On Dec. 17, Councilmembers Anthony Garcia and David Spence were sworn in and joined the Flagstaff City Council and, as the highest vote getter, Miranda Sweet was selected as Vice Mayor. I’m eager to get to know our new councilmembers better and look forward to continuing to work well together as a City Council. I’d like to give you an update on some of the issues and projects that will soon be before us. At our first meeting in 2025, we’ll be discussing our state and federal legislative … [Read more...] about What’s Next for Flagstaff City Council?
flagstaff city council
Financial Experience That Delivers for Flagstaff Citizens, Part Two
Hello, my name is Stephen (Steve) Puhr. I am a registered Independent and I am running as a write-in candidate for Flagstaff City Council. Today, I will discuss my thoughts on Flagstaff housing, future water supply, Prop. 488 and the minimum wage. On Dec. 1, 2020, the City of Flagstaff declared a housing emergency to create safe, decent and affordable housing. The most critical factor the City of Flagstaff can do today is build the John Wesley Powell extension! This was proposed more than … [Read more...] about Financial Experience That Delivers for Flagstaff Citizens, Part Two
Flagstaff Considers its Transportation Future Part Two: Onward or Upward?
On June 15, 2021, a Carbon Neutrality Plan was adopted by the Flagstaff City Council in response to its declaration of a climate emergency in 2020. Forty percent of Flagstaff’s carbon emissions come from the transportation sector – mostly from vehicle emissions. The total distance traveled per day by Flagstaff area residents (21 miles per person) is shorter than the national average (36 miles), with walking and biking mostly reserved for shorter trips – an average of one mile for walking and 1.8 … [Read more...] about Flagstaff Considers its Transportation Future Part Two: Onward or Upward?
Considering Fires, Floods and Flagstaff’s Future
We have a couple of bonds that the city has placed on the ballot this November: Propositions 441 and 442. Prop 442 is a housing bond, but I really want to discuss our Prop 441, the Fire and Water Infrastructure Bond. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of this bond for Flagstaff’s future. It includes four sections, which include: purchasing five new wildland fire trucks for a little more than $2 million, helping to increase stormwater infrastructure in the Spruce Wash for $26 million, … [Read more...] about Considering Fires, Floods and Flagstaff’s Future
Taking Action to Protect Flagstaff
There is a lot going on these days. Wildfire season has started early and my heart goes out to those who have been afflicted by the Tunnel Fire. Thirty homes were lost. Despite the tragedy, I saw our community come together to help those in need, providing homes for evacuees, giving food and clothing, and sheltering animals. I want to thank our brave firefighters and all our first responders who helped our surrounding community in the midst of such a crisis. Council recently held our budget … [Read more...] about Taking Action to Protect Flagstaff
Building a Stronger Flagstaff
Flagstaff faced many challenges in 2021. Through it all, residents have come together to face them head on. When wildfires were raging close to town, our community raked needles from yards, cleared debris for our elderly and less-abled, and helped neighbors in threatened neighborhoods get ready to evacuate. When flooding hit, nearly 1,000 of us were out there filling and piling sandbags, clearing the mud from our neighbors’ homes and helping each other physically and emotionally. Through … [Read more...] about Building a Stronger Flagstaff
Celebrating Positive Economic Activity
Economic Development Week 2022 is upon us! The week of May 9-13 is a time to celebrate the efforts of many community members and partners that work to enhance economic prosperity for individuals and businesses alike; and who doesn’t like a celebration? Perhaps you wonder what economic development is anyway; after all, doesn’t the economy take care of itself? So, let us begin by answering the questions of what economic development is and how we celebrate it. Economics are known generally to be … [Read more...] about Celebrating Positive Economic Activity
Weighing Options, Identifying Priorities
I wanted to touch on the general obligation bonds that potentially will be in the hands of the voters come November. A citizen bond committee was formed last November to weigh options and priorities for the upcoming ballot. Some of the areas of consideration for bonding have included public safety needs such as outdated radios we can no longer get parts to fix and old fire trucks that are needing replacement. Other considerations are around flood mitigation efforts, housing, wastewater … [Read more...] about Weighing Options, Identifying Priorities
Stormwater Projects Continue to Gain Support
I hope this New Year is going well for everyone! There are a lot of exciting things happening in our community to update you on. First and foremost, our stormwater infrastructure projects have received more financial support through our intergovernmental partnerships. On Jan. 19, we got word that Flagstaff will receive $2.7 million from the AZ Water Infrastructure Authority through the leadership of Congressman Greg Stanton. We are the only city in Arizona to have received two funded … [Read more...] about Stormwater Projects Continue to Gain Support
Addressing Public Safety for the Winter
Flagstaff City Council had an infrastructure retreat on Sept. 30, which had some very important projects needing to be addressed, particularly around stormwater, wastewater, bike/ped and public safety. We have faced a lot over the summer and are working hard to prepare for winter on these fronts. The catastrophic flooding we faced this year needs to be addressed and done quickly. This was a primary part of the infrastructure discussion. Although this will take time to complete and fully … [Read more...] about Addressing Public Safety for the Winter
