The Chamber does not collect taxes, the city district Hospitality industry does. Appreciate those that bring in revenue and they will appreciate the city in return. Adding another layer of government via the chamber is outlandish. The chamber is not 100% exclusive, focused on the city district. They have numerous conflicts of interests. To gift $1.3 million dollars to build any other business to anyone from taxpayers money is simply wrong and violates 500.06. Discrimination.

Just like citizens engagement program, economic development and city growth does rest on reducing layers, bringing residents, businesses, staff and city management together as a team appreciating one another. Only those in the incorporated area can create “Product Development” and “City Branding.” Partnering and engaging with the city district businesses directly inspires creativity, community networking which in return, markets and lets the incorporated area grow.

Sedona Leadership please utilize the law 500.06. Hospitality Industry; discrimination prohibited; use of tax proceeds; to make Sedona more positive by using”expenditures by the city or town to develop, improve or operate tourism related attractions or facilities or to assist in the planning and promotion of such”.

Leading is hard work and is not always appreciated. Positive brings positive, appreciation brings appreciation. The community plan guides us, please take control of Sedona.

Lead Sedona into the future.

Thank you,

Donna Joy Varney
Sedona City Resident and registered voter
Sedona City Business owner
Sedona City non-profit trade association founder

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