The Prescott Times

09/24/2026

The roads are going to be wet out here in Prescott for a while. Bring an 🌂 ⛱️ ☔️ if you go out and drive safe.share your best 🌧 🌦 📹 or 📸 in the comments

09/24/2026

The weather is going to be beautiful today and this weekend here in Prescott with a high of 76 degrees today with a chance of showers this afternoon.

09/24/2026

Here's a first look at the map and schedule that will be available to guests at the Games this weekend in the printed program. The weekend is packed full of music and other entertainment, world class athletic competitions, vendors of all sorts, Highland cows and activities for the whole family!
The Prescott Times JH Cattle Co / Mini Moo Scott Jeffers Prescott Chamber of Commerce Prescott Area Celtic Society Findlay Subaru Prescott A3 Entertainment AZ Kilted Realtor

09/24/2026

I HAVE A QUESTION.

Actually, I have about $200,000 worth of questions.

Apparently, somewhere along the way, we needed a major grant-funded study and consulting process to discover something most people living and working in Prescott could have told us for free:

IT'S EXPENSIVE TO LIVE HERE.

Shocking, I know.

For $200,000, somebody could have called me.

I would have gladly explained that I regularly hear from people who can't afford their rent, groceries, gas or childcare.

Call our local employers.

They'll tell you how difficult it is to find good employees who can actually afford to live in the community where they work.

Call our food pantries and nonprofits and ask them about the demand they're seeing.

Call a teacher.

Call a healthcare worker.

Call someone working in a restaurant.

Call a young family.

Call basically anyone trying to live on a normal paycheck in Prescott.

I think we could have established that there was a housing problem before lunch.

Now, to be fair, the approximately $200,000 wasn't simply spent to determine that housing is expensive.

The City received state grant funding for a much larger process involving research, consulting, strategies, potential policy and zoning recommendations, an implementation roadmap and other work intended to help address workforce housing.

Great.

So here's where I start asking questions.

WHAT DID WE ACTUALLY GET FOR IT?

The City created the Workforce Housing Committee in 2022.

We had meetings.

We had discussions.

We hired consultants.

We conducted a housing needs assessment.

We developed a Workforce Housing Policy Framework.

We developed a Workforce Housing Strategy and Implementation Plan.

We confirmed that housing is expensive.

Check.

Then in April 2026, City Council voted 5-2 to dissolve the Workforce Housing Committee.

Wait...

What?

We spent years studying the problem, gathered community input, developed recommendations, created an implementation strategy...

And then dissolved the committee?

Maybe I'm missing something.

Seriously.

If I am, someone please explain it to me.

Because I don't want to unfairly criticize something if there is an actual implementation process happening behind the scenes.

So let's ask some very simple questions:

What recommendations were actually implemented?

What policies changed?

What recommendations are still moving forward?

What measurable results have come from this work?

Who is responsible for workforce housing now that the committee is gone?

And most importantly...

WHERE ARE THE SOLUTIONS?

Because I'm pretty sure the family struggling to make rent doesn't need another 100-page report explaining why they're struggling to make rent.

They already know.

The business owner losing employees because they can't afford to live here already knows.

The young person wondering whether they can build a life in Prescott already knows.

The senior struggling with rising costs already knows.

We don't have a shortage of studies.

We have a shortage of solutions.

And before someone says, "Well, it's complicated..."

Of course it's complicated.

Housing involves land costs, construction costs, zoning, infrastructure, wages, interest rates, property rights, development regulations and about 100 other things.

That's exactly why I want to know what happened to the SOLUTIONS that all this research was supposed to help develop.

Maybe there is a perfectly good answer.

I genuinely hope there is.

So let's hear it.

City of Prescott.

Current Council.

Former Council.

Former Workforce Housing Committee members.

Local developers.

Employers.

Residents.

Tell us:

What did we accomplish?

What are we implementing?

What didn't work?

And what happens next?

Because Prescott's workforce housing problem didn't magically disappear when we dissolved the committee studying it.

Funny how that works.

I'm going to dig deeper into the contracts, expenditures, recommendations and implementation plan.

Maybe we'll discover that the $200,000 produced meaningful changes that are happening right now.

I hope that's exactly what we find.

But if we spent years studying a problem everyone already knew existed, developed a plan to address it, and then put that plan on a shelf...

Well...

I think that's a conversation taxpayers deserve to have. San Martin Rodriguez

09/24/2026

WE KNOW THERE'S A PROBLEM. NOW WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?

My last post talked about the economic challenges facing our community — housing, the cost of living, finding employees, keeping our young people here and making sure working families can actually afford to live in the communities they serve.

But identifying the problem isn't enough.

So I want to change the conversation.

What can WE do?

Not just government.
Not just developers.
Not just nonprofits.
Not just businesses.

All of us.

Because there is something powerful hidden inside the word community:

commUNITY.

During difficult economic times, sometimes the greatest resource a community has is each other.

Maybe you have a spare room or guest house that could become safe, affordable housing for someone you know and trust, where legally and practically appropriate.

Maybe you're a business owner who has five or ten extra hours of work available each week that could help someone make their grocery or utility bill.

Maybe you're retired and have knowledge or experience that could help mentor a young person trying to start a career or business.

Maybe several families can develop a safe, responsible childcare network so parents can continue working.

Maybe your garden produces more food than your family can use.

Maybe your restaurant, grocery store or business regularly has usable food or supplies that could be donated through an appropriate local organization instead of going to waste.

Maybe you know someone who needs work — and someone else who needs help.

Connect them.

Support locally owned businesses whenever you can.

Hire local.

Buy local.

Recommend local.

Tip when you're able.

Share somebody's business on social media.

Teach a young person a trade.

Mentor a new entrepreneur.

Check on an elderly neighbor.

Give someone a ride.

Volunteer.

Donate what you aren't using.

And sometimes, simply ask someone:

"What do you need right now?"

We aren't going to solve housing affordability or the cost of living with acts of kindness alone. We still need serious conversations about housing, wages, infrastructure, economic development and the future of Yavapai County.

But while those bigger conversations are happening, we don't have to sit around waiting for someone else to fix everything.

Imagine what could happen if thousands of us each did ONE thing.

One extra job opportunity.
One introduction.
One meal.
One ride.
One mentorship.
One local purchase.
One opportunity for a young person.
One afternoon helping an elderly neighbor.
One person helping another person get through a difficult month.

That's how communities become resilient.

I've lived here long enough to know that Yavapai County has something money can't manufacture: people who care about where they live.

Our businesses need us.
Our workforce needs us.
Our youth need us.
Our seniors need us.
And sometimes our neighbors simply need to know they're not facing everything alone.

So I want to open this conversation to everyone.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

If you know of a local resource, food program, employment opportunity, mentorship program, affordable service, volunteer opportunity or simply have an idea that could help our neighbors, put it in the comments.

And if you're a local business owner, tell us what YOU need too.

Maybe someone reading the comments has exactly what you're looking for.

Instead of only talking about what's wrong with our economy, let's start connecting the people who can help make it stronger.

One neighbor.
One business.
One family.
One opportunity at a time.

That's commUNITY.

09/24/2026

SHARE YOUR SUNSET PHOTOS!

From Pat Izzo, Prescott, Arizona

09/23/2026

Bull riding is back in Prescott Valley this Saturday night!

Get ready for a high-energy night of live bull riding when the Mile High Bull Bash takes over Findlay Toyota Center on Saturday, September 26 at 7:30 PM.

Make plans now for a Saturday night at the arena!



MILE HIGH BULL BASH
Saturday, September 26 | 7:30 PM
Findlay Toyota Center | Prescott Valley



Get tickets at the arena box office or here: https://tinyurl.com/TPTBullBash

09/23/2026

The roads are wet here in Prescott . If you go out bring an 🌂 ⛱️ ☔️ and drive safe.

09/23/2026

We love seeing our local youth get involved in causes that mean something to them.

For Payton, volleyball is something she truly loves. This October, she and her team have an opportunity to combine that passion with something even more meaningful: supporting Breast Cancer Awareness.

This cause hits close to home for Payton. She has family members who have fought breast cancer and won, and she understands just how important awareness, early detection, and community support can be.

Payton is currently raising money to help her team purchase special Breast Cancer Awareness jerseys to wear during their games throughout October.

And you can help by buying popcorn!

Every popcorn purchase helps Payton and her team get one step closer to their goal while encouraging a young athlete who is using something she loves to support a cause that has impacted so many families.

The Prescott Times is proud to help spread the word and support young people in our community who are getting involved and making a difference.

Let’s help Payton and her team reach their goal!

Please support Payton’s fundraiser and share this post to help us get the word out.

Click here to buy our delicious popcorn and 50% of your purchase benefits this fundraiser.