The Tusayan Town Council once again held its annual retreat at Town Hall,instead of venturing out of town as prior administrations had  done. The idea is to save money and time so the council can focus on priorities.

With a newly seated Town Council, Mayor Clarinda Vail has unanimous support for exploring direct cash payments for those who live and work in Tusayan. There was some opposition from previous council members but no more. The new council appears to be on board. 

Mayor Vail said, “I would still like to do something to get money to residents and employees of Tusayan.” She noted that Tucson has a program that gives payments of up to $7,500 to some residents. She said this past winter has been especially tough on residents and those who work in Tusayan as they struggle with transportation issues. She wants to work with the Council to explore the legality of such a program and notes that her plan has been reviewed by former Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard.

The rest of the council voiced support to explore the idea. Council Member Josh Collet noted that cash payments to residents have been going on for years in Alaska.

Other priorities from council members include a health care worker to assist residents and employees, which was ssuggested by Councilmember Andrew Aldaz. Councilmember Greg Brush would like to prioritize night sky tourism. Councilmember Becky Wirth wants to prioritize housing and water. Councilmember Josh Collet would like to investigate purchasing land for a town hall and housing. The current town hall is on land leased from the airport. The land developer Stilo gave to Tusayan for housing is virtually unusable due to flood plain and other costly issues.