Sedona’s rising cost of living is having an impact on the city’s workforce, the chamber of commerce told city officials recently.
The chamber’s warning came as the City Council debated the merits of leasing a 30-unit affordable housing complex.
"Workforce is a challenge. It is cited as the greatest challenge for our members," said David Key, president of the Greater Sedona Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber conducted a survey of its members in March, he said, and responses showed that costs of living in Sedona affected the city’s workforce.
According to planning and zoning officials who spoke in favor of the housing program, Sedona’s median income is $60,000. To qualify for low income housing, individuals need to make no more than 80% of that, about $24 an hour, which is about what the city offers certain positions like community service officers and maintenance workers.
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Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is proposing a $17.7 billion state budget focused on affordability projects, but it relies on uncertain federal reimbursements and deals with Republicans that have yet to materialize. -
Two of Arizona’s congressional Democrats joined forces on Wednesday to talk about housing affordability. Reps. Yassamin Ansari and Adelita Grijalva held a shadow hearing with members of their Progressive Caucus. -
Arizona Democrats have long wanted to place restrictions on corporations and landlords as part of their housing affordability plans. Now Republicans favor some parallel efforts. -
For the last several years, there’s been an effort to give cities back some of their ability to regulate that market; the state generally took it away in 2016. -
Democrats at the Arizona Capitol are hopeful that support from President Donald Trump is enough to convince their Republican counterparts to back a plan to stop out-of-state investors from buying up the state’s housing supply.
