In 2000, when the City of Prescott asked for a 1% increase in their sales tax to pay for streets and open space, the residents listened.
In 2017, when the City asked for a .75% increase in their sales tax to pay down $78 million in police and fire public pension debt, the residents listened.
And just this past November, when the City asked residents to increase their sales tax by .95% to pay for public safety, we listened again.
But we are done listening now that Prescott City Manager Dallin Kimble’s top priority(1) seems to be acquiring $15 million of taxpayer funds from the state legislature to pay for deferred maintenance and expansion plans at the rodeo including reconfiguring Gail Gardner Way, a new 7,600-square-foot equipment barn and at least 50 new bathrooms. And newly elected State Senator Finchem is a willing partner as the bill’s sponsor, openly admitting in a public meeting that his bill is designed to get around the Arizona Constitution’s gift clause(2).
Our voting history shows Prescott residents are all about public safety. Now it’s time you listen to us. Not only here in Prescott, but residents in the entire quad city area are seeing their homeowner’s policies skyrocket. (And that’s providing that insurance carriers even continue coverage at all.) The reason is simply because of the wildfire risk to this area. So, Mr. Kimble, if you are so keen on acquiring $15 million of a state appropriation(3) for Prescott, how about you use these funds to make residents safer by mitigating the risk and impact of wildfire?
The wildfire risk in Prescott and Yavapai County is real, documented, and the insurance companies can read. The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USDA/USFS) website states, “Prescott has a very high risk of wildfire⎯higher than 96% of communities in the US.” The website further characterizes the risk to homes and the likelihood of wildfire as very high(4).
One of the reasons Prescott’s wildfire risk is so high is our large area of “wildland urban interface” (WUI). Simply put, WUI is where human development meets natural landscape(5). Wildfires, including brush fires, grass fires, forest fires, or outdoor fires are much more likely to occur in the WUI(5).The City of Prescott mapped the WUI within its boundaries, and nearly every neighborhood or some portion of a neighborhood falls within this category(6).
The post-mortem as to the cause of the recent wildfires in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, California is well underway. It serves as a blueprint for what Prescott and Yavapai County must do now, BEFORE disaster strikes. First and foremost, it’s mitigation: the prevention of devastating fires(7).That’s where the Arizona State Legislature can have a huge impact with $15 million dollars. Not just for Prescott, but for all Yavapai County, and even for other areas of Arizona vulnerable to wildfire threat.
Funding for mitigation and prevention activities must be a top priority for the State, local officials in Yavapai County, as well as our Congressional delegates. Even though a number of federal, state and local agencies are involved in actual wildfire fighting activities in Yavapai County, only three agencies perform wildfire prevention education and/or fuels mitigation work(8). All are under-funded and the latest federal layoff of 3,400 Forest Service employees affects wildfire mitigation activities such as fuels reduction(9).
As long as we continue to live and build in the WUI, Arizona and local governments, with help from the feds, must invest in fuels reduction on open space and public lands. Other goals include strengthening building codes to require ignition resistant building materials(10), provide more funding and services for private property fire mitigation, and increase public education and outreach, including defining evacuation routes for neighborhoods. This takes staff, time and money. For starters, maybe $15 million in spare change.
Mr. Kimble, and all those who support his ill-conceived notion to spend $15 million on the rodeo, show a complete disregard for the common-sense principles of a responsible government. Don’t let them fiddle with the rodeo while Prescott and Yavapai County burns.
Footnotes:
(1) Copy of January 17, 2025 Dallin Kimble email to Senator Finchem can be found at the top of the fifth paragraph.. PFD’s expansion plan shows replacing the existing equipment barn with a 7,600 square foot facility. Mr. Kimble can be contacted at Dallin.kimble@prescott-az.gov or 928-777-1435. The city’s lease with Prescott Frontier Days requires no rent payment from PFD to city taxpayers. This has come under repeated criticism for violating the Arizona Constitution’s Gift Clause provision which does not allow general economic benefit as an offset to a gift. Since these improvements increase the fair market value of the property, Kimble is further exacerbating the likely illegal giveaway at taxpayer’s expense.
(2) Senator Mark Finchem (R-Prescott) submitted SB 1583 to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Senator Finchem can be contacted at MFinchem@AZLeg.gov or 602-926-3631. See discussion at hour/minute 2:32:53 of Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on February 18, 2025. Near the end of Finchem’s committee statement he summarizes his bill as “redirecting” a 2023 appropriation from the non-profit rodeo, now the subject of lawsuit alleging violation of the Arizona Constitution’s Gift Clause, to the City of Prescott, “making moot of the gift clause litigation.”
(3)To read Senator Finchem’s $15 million rodeo appropriations bill, click on the following link and type in SB1583 https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview
Here is the link to the video of the hearing: https://www.azleg.gov/videoplayer/?eventID=2025021088&startStreamAt=9164
(4) https://wildfirerisk.org/explore/overview/04/04025/0400057380/
(5) https://www.usfa.fema.gov/wui/what-is-the-wui.html
(6) The City of Prescott’s Wildland Urban Interface map can be found at the top of the seventh paragraph or here: https://prescottfire.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/interface_zones_map.pdf
(7) Wall Street Journal Letter to the Editor from Scott Dittrich, January 22, 2025 can be found at the top of the eighth paragraph. See also Dittrich article in the Malibu Times. https://malibutimes.com/common-cents-the-cost-of-complacency
(8) The Yavapai Firewise or Prescott Area Wildland Urban Interface Commission is a local non-profit that works to reduce wildfire risk through education and neighborhood coordination. They are run by volunteers and are funded by donations and grants. https://yavapaifirewise.org/
The City of Prescott Fire Department recently hired a wildfire risk manager who coordinates various, but limited programs including brush chipping, inspections, neighborhood cleanup, mitigation grants, and advice on creating defensible space. https://prescottfire.org/services/wildfire-risk-management/
The USDA Prescott Natural Forest is the one most familiar to Yavapai residents as they are the primary agency engaged in fuel mitigation on Federal (USDA/USFS) land. This mitigation is dependent upon the availability of federal funding. The USFS indefatigable mascot Smokey the Bear, also provides education programs. https://www.cazfire.gov/operations/wildland-response/
CAFMA, responsible for protecting Prescott Valley, unincorporated areas of Yavapai County and its municipalities does not have a wildland fire mitigation/prevention program. Their wildland fire efforts are focused on actual firefighting activities.
(9) https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/13/forest-services-fires-3400-employees-00204213
(10) Prescott last adopted the International Wildland Urban Interface building code in 2015. The city has failed to adopt updates since that time.
https://www.codepublishing.com/AZ/Prescott/html/Prescott06/Prescott062.html
[Editor’s note: This article has been reprinted with permission from the AZFPI website.]
12 thoughts on “Prescott’s Misplaced Priorities: $15 Million for the Rodeo Should Go for Wildfire Mitigation – Deb Thalasitis, Mary Beth Hrin, and Toni Denis”
Misplaced priorities started years ago. Long before Prescott became San Diego.
Arizonan’s welcomed California transplants and all the SoCal folks did was bend us over.
My first thoughts were of the potential move of the Annual Rodeo Days events to the Fairgrounds off 89A in Prescott Valley. Potentially this property is not land locked and has better viewing facilities than the one squashed into the Fair Street property.
Yea, it’s not in Prescott but how many people who attend care? Sure the good ole boys care but its all the “other” people of Prescott who pays for all the costs.
Remember, no government city, town, county, state OR federal has any money at all until it first takes it from us in the form of taxes or fees. Got it?
Seems that the Rodeo should be forced to pay for itself and that fire protection should take second place to a Rodeo. Something political here?
Prescott National Forest is on a campaign to clear 200,000 acres of underbrush over 10 years. The state of AZ just did firewise on 500 acres abutting our neighborhood. Everyone else should be responsible for their own property. I am not sure what more the authors want? The insurance companies are making decisions without any facts.
It’s not just PNF – it’s city-owned open space that has never been cleared. It’s PNF enforcement of fire restrictions for camping in forested areas — currently none — no funding. It’s education of population, code enforcement, and available funds to help clear property in neighborhoods. My property may be “firewise,” but next door is a disaster. And 10 years of vegetation clearing? That’s not even doable because the mitigation crews have been fired. What happens when there’s a fire in five years, or two years?
Agreed: public safety (fire mitigation) is a top priority over “visitors’ entertainment” ($15 million to rodeo grounds). Prescott has made ‘visitors’ a priority for the 20 years that I’ve been here: 10-40K ‘tract’ homes, supporting only businesses on ‘the square’, that ridiculous, expensive, crosswalk, streets unmaintained for the last 5 years, removal of drive lanes on Gurley to accommodate ‘visitor bicycling’, etc. Personally, I’m moving. The traffic is horrid. I moved here because of the over-crowding and traffic. And now it’s here.
Thanks again to the authors for a well researched, thoughtful contribution.
The first obligation of any level of government is public safety. The rodeo, over 35 years, has been a problem for the city. One would think that, by now, it would be self financing. The current rodeo site is too small. It was managed for a long period by a part-time ex-rodeo champion, backed by volunteer staff (which did a yeoman job). As for location, location, location: I agree, this time, with Tom Steele who points to the advantages of the large fair- and race-grounds in Prescott Valley.
I was a rodeo volunteer for some 25 years, went to twice-monthly meetings, and observed a continuing pattern of scraping by with fewer resources than needed. The Frontier Days rodeo no longer is central to the U.S. rodeo season, with many being held during the same period across the West, NW and SW—and in more accessible areas.
The future: Many such events require that board members either raise or contribute a certain amount each year. (I would guess $500,000 per year would be required in Prescott to keep the rodeo functioning).
This column presents the issue clearly. What are our priorities? What comes first? Many longtime Prescott residents recall the dangerous fire that came close to the city some 20 years ago. We also must remember the Hot Shots and their loss near Yarnell in a fire spreading from nearby ranchland. Mr. KImble has not lived here long. Nor has state Sen. Finchem. (I have lived here more than 80 years, as have many other Prescott families. We know the fire danger. People holding city and county offices have for the most part not lived here that long and do not know the benefits and risks of living in a drought-prone SW.
The Federal Forests all around Prescott and Yavapai County are CONTROLLED by the Federal Government. Not the City, County or State. Therefore the City the County The state has little to NO say financial or otherwise.
This is what happens when you allow the Federal Government to violate State Sovereignty.
This is but one more example of what President Trump is attempting to do – returning sovereignty to The People at the local and state level.
State Funds can no be given to Federal Projects.
The last time the city got involved with a private for profit venture was Eviation (electric airplanes)… we pumped endless amounts of money into a rundown hanger for them, only to have them jump ship and move to Washington. Stay out of private ventures with tax payer dollars.
Remember that denuding the land by removing too much native vegetation opens the door to erosion and possible flooding during heavy rainfall. Fire prevention can be a two-way street. I am not against fire prevention, but planning for it must be done carefully and with the knowledge of the possible negatives involved.
Just upgrade the Rodeo Grounds and be done with it!
Once it’s done, the dissenters will move on (to another crisis)
……….and the Prescott taxpayers will as usual be stuck with
maintaining the property via increased taxes, whether they like it or not. The Rodeo remains a huge financial wart on the social skin
of Prescott residents. It remains only because the promoters pass
on the costs to others. Force the promoters to run the Rodeo like a business, where their own bad decisions have consequences.
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