The Camp Verde Town Council discussed a proposed “Code of the West” during its meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 20.
The Code of the West was designed to help those considering buying property in Camp Verde make an informed decision and to suggest to them “how to avoid surprises and to be a good neighbor.”
The original recommendation to develop a “Code of the West” for the town came during a Planning and Zoning Commission discussion of a right-to-farm ordinance on Aug. 4, 2022.
Nancy Higginbotham, Georgia May, Jessica Oium and Mary Phelps organized an effort to prepare a similar document at that meeting. Town staff then provided edits to the document.
Similar documents have been adopted by other Arizona communities, including the town of Wickenburg and Coconino County.
New Camp Verde Town Manager Ted Soltis stated that the code will be a living document and will be updated periodically.
Phelps said that the information is meant to help newcomers decide whether or not they want to live in a rural environment by providing an accurate picture of life in rural Camp Verde.
“People love seeing the horses, the cattle and the chickens, but what they don’t know is that they make noises, smells, and flies come with them,” Phelps said.
Vice Mayor Marie Moore said that while the proposed code incorporates things from the Camp Verde General Plan, it isn’t as cumbersome of a document to read as the general plan might be and added that she was in favor of it.
“It doesn’t quite paint an accurate picture,” Councilwoman Wendy Escoffier said. She expressed the view that the way the section about roads is written makes it sound like Camp Verde has many unpaved, unmaintained roads, and pointed out that less than half of 1% of the town’s roads are unpaved.
Councilwoman Robin Godwin said that the code seemed like a list of reasons why someone shouldn’t come to Camp Verde and called it very negative and not welcoming. She added that many common-sense points in the code, such as driving slowly on a dirt road, shouldn’t need to be written down.
The town attorney clarified that the Code of the West is not a legal document or legally binding, but solely a guidance document.
Councilwoman Jackie Baker said that she didn’t perceive the document as negative. She said it was full of useful information but suggested it was an effort that should be undertaken by the chamber of commerce rather than the town.
Councilwoman Jessie Murdock suggested rewording the document to add a bit of warmth and to cut some of the harshness out of it. She said that it would serve the town and its residents as an educational tool.
“I support this but would like to see a little cleanup on it,” Murdock said.
Moore moved that they direct the town manager to work on revising the proposed code to return it to council for review and adoption. The resolution passed 4-3 with Escoffier, Baker and Godwin opposed.
The full Code of the West proposal can be viewed on the town’s website.
Executive Session
During the executive session prior to the council meeting, the council discussed Camp Verde Community Library policies and procedures and a possible ordinance regulating sexually-oriented entertainment and sexually explicit material.
Following the executive session, Jenkins said that council directed staff not to take action on an ordinance that violates First Amendment rights and instead directed the town manager to work with the library manager to relocate books.
