The Sedona City Council voted 7-0 on Tuesday, January 23, to approve a contract to hire Annette Spickard, of McCall, Idaho, as the new city manager.
Spickard is scheduled to take over the role on Monday, April 8, following the resignation of current City Manager Karen Osburn, who notified City Council of her intention to retire this spring in the fall of 2023.
In addition to Mr. Spickard, Carly Castle, City Manager of the City of Moab, Utah; Darren Caldwell, Page City Manager. and Greg Caton, city manager of Grand Junction, Colorado, were announced as four finalists for the city manager position in mid-December. The council then narrowed the finalists to Cayton and Spickard, with Cayton withdrawing his bid shortly thereafter.
Ms. Spickard's base salary will be $190,000, an increase from Ms. Osburn's 2023 salary of $183,000 and her own 2022 McCall salary of $135,268. She also receives a housing allowance of $1,667 per month or $20,000 per year and a vehicle allowance of $416.67 per month or $5,000 per year. Her contract does not require her to drive an electric or hybrid vehicle in accordance with the city's green fleet policy. In addition, the city will cover up to $2,500 in Ms. Spickard's professional dues and she will be given 80 hours of vacation before starting her job. She must move to Sedona within six months and will receive up to $10,000 to cover her relocation costs.
The city can fire Mr. Spickard with or without cause with 30 days' notice, but Mr. Spickard can resign with 60 days' notice. If she is fired without cause, she is entitled to six months' severance pay.
Spickard's contract also includes a clause that says Congress cannot remove her from office within 90 days of a new lawmaker taking office after an election.
Mr. Spickard is currently the mayor of McCall, Idaho, a city of 2,991 people. Prior to being hired by the City of McCall in 2018, she worked for the City of Springfield, Oregon as the Public Works Director and Deputy Director from 2013 to 2018. Mr. Spickard spent most of his career in Lane County, Oregon, where he first held public office positions. She served as an accountant from 1993 to 2000, then a budget analyst from 2002 to 2004, and a deputy assessor and appraiser from 2004 to 2013. She received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Loyola Marymount University in 1991 and a master's degree in public administration from Loyola Marymount University. She attended the University of Washington in 2016.
of sedona red rock news We are working to obtain a complete interview with Mr. Spickard.
