The City of Flagstaff’s 10 Year Housing Plan is underway and the Housing Section is asking all members of the community to participate by taking the City of Flagstaff Housing Survey.
The goal of the survey is to garner the most responses and to gather statistically valid housing data from a fair sampling of people.
The city of Flagstaff will soon add a new well to their inventory. Drilling of a second groundwater well at Fort Tuthill County Park began February 22, 2021.
Drilling this well is part of the city’s mid-to-long term water policy and the subsequent ten-year capital plan initiated after the 2002 drought left Upper Lake Mary reservoir nearly dry, resulting in water shortages throughout the city. This is the first of five wells in the plan to add resiliency to the city’s water supply and serve as a safety net against climate change and resulting drought, forest fires or infrastructure failure. Groundwater wells are the core producers of city water, averaging 65% of the city’s potable water supply since 1950. They tap into the C-aquifer at an average depth of 1000 feet below land surface with the bottom of most wells exceeding 2000 feet.
Mayor Paul Deasy and Superintendent Michael Penca joined forces to improve the health, well-being and academic achievement of Flagstaff’s children. The two leaders committed to transforming Flagstaff’s school grounds into nature-filled greenspaces where children can connect to the natural world and enjoy healthy, active time outdoors.
Flagstaff was selected as one of 10 cities (out of 27 applicants) to receive training and technical assistance to add nature play and outdoor learning spaces to schoolyards through Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN), a joint initiative of the National League of Cities and the Children & Nature Network. Flagstaff joins a national movement of cities working to provide children with equitable access to the benefits of nature.
As part of the ongoing Fourth Street reconstruction project, Soliere Avenue will reopen at the Fourth Street intersection and Sparrow Avenue, (also at the Fourth Street intersection) will close starting April 23, 2021. Fourth Street will remain open and a Sparrow Avenue detour will be posted.
The city of Flagstaff recently implemented Priority Based Budgeting (PBB), a tool that allows the city to approach budgeting in a new way. This method takes the traditional line item budget information and converts it to showcase expenditures, revenues and other key sets of data at the program level, such as fire suppression, snowplow operations, and police dispatch. To learn more about this budgeting approach visit: https://www.flagstaff.az.gov/3258/Priority-Based-Budgeting.
The city of Flagstaff Sustainability Program will host four live Open Houses on the draft Flagstaff Carbon Neutrality Plan. The Open Houses, hosted online via Zoom, will gather feedback on the Plan from residents and answer any questions the community may have. The events will take place on:
– Wednesday, April 7 at 6 p.m.
– Friday, April 9 at 12 p.m.
– Thursday, April 15 at 6 p.m.
– Saturday, April 17 at 10 a.m.
The 300-acre McMillan Mesa Natural Area is one of the last intact native grasslands within the city of Flagstaff and provides habitat for deer, prairie dogs, American kestrels, and other fauna. To preserve the native grassland, the city of Flagstaff’s Open Space Program will work with partners to remove invasive trees, starting on April 7, 2021. Six large Russian Olive trees and over 100 Siberian Elm trees were identified for removal, mainly along the Flagstaff Urban Trail System (FUTS) and Arizona Trail within the McMillan Mesa Natural Area.
The city of Flagstaff, in partnership with United Way of Northern Arizona (UWNA), announces the opening of the 2021-2023 grant application cycle on April 1, 2021. Grant applications will be due on April 15, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. This is a two-year application cycle (based on availability of funds).
The city of Flagstaff is striving for community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030, to respond to the climate emergency and improve quality of life for all residents. With input from the Flagstaff community and technical experts, the city of Flagstaff Sustainability Program developed a draft Flagstaff Carbon Neutrality Plan to outline a framework for action over the next nine years. This plan details seven target areas of action that the city will take to reach carbon neutrality:
As part of the ongoing Fourth Street reconstruction project, Soliere Avenue will be closed at the Fourth Street intersection starting March 19, 2021. Fourth Street will remain open and a Soliere Avenue detour will be posted.
The City of Flagstaff is seeking a Deputy Library Director.
The position actively supports and upholds the City’s stated mission and values. Under direct supervision of the Library Director, employees of this classification are independently responsible for overseeing departments of the Library, including responsible administrative, professional, managerial and supervisory work. This position assists in directing the activities of the entire library section and serves in the absence of the Director.
UACJ Automotive Whitehall Industries, a leading supplier of precision extruded aluminum automotive components and assemblies, has selected Flagstaff as the new home for their fourth production plant. UACJ Whitehall will take over a portion of the former Walgreen’s distribution center and will manufacture parts for electric vehicles and other automotive companies.
“We are so excited to welcome Whitehall Industries to Flagstaff,” said Mayor Paul Deasey. “They are a cutting-edge company that exemplifies Flagstaff’s character as a city of innovation and sustainability. We look forward to the immense positive impact they will have for our community.”
The National League of Cities (NLC) announced the city of Flagstaff as one of eight cities for the 2021 Leadership in Community Resilience program. The NLC will provide the city with $10,000 in direct financial support as well as technical assistance and advisory services from NLC staff and partners to help meet community-specific resilience goals. The city will use this funding to focus on the impacts of smoke from wildfires and prescribed burns by launching the Resilient Neighborhoods Network in three pilot neighborhoods and to provide micro-grants for participating neighborhoods, as well as purchasing HEPA air purifiers to distribute to vulnerable residents.
The city of Flagstaff’s Community Development and Engineering Divisions in conjunction with the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce will host a listening tour with community partners starting in March. The meetings will be held twice per month with the goal of opening a dialogue with city customers about the development process and procedures to find efficiencies and improve the overall experience for applicants, owners and staff.
The city of Flagstaff’s paid parking program, ParkFlag will resume March 1, 2021 and will continue to manage the limited supply of parking downtown and in the Southside Neighborhood. This program was suspended due to COVID-19, however, enforcement of title 9 parking violations including time limited parking has been ongoing.
When ParkFlag resumes, the program will include changes that were recommended by the public, including:
Flagstaff city administrative functions will be closed in observance of Presidents’ Day on Feb. 15, 2021. City administrative functions will reopen on Feb. 16 with regular hours of 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. City Hall remains closed to the public due to COVID-19.
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Deadline: 12:00 AM on February 19, 2021
In Dec. 2020, the Flagstaff City Council approved a Short Term Rental (STR) ordinance, outlining several new regulations for these property types. The ordinance requires all STRs in the community to register so the city can better monitor and track complaints as well streamline enforcement efforts.
The full ordinance can be found at https://www.codepublishing.com/AZ/Flagstaff/ in the City Code (Chapter 3-12). All STRs must be registered with the city by Feb. 7. Property owners and operators of STRs who have not received notice can contact ShortTermRental@flagstaffaz.gov to register the property.
Trash and recycling collections for both residential and commercial businesses is suspended for Monday, Jan. 25, 2021 due to worsening weather and road conditions. Solid Waste personnel will be redeployed to assist with snow operations. Trash and recycling collection will resume when conditions are safe.
The city of Flagstaff will interview two candidates with diverse backgrounds in the water and wastewater industries for the Water Services director position. The public will have an opportunity to listen to introductions and to ask questions of the candidates during a virtual meet and greet on Jan. 20 from 5 – 6 p.m. The public can join the virtual meet and greet here: https://bit.ly/3bIItc9. Participants in the meet and greet are encouraged to fill out a feedback form after the event here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WaterServicesDirector. Brief candidate bios are included below.
Thank you, Flagstaff, for your input on the library entry re-design! 176 people responded to the survey. Some of the many themes that emerged include value in the natural environment, an interest in geologic and Native/Indigenous history, the importance of the library for children and families, the library as a gathering and meeting place, and a space that offers free amenities and builds community. This follow-up opportunity is to allow you to share images with the City as well! The tool allows for one photo at once, feel free to provide input several times.
Flagstaff city administrative functions will be closed in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021. City Hall administrative functions will reopen on Jan. 19 with regular hours of 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
The Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library and East Flagstaff Public Library will also be closed on Jan. 18. Both locations will resume curbside hold pickup and phone reference services on Jan. 19.
The city of Flagstaff, city of Sedona, and Coconino County, the nonprofit group Solar United Neighbors (SUN) announced the launch of the Northern ArizonaSolar Co-op to help area residents go solar.
“The co-op will enable northern Arizona homeowners and business owners to join the growing community of people saving money by harnessing solar power,” said Bret Fanshaw, Arizona program director for SUN. “Together, we’re building a movement to create a more sustainable electricity system that directly benefits households and small businesses in the community.”
“The attempted coup at the Capitol was both un-American and unconstitutional. I want to be very clear, the actions of this mob of unhinged extremists do not represent the values of America or Flagstaff,” said Flagstaff Mayor Paul Deasy. “We must denounce these actions and the ideologies fueling them in the strongest terms today and each day moving forward. We cannot let this type of behavior be normalized, to do so would constitute a fundamental threat to our republic. I call on our constituents to reject this type of behavior and work together to protect and defend the United States of America and the values we hold dear.”
The city of Flagstaff’s Sustainability Program will host an online Climate Emergency open house series. The series will discuss the pathway to carbon neutrality, updates to the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan and actions the program will take moving forward.
The open house series will take place in two parts. The first part will be on the Open House website, which will host videos from community experts and activists, resources about the Climate Emergency and the framework of the upcoming Carbon Neutrality Plan. This website will launch on Feb. 4, 2021. Community members can use this resource to view and learn at their own pace. Site visitors will be asked to create a free account using their name and email. The site will also include a survey via the Flagstaff Community Forum to collect feedback from residents.
On September 29, 2021 from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. the City of Flagstaff, Coconino County and the Northern Arizona Council of Governments (NACOG) will hold a free open house at 216 West Phoenix Avenue.
The event, held in a former City warehouse, will highlight two items. First, the Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority’s (NAIPTA) plans for the property will be showcased, including a new Downtown Connection Center building and channelization of the Rio de Flag.
The City of Flagstaff Planning and Zoning Commission will hold two public hearings to review a major amendment to the Flagstaff Regional Plan 2030. The proposed amendment will update the Plan’s climate action goals and policies to align with the Flagstaff Carbon Neutrality Plan.
The City of Flagstaff Sustainability Office is hosting a Fix-it Clinic on Saturday, November 20th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The event will be held at the Joe C. Montoya Community and Senior Center, located at 245 N. Thorpe Rd, Flagstaff, AZ 86001.
Volunteers will be fixing small household appliances, clothing, electronics, jewelry, bicycles and more. Appointments for fixes will be given priority, but walk-ins are welcome. Make an appointment online at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0a4daaac23a3f49-fixit. Please note that masks are required of all attendees.
The city of Flagstaff has a Treecyling program to address the issue of Christmas trees sent to the landfill. Residents with curbside trash service can place their tree curbside by 6 a.m. on Jan. 4. The city’s Solid Waste Section will pick up trees throughout the city through Jan. 8. All tinsel, lights and ornaments need to be removed before the tree is placed on the curb.
Residents living in multifamily housing can also participate by bringing their trees to one of the following locations until Jan. 17:
Old Public Works Yard: 419 N. Mogollon St.
Continental Little League Field: 5700 E. Old Walnut Canyon Rd.
The city of Flagstaff has named Dan Musselman as the new Police Chief. Musselman participated in an open, competitive and thorough recruitment process that attracted 35 candidates.
“This was a very competitive recruitment process, with qualified candidates from across the country,” said City Manager Greg Clifton. “I want to thank everyone who applied and offer my congratulations to Chief Musselman.”
The Flagstaff City Council declared a Housing Emergency at their meeting on Dec. 2, 2020 with the passage of Resolution 2020-66. The declaration recognizes the need to make housing a leading priority within city operations and the community. Mayor Coral Evans said, “Flagstaff has simply become used to living with this housing crisis and because of that, our community does not recognize how dire the current the conditions are for our community members.”
Designated as Arizona’s winter wonderland, Flagstaff accumulates an average of 100 inches of snow annually to partake in a multitude of winter activities. Please stay, play, social distance, and mask while visiting and adhere to required CDC healthcare travel guidelines, business recommendations and varied hours.
Travel safely and know before you go to Flagstaff with these top ten winter awareness tips:
The community is invited to participate in the selection of the Flagstaff Police Department’s next Police Chief at an upcoming meet and greet. The public meet and greet is scheduled for Dec. 9, 2020 at 5 p.m. and will held via Microsoft Teams.
The meet and greet will begin with each of the three candidates providing an introduction about themselves including their previous education and experience and how it relates to the Police Chief position. After all introductions have been completed, participants in the meeting will have an opportunity to submit questions for the Police Chief candidates to answer.
The Flagstaff City Council adopted the High Occupancy Housing (HOH) Zoning Code Text Amendment at their meeting on Nov. 17, 2020. Effective on March 1, 2021, the adopted amendment is the first Zoning Code Text Amendment to implement the HOH Specific Plan. This amendment impacts most residential and mixed-use (residential and non-residential) developments by regulating the number of bedrooms and the number of dwelling units that are allowed with and without obtaining separate approval (a Conditional Use Permit) from the city. Developments that are required to obtain Conditional Use Permit will be considered a HOH Development or Mixed-use HOH Development.
The city of Flagstaff will return to Stage 2 of its COVID-19 Reentry Plan on Nov. 30. This move is due to the upward trajectory in the number of new cases, hospitalizations and COVID related deaths in Flagstaff over four weeks or more.
Under Phase 2, the city will re-close the following city facilities and amenities:
This year’s annual Stuff the Bus community food drive benefitting The Flagstaff Family Food Center will be held virtually November 16 – November 22 continuing the longstanding partnership between Coconino County, the City of Flagstaff and Mountain Line.
The need for donations is greater than ever due to COVID-19. The Flagstaff Family Food Center estimates that since the beginning of the pandemic, the demand for its hunger relief programs have increased by 80%. The Center feeds 2,000 people a day, 365 days a year.
City administrative offices and operations will be closed Nov. 26 and 27, 2020 for the Thanksgiving holiday and reopen on Nov. 30, 2020.
The East Flagstaff Community Library and the Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library will also be closed on Nov. 26 and 27. and will resume curbside hold pickup, phone reference services, and computer reservations on Nov. 30, 2020.
Proposition 413 (Campaign for a Greater Buffalo Park) was passed by Flagstaff voters in 2016. This proposition restricted the use of approximately 300 acres of City-owned property on McMillan Mesa to public open space and passive recreation. The land affected by Proposition 413 is currently zoned as Public Facilities and Rural Residential. The City Council directed staff to amend the Zoning Code to reflect the outcomes of Proposition 413. The City Council approved the McMillan Mesa Natural Area major plan amendment in 2018, the next step is to amend the existing zoning of the area Public Facilities and Rural Residential Zoning to Public Open Space.
Flagstaff was named one of 88 cities to score top grades on climate action by environmental impact non-profit CDP (the “A list”). CDP’s A List is based on environmental data disclosed by hundreds of cities in 2020. To score an A, a city must disclose publicly and have a city-wide emissions inventory, have set an emissions reduction target and published a climate action plan. The cities must also complete a climate risk and vulnerability assessment and have completed a climate adaptation plan to demonstrate how it will tackle climate hazards now and in the future, among other actions.
The city of Flagstaff has lifted all fire restrictions within city limits effective Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. The restrictions were lifted due to the increased moisture received in the greater Flagstaff area. While restrictions are lifted, residents and visitors are asked to use caution while using ignition sources for barbecue, charcoal, and propane stoves. No open burning is allowed in the city of Flagstaff.
The outside southbound lane on Fourth Street will remain closed across the new Fourth Street bridges until the completion of the planned widening of Fourth Street from Soliere Avenue to Sparrow Avenue This widening will begin in late winter/early spring of 2021.This project will include:
The Flagstaff City Council provided direction to rename Agassiz Street due to Louis Agassiz’s history of racism at their June 16, 2020 meeting. In August and September of 2020, city staff held virtual town hall meetings to collect suggestions for a new street name from the public. Each suggestion was vetted by Emergency Services, the Postal Service, the city of Flagstaff and Coconino County to ensure that it could be implemented safely.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized the city of Flagstaff Water Conservation program with a 2020 WaterSense Excellence Award for promoting WaterSense and water efficiency in 2019. The Water Conservation Program offers rebates to both businesses and homeowners to install WaterSense labeled toilets, showerheads and faucet aerators. This resulted in thousands of fixture replacements in 2019.
The Flagstaff City Council declared a Climate Emergency on June 23, 2020. The declaration commits Flagstaff to update its Climate Action and Adaptation Plan to achieve carbon neutrality by the year 2030 while supporting a collaborative climate action mobilization effort that will require full community participation.
The city will accept community nominations for the annual City Manager Excellence Awards through Oct. 31, 2020. These awards recognize those city of Flagstaff employees who are examples of extraordinary achievement reflecting the mission, vision and values of the organization.
The city of Flagstaff was named to the Alliance for Water Efficiency’s Leaderboard on Sept. 23, 2020. This achievement is due to the city’s efforts developing and running an exemplary water conservation program. The city of Flagstaff Water Services Division is the first and only Arizona water utility on the leaderboard.
Coconino County and Flagstaff City Government are hosting a Public Telephone Town Hall to answer your questions about the 2020 Census efforts on Wednesday, September 23rd at 6:30PM.
There are less than 2 weeks left to complete your Census ensuring Coconino County has fair representation and federal funding for the next decade.
The city of Flagstaff entered Phase 3 of its COVID-19 Reentry Plan. The move to Phase 3 was predicated on the number of new cases, hospitalizations and COVID related deaths continuing on a downward trajectory for four or more weeks, the demonstrated ability to follow CDC guidelines, ability to care for the seriously ill and providing testing, monitoring and contact tracing. Under Phase 3, the city will begin a limited reopening of city facilities and amenities. Face coverings are required in city facilities.
City of Flagstaff administrative operations will be closed Sept. 7, 2020 in honor of Labor Day. The administrative operations of the city will re-open Sept. 8, 2020.
The city of Flagstaff Water Services Division is assembling a volunteer committee on reclaimed water. Only one-third of all reclaimed water generated each year is committed for our current customers. The Water Services Division is faced with about seven options for the remaining, uncommitted supply; input from the community is needed to narrow the options down to three.
The Flagstaff City Council declared a Climate Emergency on June 23, 2020. The declaration commits Flagstaff to update its Climate Action and Adaptation Plan to achieve community-wide carbon neutrality by the year 2030. To respond to this emergency, the city will revise the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan to reflect the new goal of carbon neutrality, while supporting a collaborative climate action mobilization that requires full community participation.
Artists, graphic designers, illustrators, and photographers are wanted to create designs for traffic signal cabinets in two locations:
The northeast corner of North San Francisco Street and East Butler Avenue
The northwest corner of East Cedar Avenue and North Gemini Avenue
The idea to beautify the city’s traffic signal cabinets was brought to the city of Flagstaff’s Beautification, Arts & Sciences Program by community member Gaylene Soper, who supported the initiative with funding for a demonstration project.
On July 23, 2020, the city of Flagstaff put its Public Safety Retirement System (PSPRS) Certificates of Participation (COP) on the market and successfully sold to investors from across the country. The Flagstaff City Council authorized the transaction at the June 23, 2020 meeting.
The city of Flagstaff, in partnership with Arizona Public Service (APS), has installed four electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at Flagstaff City Hall, 211 West Aspen Avenue in the heart of downtown Flagstaff. These charging stations will support the City’s transition to EVs for the City fleet and the growing numbers of community members who drive EVs. This project is supported through the APS Take Charge AZ program. The city of Flagstaff is one of the first in the state to install these charging stations as part of Take Charge AZ.
The 2020 streets maintenance program was approved by Flagstaff City Council on May 19, 2020. This project will address various locations in the community and includes minor concrete repairs, asphalt overlays, and chip sealing.
The city of Flagstaff operates a small network of radio-telemetered gauges that transmit rainfall and streamflow information in real-time. The primary function of these gauges is to monitor and document severe rainfall and flooding events and to make this information available to emergency responders and stormwater engineers.
The city of Flagstaff would like to inform all Flagstaff voters that there is an inconsistency between the voting instructions in the publicity pamphlet and the voting instructions on the ballot with respect to how many candidates to vote for in the mayoral primary. The instructions on the ballot are correct. Please follow the instructions on the ballot and vote for only one mayoral candidate. Pursuant to the City Charter, the two mayoral candidates who receive the most votes in the primary election will advance to the general election.
Prior to the Nov. 3, 2020 election, each household with a registered voter will receive an informational pamphlet that includes arguments for and against proposed questions that have a local impact. Any person interested in submitting an argument is required to do so before August 5, 2020.
The questions are as follows:
City of Flagstaff administrative functions will be closed Friday, July 3 in honor of Independence Day. The administrative functions of the city will re-open Monday, July 6, 2020.
The Flagstaff City Mayor, Coral Evans has updated the Emergency Proclamation issued March 16 to include the requirement to wear face coverings in public places where social distancing is not possible. This proclamation is effective starting June 20, 2020 at 8 p.m. and will continue until further notice, unless repealed or revised by the Mayor or authority is preempted by the Governor of the State of Arizona under paragraph 7 of his Executive Order 2020-40.
