IDEAS NO on Home Rule – argument ideas

Posted on by Donna Joy

Why vote no on home rule July. 21st, 2026

  1. Home rule empowers the Sedona City Council and staff to operate with an open checkbook without any financial oversight. The city is not held accountable for their errors and mistakes. The city is very lazy, very sloppy and spends money like drunken sailors.
  2. The City of Sedona operates without a voter approved “Sedona Community Plan”. The current Sedona Community Plan was driven by a non-city sanctioned group. Who weren’t 100% city residents with potential conflicts of interest.
    • NON-CITY “Housing Advisory Work Group” Membership meet monthly at the city allowing the staff, and council members to attend.
    • Membership Composition of 33 members with the majority of members being non-city residents:
      • 26% Government, City staff, council, and School employee
      • 56% Business or NGO, 
      • 15% Real estate or Professional
    • The non-city sanctioned “Housing Advisory Work Group” members received payments from the city in 2024-2025  for  $ 2,688,522 million.
    • The “Housing Advisory Work Group” we part of the name calling of residents emails and part of the Community Plan presentation calling the residents “Nimby Cows”
  3. The city increased the budget under home rule, pouring millions on millions into marketing day trippers and investors. The City of Sedona redirected from a small town to a “Tourism first agenda” without the proper infrastructure in place.
    • The city council voted to raise the city bed tax by one-half a cent to give the regional Sedona Chamber 55% of City-bed tax to market their regional members in 2013.
    • That city was pouring millions of annual dollars into the regional Sedona Chamber of Commerce that marketed the Chambers regional and non-tourism members without any restrictions or control.
    • The chamber marketed everything and everywhere including short term rentals STRs.
    • RESULTS: TRAFFIC TRAFFIC TRAFFIC and increased the day trippers, and drive thru cars. Tourism remains the same level of tourists. It hasn’t increased.  Only traffic, city staff, spending, and day trippers have increased.
      • Mark Tenbrock report in 2026 shows a Peak Visitor Category of Day Trippers at 37%
      • The Chamber marketing cheapen the stay driving the repeat visitors such as art collectors and designation weddings out who were the “Stay, Play & Shop” visitors
  4. In 2017, the City Council raised the city sales tax to fix the traffic they created.
    RESULTS: NOTHING has worked the increased sales tax affects us all.
  5. Roundabouts don’t work. And there is no traffic solutions that the city can do for two roads access points.
  6. Let’s look at some other mismanagement.
    • Forest road extension.
    • Uptown barriers and slip lanes.
    • Uptown parking garage.
    • Purchase of the Sedona Cultural Park,
    • more Roundabouts coming, destroying Brewer Road,
    • Free shuttles for tourists.
    • Sidewalk for hikers
  7. The City of Sedona uses “visitor population” in the Home Rule presentations. Creating a crisis that without tourism Sedona won’t survive. Putting Tourism in front of residents with a “Tourism First Agenda”.
  8. Under Home Rule the City of Sedona has pushed residents, businesses, and special events out with a “Tourism First Agenda”. Depleting the population. The city is to date (2026) has a negative residential growth of -15.31 % since 2010.
  9. In the last 16 years, the only significant growth has been in the city staff and budget. The city now employs over 200 more than double its size in 2010. Even from 2019 the city increased staff by 62% under Home Rule.
  10. In 2026 with a budget exceeding $100 million, the budget 10 years ago was $38 million an increase of more than 62 million!!! 163.57% increase!
  11. A recent report indicates that 48 staff members earn over $100,000 that would be approximately 23.3% making over 100K
  12. Tourism has been flatlined since 1998 with 3.5 million tourists.
    • The Chamber and City’s marketing cheapen the stay driving the repeat visitors such as art collectors and designation weddings out who were the “Stay, Play & Shop” visitors
    • Mark Tenbrock report in 2026 shows a Peak Visitor Category of Day Trippers at 37%
  13. Home Rule allows the City of Sedona to operate without performance metrics, efficiency data, no total quality management programs, NO transparency, no clear process controls in place and inadequate public policies.
  14. The rapid growth and the mismanagement have created a very chaotic City Hall. With toxic negative comments made about residents calling them nimbies. The city even embedded the name calling in the Land & Housing Community Plan.
  15. The City staff has doubled. Budget has over 100m now.
  16. The city has 48 people making over 100,000 a year and 28 are right behind that. Plus benefits. The average city employee makes more than a Sedona household of 2-3 times more
  17. The Sedona City employees are the highest paid in Sedona. Yet, hospitality jobs are the normal jobs in Sedona. The hospitality industry is the lowest paid.
  18. Sedona’s population dropped 15.31% to 9,799 (2025) from the 2010 population: 11,570 (highest ever) Sedona lost 1,792 residents. The City was funding the Regional Chamber members between 500k to 750k back in the then.
  19. The City used taxes to market Short Term Rentals via the City of Sedona’s Tourism Program and city funding to the Sedona Chamber of Commerce members for the Chamber’s visitor center.
  20. Projects the City has messed up.
    • Forest road Extension.
    • Many lawsuits.
    • Building the Uptown parking garage. Original cost 6 million Now it’s up to 26.5 million. Originally it was going to be free parking for the employees. Now it’s going to be paid parking and most likely the employees will be shuttled in.
    • Brewer road a new round about.  They’re going to destroy the heart store on Brewer Rd, a national historical property. They want a roundabout there, and they want to be able to run shuttles around the roundabout.
    • They bought the Cultural Park for $20 million. Have a bond with interest. It wasn’t worth that.
    • Forest road extension started out with the budget of. 2.77 million and ended up costing. 17.69.
      1. The city used imminent domain to take people’s property away from them. Forest road. Many sued the city lost that cost the taxpayers money.
  21. Government waste. No accountability.
  22. Traffic drove the businesses, residents and special events out of town.
  23. In 2010, the U.S. economy was still in the recovery phase from the Great Recession, with modest growth, high unemployment, and ongoing financial system reforms shaping the year.


STOP the DAMAGE with NO on home rule

City Name Calling Residents

Nimby cows plan Sedona Video

Slide of City of Sedona “Plan Sedona Housing & Lane Use Community Forum” presentation 4/19/2023 at West Sedona elementary school. City video Plan Sedona Housing & Land Use Community Forum 4/19/23

Toxic City of Sedona Email Calling the residents nimby
City Housing Manager, Toxic City of Sedona Email Calling the residents nimby
NO Home Rule arguments
VOTE NO on Home Rule 2026



Tourism is the SAME !!!!!!  3 million tourists annually, in 1988 before incoporation. Same tourism and population in 1998 and today. 

Under Sedona Government Tourism First Agenda, the only things that have grown are TRAFFIC, CITY GOV, TAXES, COST of LIVING, GOV WASTE & DAYTRIPPERS!!!!!!

Vote No on Home rule

No restriction to city of residency.

CALL FOR ARGUMENTS – Home Rule option
City of Sedona Call for Arguments for Alternative Expenditure Limitation (Home Rule Option)

On March 10, 2026, the City Council passed Resolution No. 2026-03 proposing an Extension of the Alternative Expenditure Limitation (Home Rule Option). Voter ratification of the proposed extension is required. This issue will appear on the July 21, 2026 ballot. Information regarding this issue will be included in a publicity pamphlet.

Arguments supporting or opposing adoption of the Extension of the Alternative Expenditure Limitation (Home Rule Option) may be submitted to the Sedona City Clerk at cityclerksdept@sedonaaz.gov. Arguments cannot exceed 200 words in length and must also be submitted in electronic format. Individuals submitting arguments must provide their name, physical or mailing address, and a telephone number. Only your name will be included in the publicity pamphlet. Each argument filed shall contain the sworn statement of each person sponsoring it. If the argument is sponsored by an organization, it shall contain the sworn statement of two executive officers of the organization or if sponsored by a political committee it shall contain the sworn statement of the committee’s chairman or treasurer.

The deadline for submission of supporting or opposing arguments is Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.

NEWS RELEASE https://www.sedonaaz.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/55862/639088427641900000

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