Cottonwood Vice Mayor Felicia Coates will continue on in her current capacity and City Council made committee assignments for 2026 during its Tuesday, Feb. 3, meeting.
“Thank you for the nominations as well,” said Coates, who attended the meeting remotely. “I’m flattered, and I will agree to serve one more year.”
The Cottonwood mayor is directly elected by voters, but the vice mayor is selected from the City Council, who votes one of its members to the post annually.
Reports And Updates
Councilman Bob Marks said he attended the opening of the Northern Arizona School of Bartending in Cottonwood on Feb. 2.
“I don’t know if there’s some irony in that I was the only council member,” Marks said. “However, I was also surprised to learn that, no pun intended, but this scenario is really under-served for this type of program.”
Mayor Ann Shaw announced she recently attended a meeting on workforce development at Yavapai College in Prescott, and that she is attending the recently formed Yavapai County Water Resources and Open Space Committee’s meetings.
Coates said she and Shaw attended the Prescott Valley State of the Town address on Jan. 27, “which provided us with the opportunity to speak with business vendors WeCom,” and the event “provided us with some insights on how to conduct a State of the City in Cottonwood in the near future.”
The Verde Valley SciTech Festival is underway, Coates announced. The festival is funded in part by the city’s outside agency funding program, and is in its 15th year, offering 75 hands-on STEM activities throughout February at libraries, schools and parks across Cottonwood, Sedona, Camp Verde and Beaver Creek.
“I just wanted to recognize that the Main Street paving project is substantially complete,” Coates said. “Driving it the other day, I was so happy to have such a nice, smooth roadway … and that the sidewalks are now very accessible to everyone.”
The Verde Valley Homeless Coalition is looking to fill three openings on their board, Councilman Stephen DeWillis announced. People interested in getting involved should contact Executive Director Rhonda Bishop at (928) 641-4298.
City Manager Mario Cifuentez II announced that the Arizona State Legislature wants to quickly pass House Bill 2022, which would move the Primary Election from Tuesday, Aug. 4, to Tuesday, July 21.
“The filing date for the nomination petitions will be moved as a result, and the new dates to turn in nomination petitions for the City Council will be from Monday, Feb. 23, to Monday, March 23, at the Cottonwood City Clerk’s Office [by] 5 p.m.,” he said.
A Cottonwood Ranch resident said she and several of her neighbors want a three-way stop installed at corner of South Maverick Way and West Wagon Wheel Road. Another resident notified the city that the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management has grants up to $200,000 for invasive species removal, and that she would like to use potential grant funds for treating land near the Cottonwood Waste Water Plant.
Among the consent items that were unanimously approved were: $501,047 for 43 new Motorola APX NEXT radios for the Cottonwood Police Department, $239,184 for street pavement with Arizona Lines, LLC and a $100,256 contract amendment with Hazen and Sawyer, P.C. for aeration equipment and treatment processes.
