Image by rony michaud from Pixabay
It is so nice to see the downtown Courthouse Plaza lit up with Christmas lights! I hope you were able to enjoy the Christmas Parade and the lighting ceremony.
This Friday, we will enjoy another iconic Prescott experience with Acker Night. This event raises funds for school-age children, granting over 50 scholarships for the arts. The very first Acker Night Musical Festival took place in 1988 with 8 performers in 8 shops. Now there are over 100 performers in more than 100 downtown shops and businesses.
It’s definitely one of the best ways to celebrate Christmas and the arts in our community.
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Following Acker Night, the 3rd Annual German Christmas Market, called Christkindl, takes place in downtown Prescott on Saturday and Sunday. This free event brings the magic of a European Christmas market to Arizona, with over 20 vendors offering unique holiday gifts and delicious German-style food, wagon rides, and Beer & Mulled Wine. This year, an outdoor ice-skating rink has been added for your enjoyment.
Also, while you’re enjoying Christmas in Prescott, be sure to stop by the Prescott Resort and Conference Center Lobby to see the 32nd Annual Gingerbread Village. Young and old alike will be charmed by this wonderful collection of gingerbread house displays from schools, non-profits, businesses and individuals. It is claimed to be the world’s largest Gingerbread Village, so you don’t want to miss it. It will remain open through New Year’s Eve.
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The City Council has three meetings this week.
First up, the Executive Session, in which Council will receive updates and legal advice from our City attorneys on a variety of issues. This meeting is closed to the public, although any actions regarding the items discussed will be handled in a regular Council meeting immediately after the Executive Session.
Our 1 PM Study Session will be all about water, as we hear a staff Presentation and discuss the Draft of a Long-Term Water Management Plan.
Water planning is an ever-changing and ongoing process. Even in territorial times, the Prescott area was growing and sought to maintain reliable water supplies with the necessary infrastructure to deliver them. More recently, included in the 2015 General Plan, was a strategy identifying the development of a Long-Term Water Management Plan. To build this plan, staff recognized the need for a comprehensive data repository with scenario testing capabilities, and commenced work on a Long-Term Water Management Model. It is now commonly referred to as the Water Resources Management Model (WRMM).
The City has received a grant from the Bureau of Reclamation to help offset the costs of developing and vetting the plan.
Today, we will hear about the current progress of the Long-Term Water Management Plan and provide input on defining the scope of work.
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During the Council Voting meeting at 3 PM, we will consider the establishment of a Business License Program in Prescott.
The city has had a business license at certain times in the past. Most recently, a business license program was established in 2016 and then abolished in 2019.
Most cities and towns in the United States require businesses to have a license to operate in their jurisdiction. Of all the 91 cities and towns in Arizona, only 11 do not require a business license. A business license can help consumers know that a business is registered with the city as a legitimate business. Business licenses can also be established to provide a city with valuable information including the kinds of businesses located in the city, where businesses are located, contact information for owners, business statistics and trends, and more.
A year ago, Council discussed the need to reinstate local business licenses and directed staff to return with an Ordinance to establish such a program.
A business license in Prescott would be processed in the city’s Community Development department. If adopted as proposed by this ordinance, a new business license could be issued, on average, within two weeks and must be renewed by January 31 of each year. Unless a business is exempted in the ordinance, operating a business without a business license would be a misdemeanor offense enforceable by the Prescott Police Department.
Business license fees would be established by the Council through a separate action. Around the state, those fees are typically in the range of $30 – $70 each year. Staff is recommending a one year application fee and a one year license of $100 with a renewal cost of $50 per year. It is anticipated that the Business License program would be self-supporting in the long term.
Staff recommends that Council make this ordinance effective January 1, 2026, to allow for public outreach, staffing, and budgeting, since these initial costs were not anticipated in the current fiscal year’s budget.
Other Council matters under consideration include a request for a Special Use Permit to allow for construction of a building exceeding 10,000 square feet in the Downtown Business District as a replacement of the Old City Hall Building; and the addition of 12 Public Safety Positions as well as the purchase of one Fire Engine Truck.
These will be the last Council Meetings of the year, to accommodate the holiday schedule. Council will meet again on January 14, 2025.
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Additional City meetings this week include: The General Plan Review Committee which meets here in Council Chambers Wednesday, December 11th at 2 PM.
Planning and Zoning Commission will meet Thursday, December 12th at 9 AM here in Council Chambers.
