The Slow Death of Sedona started way before 2013, unbeknownst to Sedona Residents. How and why, this happened is a very long story with decades of multiple moving parts.
I recently came across this email written on July 28, 2013 to Mayor Rob Adams, City Council, City Manager Tim Ernster, Ed Conway, Jennifer Wesselholf.
What lead to the slow death?
Is it acceptable to have over 20 years in a no-bid contract with the regional Chamber with millions of (city) public dollars going to the regional-members of the Chamber with a composition of primary-out-of-city non-hospitality members? Is it a fair and balance public policy by giving the regional chamber the ONLY voice in front of the in-city business? Is it acceptable to for the public to work on this change for over a decade?
Eddie Maddock: The Tale That Wagged the Dog https://sedonaeye.com/eddie-maddock-the-tale-that-wagged-the-dog/
The standard is for municipalities to be their own DMO
The standard is for municipalities to be their own DMO
The regional Chamber mislead the council claiming to be a city-tourism-bureau. They reported to be “just like Scottsdale” Which was a lie. While gaining millions of city-taxes for the membership, they marketed only members only. While less than 3% were in the city-lodging they took 55% of city-bed-tax.
The Chamber claimed that the City Council approved the %. However, they don’t explain that they had the only voice at city council meetings. They claimed that the city was not paying their share, correctly by funding the chamber. They pitched this to council for a few years.
The chamber also retained all the collateral and assets for their exclusive use. The Chamber marketed and branded themselves as a government tourism organization and spread tons of false information leading to the slow death of Sedona.
Chamber’s claim to ownership of city-bed-tax which includes the misleading statement about “accredited destination” this was a paid for accredited paid for by taxes and only given because of the misleading statement and vote. NO city within the state of Arizona gives city-bed-taxes for the exclusive use of a regional chamber. All follow the standard policy.
Arizona Designated Area is a Municipality or County. Tourism taxes (bed-taxes) follow the Standard marketing models
Chamber’s Sedona Chamber of Commerce Questions on Bed Tax – Sedona Chamber of Commerce
Chamber’s Sedona Chamber of Commerce Questions on Bed Tax – Sedona Chamber of Commerce content Who determines how much of the bed tax goes to the Chamber?
The City Council makes that determination.
In 2013, after discussions among the Chamber, city staff, representatives of the business community and elected officials, the Council voted to increase the bed tax from 3 percent to 3.5 percent in order to increase expenditures for tourism marketing.
At the same time, the City Council voted to allocate 55 percent of the collected revenue for destination marketing activities.
State law grants cities the authority to enter into a contract with a nonprofit organization such as the Chamber for the purpose of using bed taxes to promote tourism. The City has contracted with the Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau for tourism promotion services since the 1990s.
The Chamber is the only accredited destination marketing organization in the greater Verde Valley. We have a specialized knowledge of what attracts tourists to Sedona and what tourists expect to experience in Sedona. The Chamber also understands the specific markets from which the City desires to attract visitors.
The most recent seven-year contract between the Chamber and the City of Sedona was approved by the City Council in 2017.
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Benchmark tourism policy post teaches us that for over two decades the city was mismanaging tourism policies and the taxes imposed on the residents and businesses in-city
