Rancho Mirage City Council Meeting, June 05, 2025

Transcript text

AI transcript text.

[00:00:12] Good afternoon
[00:00:13] everyone. Happy to see you all today.
[00:00:18] It is Thursday, June 5th, approximately
[00:00:22] 100 pm. This is the regular meeting of
[00:00:25] the Ranch City Council and Community
[00:00:27] Services District, Energy Authority,
[00:00:30] Housing Authority, Joint Powers Finance
[00:00:34] Authority, Library and Observatory, and
[00:00:37] Redevelopment Successor agency boards.
[00:00:42] I will now ask our council member Eve
[00:00:46] from Berg Edelstein to lead us in the
[00:00:49] flag salute.
[00:00:53] Ready, begin. I aliance to the flag of
[00:00:57] the United States of America and to the
[00:01:00] republic for which it stands. One nation
[00:01:03] under God, indivisible, with liberty and
[00:01:06] justice for all.
[00:01:11] May we have a roll call, please. Council
[00:01:13] member DS, I'm here. Council member
[00:01:16] Fberg Edelstein here. Council member
[00:01:18] O'Keefe here. Mayor Prom Molatto here.
[00:01:21] Mayor While here.
[00:01:25] I would now like to
[00:01:27] uh introduce
[00:01:31] uh our new uh Rancher Mirage Elementary
[00:01:35] School principal, which is pretty
[00:01:38] exciting.
[00:01:39] Any of you that have been or seen the
[00:01:43] elementary school, you'll know it is a
[00:01:46] really a special place. It's just not an
[00:01:50] ordinary public school. It is just a
[00:01:53] beautiful
[00:01:55] facility. And the introduction today
[00:01:58] will be from Jessica Whiteitman,
[00:02:00] director of elementary curriculum and
[00:02:04] instruction. And she will be introducing
[00:02:07] Dr. Ryan Saunders, the new principal.
[00:02:10] So, Jessica, if you would please come up
[00:02:14] to the uh lectern, and we look forward
[00:02:17] to meeting you both.
[00:02:25] Thank you. And good afternoon, mayor,
[00:02:27] council members, and members of the
[00:02:29] Rancho Mirage community. Uh, my name is
[00:02:32] Jessica Whiteitman and I am the director
[00:02:34] of elementary curriculum and instruction
[00:02:35] for representing Palm Springs Unified
[00:02:38] School District and it's my pleasure to
[00:02:40] introduce Dr. Ryan Saunders, the new
[00:02:43] principal of Rancho Mirage Elementary
[00:02:45] School. Dr. Saunders um has most
[00:02:48] recently been the principal of Kuia
[00:02:50] Elementary School in Palm Springs
[00:02:52] Unified for the past 11 years and he
[00:02:55] brings with him a strong track record of
[00:02:58] dedication and student centered
[00:03:00] leadership. Uh before leading at the
[00:03:02] elementary level, Dr. Dr. Saunders
[00:03:05] served as an as an administrator at two
[00:03:07] middle schools in Palm Springs Unified,
[00:03:10] which gives him great insight into what
[00:03:12] our youngest learners need to be
[00:03:14] successful as they move through their
[00:03:16] educational journey. He's known for
[00:03:19] setting high
[00:03:20] expectations, supporting teachers
[00:03:22] through meaningful professional
[00:03:23] development, and always keeping students
[00:03:25] at the center of his work. Dr. Saunders
[00:03:28] has demonstrated an ability to build
[00:03:31] strong relationships with families and
[00:03:33] the broader community. As he begins this
[00:03:36] next chapter in Rancher Mirage, we're
[00:03:38] confident he'll bring that same
[00:03:39] commitment to build strong collaborative
[00:03:41] relationships that benefit both students
[00:03:44] and the community. We're thrilled to
[00:03:46] welcome Dr. Saunders to Rancher Mirage
[00:03:48] Elementary and are excite and we are all
[00:03:51] excited for the positive impact that he
[00:03:52] will bring. So, at this time, I'd like
[00:03:54] to introduce Dr. Saunders.
[00:03:58] [Music]
[00:03:59] You're not on a time. Yeah.
[00:04:02] No, that fell right off, didn't it?
[00:04:06] Good afternoon, mayor, council members,
[00:04:07] and community members. As Miss
[00:04:09] Whiteitman said, my name is Dr.
[00:04:10] Saunders, and I am the currently very
[00:04:12] proud principal of Kuia Elementary, and
[00:04:14] I am going to be equally proud to be the
[00:04:17] principal of Ranch Mirage Elementary.
[00:04:19] Um, I know that there's a lot of great
[00:04:21] strong partnerships between the
[00:04:23] community and the school and I look
[00:04:25] forward to continuing that similar kind
[00:04:27] of work that Dr. Haggar has in place
[00:04:29] there and I'm super excited. I'll begin
[00:04:32] uh being present on campus uh beginning
[00:04:35] on Monday for at least half of each day.
[00:04:37] So, if anybody needs anything, you'll be
[00:04:39] able to reach me there. Again, I'm very
[00:04:41] excited to uh join this aspect of the
[00:04:43] rancherage community and I look forward
[00:04:45] to working with everyone. So, thank you.
[00:04:48] Well, thank you, doctor. We're happy to
[00:04:51] welcome you. And I think you um you you
[00:04:55] hit it correctly. The uh the key is the
[00:04:57] relationship between community and the
[00:05:01] and the school. And uh that is
[00:05:04] critically important for us. We cherish
[00:05:07] those kinds of
[00:05:08] relationships and uh you know, we look
[00:05:11] forward to your involvement here in the
[00:05:14] community. So, welcome. Thank you very
[00:05:16] much. Great. Thank you. Thank you,
[00:05:18] doctor. Bye-bye.
[00:05:23] The uh the next recognition that I would
[00:05:27] like to make
[00:05:29] u is one to me
[00:05:33] extremely heartwarming, heart rendering
[00:05:37] and meaningful.
[00:05:39] Uh Dennis Constant has been a fixture
[00:05:44] here uh in our community for many years.
[00:05:48] Dennis has been a regular at every one
[00:05:53] of our meetings as was his beautiful
[00:05:57] wife Connie for many many years. Uh he
[00:06:01] has been a member of our parks and
[00:06:04] recreation commission. And it's my honor
[00:06:08] to ask Dennis to please uh join me at
[00:06:11] the front of the room as I want to give
[00:06:14] him a commendation of recommendation. So
[00:06:17] thank you.
[00:06:20] [Applause]
[00:06:46] Dennis, this is a
[00:06:49] honor proclamation honoring you more
[00:06:53] than
[00:06:54] deserved. And it says, "Dennis Constant
[00:06:58] served with exemplary dedication and
[00:07:01] commitment as a valued member of the
[00:07:03] Rancher Mirage Community Parks and
[00:07:06] Recreation Trails Commission from
[00:07:08] June
[00:07:11] 2017 to May of
[00:07:14] 2025. His recognition of service played
[00:07:17] an instrumental role in shaping and
[00:07:20] enhancing the recreational and
[00:07:22] environmental assets of Rancho Mirage.
[00:07:27] Mr. Constant was involved in the highly
[00:07:30] anticipated opening of the Rancher
[00:07:32] Mirage Dog Park in November of
[00:07:37] 2016. Dennis's service further
[00:07:41] encompassed the expansion of the Rancho
[00:07:45] Mirage Community Park and the
[00:07:46] development of the
[00:07:48] amphitheater with construction
[00:07:51] concluding in February 2017.
[00:07:55] the expansion of the Michael Wolfson
[00:07:57] Park completed in December of 23 and the
[00:08:01] expansion of the pickle ball courts at
[00:08:03] Ranchom Marage
[00:08:05] Community Park completed not that long
[00:08:08] ago in February of 24.
[00:08:13] Dennis, you have supported the community
[00:08:16] programs and
[00:08:17] initiatives, including the Festival of
[00:08:19] the Arts, the ongoing expansion of our
[00:08:22] city's hiking trails, and the popular
[00:08:25] music in the park
[00:08:28] series. Mr. Constants vision,
[00:08:31] leadership, and unwavering dedication
[00:08:35] have left an indelible mark on the
[00:08:37] landscape of Rancho Mirage, enriching
[00:08:40] our community for generations to come.
[00:08:44] Dennis, your mark on the community will
[00:08:47] be everlasting.
[00:08:50] And I must tell you that from a personal
[00:08:53] standpoint, having been at up at that
[00:08:56] dis for a number of years myself, it is
[00:08:59] with great enjoyment that I look out
[00:09:01] over the audience at every meeting and I
[00:09:05] feel blessed when you're there each
[00:09:06] time. So again, congratulations. It's an
[00:09:10] honor to hand you this proclamation.
[00:09:13] Thank you very much.
[00:09:19] It has been a great honor to
[00:09:22] represent this wonderful city of Rancher
[00:09:25] Mirage. Thank you very much. Thank you,
[00:09:28] Dennis. It's our honor. Thank you.
[00:10:05] name and
[00:10:08] um I will ask for council member
[00:10:12] comments starting on my left with mayor
[00:10:14] if I may. We do have one public comment
[00:10:16] for that if you'd like me to take that
[00:10:18] first please. Okay. Uh Brad Anderson,
[00:10:33] uh city of Ranch Mirage, uh or public
[00:10:36] speaker next in order as I put it on the
[00:10:38] card. Uh I wanted to uh speak on u
[00:10:41] council comments today, but I want to
[00:10:43] emphasize again that it's nonsensical
[00:10:46] for me to speak on a topic that I have
[00:10:48] no information about. So I've asked
[00:10:51] before to give my comments uh to provide
[00:10:54] my comments after the comments uh from
[00:10:57] the counselor, but apparently that is
[00:10:58] not going to be an issue or be allowed
[00:11:02] and that's concerning. Uh so I'm going
[00:11:05] to just uh speak briefly on your
[00:11:07] comments of your last city regular city
[00:11:09] council meeting and and and I have
[00:11:12] submitted written comments of everything
[00:11:14] I'm going to speak about today. Uh so
[00:11:16] hopefully they're in the public record
[00:11:19] uh because I know my communications
[00:11:21] today will not
[00:11:22] be. So uh I wanted to uh one of the
[00:11:25] council members spoke about uh uh the
[00:11:28] kind of the blame game concerning the
[00:11:30] wireless uh community. Well, not
[00:11:32] concerning 911 outages uh throughout the
[00:11:35] desert on weather events and and how
[00:11:38] apparently the the local cities were
[00:11:40] taking the blame for that. I was unaware
[00:11:42] of that. Of course, we have major
[00:11:44] carriers and they would be responsible
[00:11:46] if the common sense would dictate that
[00:11:48] the carriers would be the ones to blame
[00:11:51] for those outages. And uh section 31 was
[00:11:54] brought up uh about houses being sold in
[00:11:57] there. And again, hopefully you can read
[00:11:59] my comments that go into more detail
[00:12:01] than I'm going to give here. This is
[00:12:02] just a brief brief, uh, introduction to
[00:12:05] what I spoke about. Uh, but, uh,
[00:12:08] hopefully section 31, houses, real
[00:12:10] estate. Um, of course, we have two
[00:12:12] realtors that's really involved in that.
[00:12:14] So, that's concerning too as an aspect.
[00:12:16] But again, and and of course the media
[00:12:19] outlet, media with the Desert Healthcare
[00:12:21] District. Um uh I really would hope that
[00:12:24] the city mayor would be the one that
[00:12:26] speaks to the media about items like
[00:12:27] that instead of individual council
[00:12:29] members in the future. And that's all I
[00:12:31] have for the day. Thank you. Thank you
[00:12:33] for your comments. Is there anyone else
[00:12:35] who would like to speak on this item?
[00:12:37] That was the only speaker.
[00:12:39] Okay. We will then continue with the
[00:12:42] council member comments and on my left
[00:12:46] council member Eve from Bergett. No
[00:12:49] comments. Thank you very much. Uh,
[00:12:53] Council Member Michael O'keefee. Uh,
[00:12:56] thank you, Mr. Mayor. I Good afternoon,
[00:12:57] everyone. I do have a few things I'd
[00:12:59] like to mention. Um, first, I'd like to
[00:13:02] say to Dennis Constant, not only do I
[00:13:05] thank you for your work, but thank you
[00:13:07] for being a kind and gracious person.
[00:13:10] You you bring a whole element into the
[00:13:13] workplace, and I appreciate it.
[00:13:15] Um, if any of you have ever thought
[00:13:17] about adopting a dog, now is a good time
[00:13:20] to do it. Uh, our first slide, our
[00:13:23] animal shelter just across the freeway
[00:13:25] in Thousand Palms is experiencing a
[00:13:29] 220% overpopulation situation. That
[00:13:33] means in kennels that were built for
[00:13:34] maybe one or two dogs, they may be
[00:13:36] housing four or five. Uh, that is
[00:13:39] neither healthy nor safe for those
[00:13:41] animals. Uh the shelter is open now all
[00:13:44] weekends and late on in the weekdays
[00:13:47] including Sundays and all of the
[00:13:49] adoption fees are waved. Uh so please
[00:13:52] help our doggies who need a good home.
[00:13:54] Uh of course Rancho Mirage residents are
[00:13:57] always eligible for reimbursement of
[00:13:59] adoption costs and many of the pet care
[00:14:01] services. Um also this Saturday is
[00:14:05] California Adopt a Pet Day and all
[00:14:08] adoptions are free. Uh so here are some
[00:14:11] shelter locations. So please consider
[00:14:14] adopting a dog. Next, uh to all of our
[00:14:17] parents and grandparents here today. Um
[00:14:20] summer is here and if you need some
[00:14:23] ideas for activities for your children
[00:14:25] or your grandchildren, uh other than
[00:14:27] hanging around the pool or playing video
[00:14:30] games, I have a couple of suggestions.
[00:14:33] Uh first, check out the Children's
[00:14:34] Discovery Museum right here in Rancho
[00:14:36] Mirage. Uh they're offering summer camps
[00:14:40] each week uh for the next two months. Uh
[00:14:43] each week has a different theme. Some of
[00:14:45] the themes are look like they're going
[00:14:47] to be a lot of fun. Uh they start the
[00:14:49] camps start next week. So if you're
[00:14:51] interested, you need to register today
[00:14:52] or tomorrow. Um you can register at
[00:14:56] cdmod.org.
[00:14:59] Uh, also the world famous Rancho Mirage
[00:15:02] Library and Observatory is beginning its
[00:15:04] summer reading club next week and it
[00:15:07] runs till August. Um, director Espinosa
[00:15:10] and his staff do such an excellent job
[00:15:13] and this club is not just for kids but
[00:15:15] it's for folks of all ages. Uh, there
[00:15:18] are activities every day and you can
[00:15:20] check that out at ranchmirage
[00:15:22] library.org.
[00:15:24] And speaking of our wonderful library,
[00:15:27] uh June is Pride Month and the library
[00:15:30] has um curated an incredible amount of
[00:15:34] LGBTQ books and materials to help
[00:15:38] celebrate this month. And I finally, I'd
[00:15:41] like to just say a few words about
[00:15:43] Pride. This is a time of the year where
[00:15:46] we honor the LGBTQ community. We
[00:15:50] recognize the progress that we've made,
[00:15:52] but we still acknowledge the work that
[00:15:54] lies ahead. So, Pride is more than just
[00:15:57] parades and celebrations and rainbows.
[00:16:00] It is a reflection of courage and
[00:16:02] resilience and
[00:16:04] authenticity. It's a powerful
[00:16:07] reminder that love, identity, and
[00:16:10] self-exression are not privileges. These
[00:16:13] are rights for all people, straight and
[00:16:16] LGBTQ.
[00:16:18] So whether you're a part of the LGBTQ
[00:16:20] comm community community or or an ally
[00:16:23] to that community, um let's make this
[00:16:26] month a time of reflection, action, and
[00:16:29] celebration. Uh uplifting voices,
[00:16:32] standing against discrimination, and
[00:16:35] create a future where everyone has the
[00:16:37] opportunity to live open, authentic, and
[00:16:40] productive lives.
[00:16:42] my husband and partner of 25 years, Jim
[00:16:46] Hayne. He and I are happy to wish
[00:16:48] everyone everyone in Rancho Mirage a
[00:16:52] very happy Pride Month. And may we
[00:16:54] always embrace the beauty of diversity
[00:16:56] in our wonderful city. Thank you, Mr.
[00:16:58] Mayor. Thank you, Michael. Very nice
[00:17:00] words and very meaningful
[00:17:03] uh and um as usual well expressed. So,
[00:17:07] thank you.
[00:17:09] Uh I will now go to uh Council Member
[00:17:13] DS.
[00:17:15] Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Two items today.
[00:17:18] First, the Coachella Valley Association
[00:17:20] of Government's Transportation Committee
[00:17:22] meeting was Monday morning. Now, we had
[00:17:25] a staff presentation on an addition to
[00:17:28] the cost of the Seag Arts and Music
[00:17:31] Line. The music line is an addition to
[00:17:34] the CV Link. It's an approved and to be
[00:17:37] built 9mm multi-modal bike walking
[00:17:42] electric vehicle route in Coachella,
[00:17:44] India and Lita. Now bear in mind it's 9
[00:17:46] miles long. Now the addition to cost
[00:17:49] will bring the expected total project
[00:17:51] cost to $9.8 million almost $10
[00:17:54] million per
[00:17:57] mile. A grand total of $88 million for a
[00:18:02] 9m bike path. Now, to be sure, there's
[00:18:04] going to be a grand bike path, lighting,
[00:18:06] piped in, music, overhead, shaded areas.
[00:18:08] I'm sure it'll be quite dramatic, but um
[00:18:12] $88 million. I'm reminded of the reasons
[00:18:15] why the Rancher Mirage voters rejected
[00:18:17] participation in the CV Link by an 80%
[00:18:21] margin. The voters were concerned with
[00:18:23] the cost of a project that would siphon
[00:18:25] Measure A transportation dollars from
[00:18:28] other muchneeded roadway projects. The
[00:18:31] ranch mirage route would not have
[00:18:33] traveled along the Whitewater wash as it
[00:18:36] does in other cities. It would have
[00:18:38] invaded the Highway 111 business
[00:18:40] district and a number of our residential
[00:18:42] communities. Now, some who favor the
[00:18:44] link have suggested that Ranch Mirage
[00:18:45] residents were driven to submission by
[00:18:48] this council and primarily by Dana
[00:18:50] Hobart who was the chief opponent of the
[00:18:52] link rooting through Ranch Mirage. Now,
[00:18:55] at the height of his powers, Dana was a
[00:18:57] Dana was a formidable guy, but to think
[00:18:58] that he or any politician has the
[00:19:00] ability to muster 80% of the voters on
[00:19:03] any issue is a pretty big stretch. It's
[00:19:06] also a little um insulting to the
[00:19:08] Rancher Mirage electorate who are
[00:19:09] sophisticated, knowledgeable voters who
[00:19:11] make take who take their time to inform
[00:19:13] themselves about the issues and then
[00:19:15] vote in large numbers. 75% in the last
[00:19:17] election. Well, that's my report on the
[00:19:20] CVAG Transportation Committee. $88
[00:19:22] million bike path 9 miles. So for my
[00:19:26] second item that I want to talk to
[00:19:27] today, uh, and at the risk of sounding
[00:19:29] like a broken record, I again want to
[00:19:32] address the non-compete clause in the
[00:19:34] hospital lease between the Desert
[00:19:36] Healthc Care District and Tenant. The
[00:19:39] reason for uh again speaking to the
[00:19:40] issue is that there have been recent
[00:19:42] letters to the editor of the Desert Sun
[00:19:44] criticizing Eisenhower for um objecting
[00:19:47] to a validation action filed with the
[00:19:49] Riverside County Superior Court by the
[00:19:51] district. I wrote an opinion article
[00:19:53] published in the Desert Sun last weekend
[00:19:55] in which I supported Eisenhower's
[00:19:57] opposition to the non-compete and the
[00:19:58] issue was then the subject of a seg
[00:20:00] segment on the Rogan report on local NBC
[00:20:03] news on t Tuesday evening. So this issue
[00:20:06] is in the news again and that's why I
[00:20:08] want to speak to it again. I think it's
[00:20:11] good to keep a spotlight on the issue so
[00:20:13] that we can continue to educate the
[00:20:15] public about the problem with the
[00:20:17] non-compete. At the core of the matter
[00:20:19] is the fact that the non-compete clause
[00:20:22] was included in the extension of the
[00:20:25] lease of Desert Regional Medical Center
[00:20:27] to tenant. The complicated language of
[00:20:29] the clause prevents the Desert Health
[00:20:32] Care District from making healthc care
[00:20:33] grants to organizations that are
[00:20:35] considered to be competitive to tenant.
[00:20:38] Now, as we all know, this is a single
[00:20:40] organization that is the target of this
[00:20:42] non-compete, and that's Eisenhower
[00:20:44] Health. Now, most of the complaints on
[00:20:46] Eisenhower's position makes incorrect
[00:20:48] claims and missed the point. Incorrect
[00:20:50] claims such as Eisenhower should drop
[00:20:52] the lawsuit. There's no lawsuit by
[00:20:54] Eisenhower. The lawsuit was filed by the
[00:20:56] district. claims that um the voters uh
[00:21:00] approved the lease and Eisenhower should
[00:21:01] stop attempting to overturn the will of
[00:21:03] the voters. Eisenhower does not wish to
[00:21:05] overturn the will of the voters.
[00:21:07] Eisenhower merely objects to the
[00:21:09] validation action and more specifically
[00:21:11] the non-compete. One letter writer went
[00:21:14] so far as to say that Eisenhower's
[00:21:16] action is a slap in the face of the
[00:21:18] voters and is anti-democratic. Well,
[00:21:21] I've got a copy of the validation action
[00:21:23] filed by the district. It's a lawsuit
[00:21:28] and the plaintiff is the Desert
[00:21:29] Healthcare District. The defendants are
[00:21:32] all persons interested in the matter of
[00:21:35] the lease. All persons. Now, this is a
[00:21:38] 457 square mile district and there are
[00:21:41] 400,000 residents in the district. All
[00:21:44] of whom are defendants in this lawsuit.
[00:21:47] It goes on to say, "You have been sued
[00:21:48] and the court may decide against you
[00:21:51] without your being heard unless you
[00:21:53] respond." So, if I understand one letter
[00:21:56] writer's complaint, it's anti-democratic
[00:21:58] to respond to a lawsuit from the
[00:22:00] district that names as defendants every
[00:22:02] single person in the entire
[00:22:04] district. I don't think so. So, let's
[00:22:07] move on to the real issue. The real
[00:22:08] issue is not the lease itself. The real
[00:22:10] issue is not the fact that the voters
[00:22:11] overwhelmingly approved the lease. The
[00:22:13] real issue is the non-compete clause
[00:22:15] which prevents the single most capable
[00:22:17] health care provider in the district
[00:22:19] from receiving grants from the district.
[00:22:21] grants that are designed to provide for
[00:22:23] the health and well-being of the entire
[00:22:25] population of the district. Two things
[00:22:28] to think about. First, the district was
[00:22:30] created by the legislature for the
[00:22:32] purpose of providing desert direct
[00:22:34] health care services and also providing
[00:22:37] grant funding to organizations that
[00:22:39] operate medical facilities and services.
[00:22:42] Logic dictates that the legislature did
[00:22:44] not envision the single most obvious
[00:22:47] provider of healthc care services in the
[00:22:49] Coachella Valley from being excluded
[00:22:51] from receiving grants from the district.
[00:22:53] I hope that the judge in the validation
[00:22:55] action gives consideration and
[00:22:57] considerable thought to the intention of
[00:23:00] the legislature in creating healthcare
[00:23:02] districts. And second, I don't think
[00:23:04] that many voters focused on the
[00:23:05] non-compete when they cast their votes.
[00:23:08] I think they focused only on the wisdom
[00:23:11] of continuing continuing the lease with
[00:23:13] tenant. Now suppose there had been two
[00:23:18] ballot measures dealing with the lease
[00:23:20] non-compete issue. Suppose that one
[00:23:23] ballot measure asked the voters to
[00:23:25] approve the lease and a second ballot
[00:23:28] measure asked the voters to approve of
[00:23:30] including a non-compete which would
[00:23:32] exclude Eisenhower from receiving grants
[00:23:34] from the district. grants which would
[00:23:36] help improve the health and well-being
[00:23:38] of the vast population of the district.
[00:23:40] My guess is that ballot measure number
[00:23:43] one would have passed by a large large
[00:23:45] margin just as it did. And my guess is
[00:23:48] that ballot measure number two would
[00:23:50] have lost by an equally large margin.
[00:23:53] I'll conclude by reminding everyone that
[00:23:54] this council recently passed a
[00:23:56] resolution in support of Eisenhower's
[00:23:58] objection to the validation action suit
[00:24:01] filed by the district. Thank you, Mr.
[00:24:03] Mayor.
[00:24:04] Thank you again, Steve. I think um we
[00:24:08] have uh we have made our voice very
[00:24:11] clear regarding this issue. Um we
[00:24:16] recognize the value of Eisenhower. We
[00:24:20] welcome them here today and
[00:24:24] um being the largest employer in the
[00:24:27] city of Rancher Mirage and the largest
[00:24:30] employer in the entire Coachella Valley.
[00:24:33] Uh so we're all how we're all you know
[00:24:38] pulling the same ore in the same
[00:24:39] direction is how can we have the very
[00:24:43] best medical service
[00:24:47] available for our
[00:24:50] residents and one of the ways that that
[00:24:53] can be done is by not excluding anyone
[00:24:57] and uh I think that we feel that this
[00:25:02] non-compete
[00:25:04] uh basically excludes the opportunity of
[00:25:08] service uh when it could be
[00:25:11] available. Uh in any case, thanks Steve
[00:25:14] again for your comments. Uh I'll now
[00:25:17] call upon uh uh Mayor Proan Molatto for
[00:25:22] any of her comments, please. Thank you,
[00:25:24] Mr. Mayor. Uh I I have two things. Uh
[00:25:28] the first is to congratulate the
[00:25:30] Rancharrage Library and the library
[00:25:32] foundation. The library foundation
[00:25:34] submitted a $50,000 grant request to the
[00:25:37] Anderson Children's Foundation as part
[00:25:39] of its 2025 2026
[00:25:42] uh grant funding schedule. The grant
[00:25:46] request was fully approved to support
[00:25:48] the following key programs. $20,000 for
[00:25:52] the youth theater program, 15,000 for
[00:25:54] the Steam Reads program, 10,000 for the
[00:25:59] summer reading program, and 5,000 for
[00:26:01] the Connecting Children's to the Stars
[00:26:04] at our observatory. We send a heartfelt
[00:26:06] thank you to the Anderson Family
[00:26:08] Foundation and the many other donors and
[00:26:11] foundations that share our investment in
[00:26:14] the community. Uh what most people don't
[00:26:16] realize is is that our library
[00:26:21] um exists because of the the thoughtful
[00:26:24] and generous contributions to the
[00:26:28] institution and receives next to nothing
[00:26:32] as far as federal funding. Um, so we
[00:26:36] really appreciate the communities, not
[00:26:39] only residents here in Rancher Mirage,
[00:26:41] but across the valley that invest in the
[00:26:44] future of our children and other
[00:26:45] programs at the
[00:26:48] library. The second um comment I want to
[00:26:51] make is is a a little on the personal
[00:26:54] because I knew this huge um community
[00:26:58] contributor today. Uh earlier today, a
[00:27:00] grateful community thanked and
[00:27:02] celebrated the life of Dr. Adrien S.
[00:27:05] Graph Rafford. Dr. Graph Rafford was a
[00:27:08] brilliant orthopedic surgeon for over 40
[00:27:11] years and one of the founding physicians
[00:27:14] of Desert Orthopedic Center at
[00:27:16] Eisenhower Medical Center campus. Uh he
[00:27:19] retired from practice in
[00:27:21] 2013 and u GR as we affectionately
[00:27:25] called him. I was one of his X-ray techs
[00:27:28] um when I was 20. That was a long time
[00:27:32] ago. Uh in 2013, he joined the board of
[00:27:35] trustees at Eisenhower Medical Center,
[00:27:37] always championing a cause not only for
[00:27:40] the community, but also for the
[00:27:43] employees that served our community.
[00:27:47] Aside from the stellar acumen as a
[00:27:49] surgeon were his many many attributes as
[00:27:53] a human being that endeared him to his
[00:27:55] patients, staff, friends, and all he
[00:27:57] met. He knew no strangers. He had a
[00:28:00] philosophy that he shared with me in
[00:28:02] between cases. I was 20 at the time. He
[00:28:05] said, "You can be the best technically
[00:28:06] in whatever you choose to do, but one
[00:28:10] has to have empathy, compassion,
[00:28:12] kindness to be truly successful.
[00:28:16] He was a gentleman in the true meaning
[00:28:18] of the word. He had the deepest love and
[00:28:22] his highest priority for his family, his
[00:28:24] friends, and he kept those relationships
[00:28:27] alive. We learned from his examples, and
[00:28:29] we are all better for those examples. We
[00:28:32] send our love, thoughts, and prayers to
[00:28:35] his wife, Cass, son, James, and daughter
[00:28:37] Vicki, her husband, Charlie, and the two
[00:28:41] grandsons. Thank you so much. Oh, th
[00:28:44] those are kind and thoughtful words. I
[00:28:47] had the honor of knowing the doctor. Um,
[00:28:50] we were neighbors together for many
[00:28:52] years in Clancy Lane and uh I have known
[00:28:56] he and his wife uh who have contributed
[00:28:59] to the community uh significantly. So uh
[00:29:03] we say a little prayer for both of them.
[00:29:06] Thank you.
[00:29:09] Um, as a council member,
[00:29:13] uh, everyone here receives a number of
[00:29:16] communications. Uh, we're very blessed
[00:29:20] in this city because the majority are
[00:29:22] quite positive and
[00:29:24] complimentary. Uh, I received one letter
[00:29:27] the other day and I commented to my m to
[00:29:30] my wife when I received it and I said, I
[00:29:34] want you to hear this, how thoughtful it
[00:29:36] is. and she said, "You should really
[00:29:39] read that aloud because it's not just
[00:29:43] for you or the council members because
[00:29:46] what it does
[00:29:48] is it identifies how outstanding the
[00:29:53] staff at Rancho Mirage is and what a job
[00:29:57] they do." And I said, "You're absolutely
[00:29:59] right. I'm going to do that." So, if you
[00:30:02] will, this is a very brief letter that
[00:30:04] says, "Dear Mayor Whiley, my husband and
[00:30:08] I are residents of Anchorage, Alaska,
[00:30:12] and we've been fortunate to call Rancho
[00:30:14] Mirage our winter home since
[00:30:18] 2011. When we first chose Rancho Mirage,
[00:30:22] we did so with great care and intention.
[00:30:26] What drew us here beyond the natural
[00:30:28] beauty and exceptional quality of life
[00:30:32] was the thoughtful, steady leadership
[00:30:34] demonstrated by the city's elected
[00:30:37] officials. Over the years, that decision
[00:30:40] has only been
[00:30:42] reaffirmed. We want to take a moment to
[00:30:44] express our sincere appreciation for
[00:30:48] your dedication and the fine
[00:30:49] statesmanship that you and your
[00:30:51] colleagues bring to the role. Your
[00:30:54] leadership has helped shape Rancher
[00:30:56] Mrage into the welcoming, well-managed
[00:30:59] and vibrant community that we are proud
[00:31:02] to be a part of. With gratitude and
[00:31:05] respect, Carol and Blake Butler and I
[00:31:09] read that because although it's
[00:31:11] addressed to me, it's addressed to
[00:31:15] everybody here on this dis.
[00:31:18] addressed to the staff and it it's
[00:31:21] addressed to all of the people that
[00:31:23] preceded us on this das that laid laid
[00:31:28] the
[00:31:29] foundation that frankly makes this city
[00:31:32] so unique. So again, Mr. and Mrs.
[00:31:36] Butler, I thank you for the kind words.
[00:31:39] With that, I will go directly to the
[00:31:42] city manager and ask him for any
[00:31:44] comments that he might have. Uh
[00:31:48] otherwise, we will then segue directly
[00:31:51] into this consent calendar.
[00:31:54] Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh no comments
[00:31:56] today, so we will jump right into the
[00:31:57] consent calendar. The council has 10
[00:31:59] items on the consent calendar for
[00:32:01] consideration. Items 5A through 5J. Item
[00:32:04] 5 A is to wave the full reading of any
[00:32:07] ordinances introduced or adopted
[00:32:09] pursuant to this agenda. Item 5B are the
[00:32:13] May 8th, 2025 special city council
[00:32:16] meeting minutes from our budget study
[00:32:18] session. Item 5 C is the May 15, 2025
[00:32:22] regular city council meeting minutes.
[00:32:24] Item 5D is the May 15,
[00:32:28] 2025 special city council meeting
[00:32:31] minutes for the housing authority.
[00:32:33] Item 5E is the second reading and
[00:32:37] adoption of ordinance
[00:32:39] number
[00:32:41] 1223 which amends citywide
[00:32:44] codes. Item 5F is the second reading and
[00:32:48] adoption of ordinance number 1224
[00:32:53] uh adopting the updated fire hazard
[00:32:56] severity zone map. Item 5G is to uh
[00:33:01] approve the final parcel map number
[00:33:05] 38899. Item 5H is to adopt a resolution
[00:33:10] 2025 next in order establishing the
[00:33:14] appropriations limit for fiscal year
[00:33:16] 2526 in accordance with provisions of
[00:33:19] division 9 of title one of the
[00:33:21] California government code. Item 5 I are
[00:33:24] contracts and 5J are demands. Before we
[00:33:27] go to council comments or questions,
[00:33:28] I'll ask the city clerk to take any
[00:33:30] public comment. Yes, we have one speaker
[00:33:32] card, a speaker identified as public
[00:33:34] speaker next in order.
[00:33:39] That's funny. Thank you very much, Brad
[00:33:41] Anderson, uh, city of Ranch. I wanted to
[00:33:44] speak on the consent items number B, C,
[00:33:46] D, E, and J. I'll be brief. I did submit
[00:33:50] written comments uh of everything I'll
[00:33:52] be speaking about today. Uh, B and C and
[00:33:55] D uh for the public. all the minutes of
[00:33:57] the meetings. U I guess you had a
[00:34:01] budget study session meeting, then a
[00:34:03] regular council meeting, and then a
[00:34:05] housing authority meeting immediately
[00:34:07] after the regular council meeting um on
[00:34:10] the 15th, I believe, of May. Um I'm I'm
[00:34:13] very very concerned about the way the
[00:34:15] city is um detailing the written
[00:34:18] minutes. Uh meaning that public comments
[00:34:20] like mine today will not be mentioned at
[00:34:22] all. possibly. We'll see how the wording
[00:34:26] is placed. This is all a test, by the
[00:34:29] way, just to see if the city will comply
[00:34:30] with state laws, and I don't think they
[00:34:32] will. And item E is a zone amendment uh
[00:34:37] for the wireless communication. That's a
[00:34:39] ominous bill. I guess uh it's not really
[00:34:43] a bill, but u uh this is the second
[00:34:46] reading. Again, I u I can my more detail
[00:34:50] is in my written comments, but u I'm
[00:34:52] concerned about how this is being
[00:34:56] enforced. Uh it it really takes the
[00:34:59] authority away from the city council and
[00:35:01] gives it right smack to the city manager
[00:35:04] and and and we may have communication
[00:35:06] faces right next door to you without you
[00:35:09] even knowing about it and not being able
[00:35:11] to protest. This is really an issue that
[00:35:14] could happen. uh just to make it easier
[00:35:17] to put those into the city. And number J
[00:35:20] is just the demands and I and I and I'm
[00:35:23] kind of concerned. I read through that
[00:35:25] whenever I'm available to read that and
[00:35:28] it's just mind numbing to me to go
[00:35:30] through all that, but I noticed you had
[00:35:32] some late fees on the on the cowpers and
[00:35:35] that's very common for a lot of the
[00:35:37] government agencies to do. It's not okay
[00:35:40] because that's taxpayers money. $200 a
[00:35:42] whack, but that's that's another issue.
[00:35:46] Um, and I saw Verizon wireless is like
[00:35:49] $30,000. Um, I don't know really what I
[00:35:52] can do public records request and find
[00:35:53] all that out. I'm not really that
[00:35:55] concerned about it. Uh, but the the
[00:35:57] ranch writers festival that's been an
[00:36:01] issue for mine for a long time. I'm just
[00:36:02] going to publicly state it now and
[00:36:04] hopefully you can look at that. I don't
[00:36:06] really see
[00:36:09] how it makes money and but if it loses
[00:36:13] money I don't understand because it's a
[00:36:16] massive amount of money going out and I
[00:36:18] don't see that that uh type of income
[00:36:21] coming in but that's my own opinion. Uh
[00:36:23] so and I'll leave that alone. Thank you.
[00:36:26] Thank you. That was the only speaker
[00:36:28] card. Is there anyone else who would
[00:36:29] like to speak on the consent
[00:36:32] calendar? That was the only speaker.
[00:36:36] Okay. Uh, are there any council comments
[00:36:39] regarding the consent
[00:36:41] calendar? If not, I'll ask for a motion,
[00:36:43] please. I'll move that the council
[00:36:45] approve the consent calendar. Second.
[00:36:48] There's a motion and a second. Please
[00:36:50] vote.
[00:37:02] Motion carries 5. Thank you, mayor. I
[00:37:05] would just like to know for the record
[00:37:06] the Ranch Marsh Writers Festival is a
[00:37:08] 501c3
[00:37:09] uh that raises its own money through
[00:37:11] donations to that nonprofit.
[00:37:16] Okay, we will now go to the public
[00:37:19] hearings and the first item is
[00:37:22] uh 6A and annexation number 197 to
[00:37:27] community facilities district number one
[00:37:32] uh in connection with the tenative track
[00:37:34] map TTM 38222
[00:37:39] uh Bravo Dreams Lane. Uh, Jacob Dea
[00:37:44] Cruz, financial analyst. If you would,
[00:37:47] Jacob. Thank you, mayor, and good
[00:37:49] afternoon, council. This item is to hold
[00:37:51] a public hearing for annexation number
[00:37:53] 197 into community facilities district
[00:37:55] number one. This is the second and final
[00:37:56] step of the city's annexation process
[00:37:58] for developments within the city's
[00:37:59] jurisdiction, and the first step was
[00:38:01] considered and approved at the May 1st
[00:38:03] council meeting. The territory proposed
[00:38:05] for annexation is located on the east
[00:38:06] side of Vista Deloul, just east of the
[00:38:08] Betty Ford Center, and west of Vista
[00:38:10] Dunes Road. It is comprised of two
[00:38:12] parcels totaling approximately 10.12
[00:38:14] acres and the project is slated to split
[00:38:17] the parcels into eight single family
[00:38:18] residential lots. At the conclusion of
[00:38:21] today's public hearing, provided written
[00:38:22] protests have not been filed and in the
[00:38:24] absence of a majority protest, city
[00:38:26] council may consider adoption of the
[00:38:27] attached resolution calling for a
[00:38:29] special election, declaring the results
[00:38:31] of the election, determining the
[00:38:33] validity of prior
[00:38:35] proceedings, approving the annexation of
[00:38:37] the territory, and directing the
[00:38:38] recording of an amendment to the notice
[00:38:39] of the special lean. Staff recommends
[00:38:41] approval, and that concludes my
[00:38:42] presentation.
[00:38:45] Thank you. Are there any public
[00:38:47] comments? No, I did not receive any
[00:38:49] speaker cards. Is there anyone in the
[00:38:50] audience who would like to provide
[00:38:52] public testimony on public hearing item
[00:38:54] number
[00:38:55] 6A? No speakers. Are there any council
[00:38:59] comments regarding item 6A?
[00:39:10] If I may declare the election results.
[00:39:12] Oh, excuse me. All right. The ballot for
[00:39:14] the 11 eligible votes was received on
[00:39:17] May 19th, 2025 and was in favor.
[00:39:19] Therefore, votes cast in favor equal
[00:39:22] 100% of total votes cast.
[00:39:25] Okay. Again,
[00:39:28] uh if there are no council comments,
[00:39:30] I'll ask for a motion.
[00:39:33] I'd be happy to make the uh the motion
[00:39:35] that we adopt resolution number 2025
[00:39:38] next in order calling an election on
[00:39:41] leving a special tax within the area
[00:39:43] proposed to be annexed to community
[00:39:45] facilities district number one
[00:39:47] annexation number 197 declaring the
[00:39:50] election results approving the
[00:39:52] annexation of the territory and
[00:39:53] directing the recordation of the
[00:39:55] amendment of the notice of special tax
[00:39:57] lean in connection with tenative track
[00:40:00] map number TTM. M 38222.
[00:40:07] Is there a second? A second. Uh there's
[00:40:11] a motion and a second. Please vote.
[00:40:15] Motion carries 5. Thank you.
[00:40:19] Uh the next item will also be uh handled
[00:40:22] by Jacob de la Cruz and that's the
[00:40:25] annexation of number
[00:40:28] uh 198 to community facilities district
[00:40:32] number one in connection with the
[00:40:35] tenative parcel map number TPM
[00:40:40] 38
[00:40:42] 899. Jacob, if you would.
[00:40:46] Thank you again, mayor. Uh, this item is
[00:40:49] to hold a public hearing for annexation
[00:40:50] number 198 into community facilities
[00:40:52] district number one. This is the second
[00:40:54] and final step in the city's annexation
[00:40:55] process for developments within the
[00:40:57] city's jurisdiction, and the first step
[00:40:58] was considered and approved at the April
[00:41:00] 17th council meeting. The territory
[00:41:02] proposed for annexation is located
[00:41:04] approximately 2,000 ft south of Frank
[00:41:05] Sinatra Drive on the east side of Vista
[00:41:07] Del Soul. It is comprised of two parcels
[00:41:10] totaling approximately 5.05 05 acres and
[00:41:12] the project is slated to split the
[00:41:13] parcel into four single family
[00:41:15] residential lots. At the conclusion of
[00:41:17] today's public hearing provided written
[00:41:18] protests have not been filed and in the
[00:41:20] absence of a majority protest, city
[00:41:22] council may consider adoption of the
[00:41:23] attached resolution calling for a
[00:41:25] special election, declaring the results
[00:41:27] of the election, determining the
[00:41:28] validity of prior proceedings, approving
[00:41:30] the annexation of the territory, and
[00:41:32] directing the recording of an amendment
[00:41:34] to the notice of special tax lean. Staff
[00:41:36] recommends approval. And that concludes
[00:41:37] my presentation.
[00:41:39] Thank you, Jacob. Uh, has the
[00:41:45] um city clerk please declare the
[00:41:48] election results? Well, first I'd like
[00:41:50] to open it to public testimony. I did
[00:41:52] not receive any speaker cards. Is there
[00:41:54] anyone in the audience who would like to
[00:41:56] provide public testimony on public
[00:41:58] hearing item
[00:41:59] 6B? Seeing none, then I will go ahead
[00:42:02] and declare their election results. The
[00:42:04] ballot for the six eligible votes was
[00:42:06] received on June 3rd, 2025 and was in
[00:42:09] favor. Therefore, votes cast in favor
[00:42:11] equal 100% of total votes cast.
[00:42:14] All right. Thank you. Are there any
[00:42:16] council comments regarding item
[00:42:20] 6B? Seeing none, I'll ask for a motion,
[00:42:22] please.
[00:42:24] I'll go ahead and do the motion. uh that
[00:42:26] the council adopt resolution number 2025
[00:42:28] next in order calling an election on
[00:42:31] levying a special tax within the area
[00:42:33] proposed to be enexed in community
[00:42:34] facilities district number one
[00:42:36] annexation number 198 declaring the
[00:42:38] election results approving the
[00:42:40] annexation of the territory and
[00:42:42] directing the recordation of the
[00:42:44] amendment of the notice of special tax
[00:42:46] lean in connection with tenative parcel
[00:42:48] map number TPM 38899.
[00:42:51] I'll second a motion and a second.
[00:42:54] Please vote.
[00:42:58] Motion carries 5-0. Thank
[00:43:02] you. The next item will be um handled by
[00:43:06] uh Ian Lassley and that's item 6C,
[00:43:10] Consolidated Landscaping and Lighting
[00:43:12] Maintenance Assessment District number
[00:43:16] 87-01. Ian, if you would please.
[00:43:20] Thank you, mayor, and uh good afternoon,
[00:43:23] mayor, and members of the city council.
[00:43:25] The two items before you today are the
[00:43:27] consolidated landscape and lighting
[00:43:29] maintenance assessment districts, final
[00:43:31] engineers annual annual levy report, and
[00:43:34] ordering of levy assessments and
[00:43:35] collections for fiscal year 2025 and
[00:43:39] 2026. The landscape and lighting
[00:43:41] maintenance district is set up to
[00:43:43] maintain landscape and lighting in each
[00:43:45] specific jone zone as shown on the
[00:43:47] engineers report. The zones within the
[00:43:49] districts are assessed on a cost
[00:43:51] recovery basis, assessing parcel owners
[00:43:54] for the associated maintenance cost of
[00:43:56] their specific zone. The citywide
[00:43:58] landscape and lighting zone, which
[00:44:00] covers the city's medians, is assessed
[00:44:02] by or assessed to parcel owners
[00:44:04] citywide. The five special benefit zones
[00:44:07] within the district are assessed only to
[00:44:09] parcels receiving the direct and special
[00:44:12] benefit as determined by the original
[00:44:13] agreement between the developer and the
[00:44:15] city. As required, a public hearing
[00:44:18] notice has been posted in the local
[00:44:19] paper noticing today's meeting. Staff
[00:44:22] recommends that the city council open
[00:44:24] the public hearing, invite testimony,
[00:44:26] and consider any written protests
[00:44:28] regarding the consolidated landscape and
[00:44:30] lighting district
[00:44:32] 87-01. Staff recommends that city
[00:44:34] council adopt the attached resolutions
[00:44:37] to this staff report and direct the city
[00:44:39] clerk to file certified copies of the
[00:44:41] resolutions with the appropriate
[00:44:42] agencies. This concludes my
[00:44:44] presentation. and I'm happy to answer
[00:44:45] any questions you might have. Thank you,
[00:44:47] Ian. Are there any uh public comments?
[00:44:51] Again, I did not receive any speaker
[00:44:52] cards. Is there anyone in the audience
[00:44:54] who would like to provide public
[00:44:55] testimony on public hearing item 6 C? No
[00:44:59] speakers. Thank you. Are there any
[00:45:01] council comments regarding item 6 C?
[00:45:08] Seeing none, I'll entertain a motion,
[00:45:10] please. I'll make the motion number one
[00:45:12] to adopt resolution 2025 next in order
[00:45:15] approving the final engineers annual
[00:45:17] levy report for the consolidated
[00:45:19] landscaping and lighting maintenance
[00:45:21] assessment district number
[00:45:23] 87-01 for fiscal year 2025 2026 and
[00:45:27] number two adopt resolution number 2025
[00:45:30] next in ordering the levy and collection
[00:45:32] of annual assessments for the
[00:45:34] consolidated landscaping and lighting
[00:45:36] maintenance assessment district number
[00:45:38] 87-0 for fiscal year 2025 2026.
[00:45:44] Second. There's a motion and a second.
[00:45:46] Please vote.
[00:45:50] Motion carries 5. Thank
[00:45:53] you. The next item 6D is Assembly Bill
[00:45:59] 2561. It's a public hearing on city
[00:46:02] vacancies and recruitment and retention
[00:46:05] efforts that will be handled by Kofi
[00:46:08] Antab, our administrative services
[00:46:12] director. Kofi, if you would. Thank you,
[00:46:14] Mayor. Good afternoon, council. So,
[00:46:16] Assembly Bill um
[00:46:19] 2561, which became effective on January
[00:46:21] 1st,
[00:46:22] 2025, was introduced to address the
[00:46:25] issue of job vacancies in local
[00:46:27] governments. The bill mandates that
[00:46:30] public agencies present the status of
[00:46:32] vacancies, recruitment, and retention
[00:46:34] efforts during a public hearing before
[00:46:37] the agency's governing board at least
[00:46:39] once in a fiscal year. And that
[00:46:42] presentation has to be done before the
[00:46:44] adoption of the public agency's budget.
[00:46:48] The bill also allows that each buging
[00:46:51] unit within a public agency make
[00:46:54] presentations during the public hearing
[00:46:56] about the vacancies recruitment and
[00:46:58] retention efforts if it wishes to do so.
[00:47:01] In addition, the bill um if vacancies
[00:47:05] within a single bargaining unit is 20 or
[00:47:09] exceeds 20% of the authorized full-time
[00:47:12] positions in that bargaining unit.
[00:47:15] Additional information must be provided
[00:47:17] during the public hearing. The city of
[00:47:20] Rancho Mirage has one um bargaining unit
[00:47:23] which is the Rancho Mirage Employees
[00:47:25] Association and currently has no
[00:47:28] vacancies in authorized positions. The
[00:47:31] human resources division um of the city
[00:47:33] regularly evaluates and refineses the
[00:47:36] city's recruitment processes and
[00:47:38] retention strategies and provides
[00:47:40] recommendation based on the outcome of
[00:47:43] such reviews. At this time, there are no
[00:47:47] um hiring related changes that have been
[00:47:49] proposed as the city currently has no um
[00:47:54] authoriz vacancies in authorized
[00:47:55] positions. And that concludes my
[00:47:57] presentation. I'll be happy to answer
[00:47:59] any questions that you may have. Thank
[00:48:00] you. Thank you, Kofi. Are there any
[00:48:04] public comments regarding this item? No
[00:48:06] speaker cards were presented. Um, is
[00:48:08] there anyone in the audience who would
[00:48:10] like to provide public testimony on
[00:48:12] public hearing item
[00:48:13] 6D? No speakers.
[00:48:16] Thank
[00:48:17] you. Are there any council comments
[00:48:19] regarding this item?
[00:48:23] If not, I'll entertain a motion. I'll
[00:48:26] make a motion. I'll make the motion that
[00:48:29] we receive and file the AB2561 staff
[00:48:32] report.
[00:48:35] Second.
[00:48:38] Please vote.
[00:48:41] Motion carries 5-0.
[00:48:44] Thank you.
[00:48:47] The
[00:48:51] um next
[00:48:55] item again will be
[00:48:58] um Kofi, you're still up on the uh
[00:49:02] annual levy of special taxes assessments
[00:49:05] for fire protection and prevention and
[00:49:07] community facilities districts number
[00:49:10] one and two.
[00:49:12] All right. Thank you, mayor. Good
[00:49:13] afternoon again, council. So on an
[00:49:16] annual basis, various assessments and
[00:49:18] special taxes must be confirmed by the
[00:49:21] city council and then submitted to the
[00:49:23] Riverside County um tax collectors
[00:49:26] office to be included on the tax role.
[00:49:29] The three resolutions attached to the
[00:49:30] staff report would approve special
[00:49:33] assessment to fund public safety, thus
[00:49:35] fire and police and library services.
[00:49:39] The fire and fire exercise special
[00:49:42] assessments are
[00:49:44] $60 and
[00:49:47] $13.66 per unit, respectively. Due to
[00:49:50] prop 218 restrictions, these assessments
[00:49:54] will remain the same as um the amounts
[00:49:57] or the assessments for the 2024 2025
[00:50:01] fiscal
[00:50:02] year. The CFD number one assessment
[00:50:06] which funds um police and fire is
[00:50:09] determined by a mathematical formula
[00:50:11] that was established by the enabling
[00:50:14] ordinance ordinance number 485.
[00:50:17] That formula looks at actual expenses
[00:50:20] and revenues generated by public safety
[00:50:23] and comes up with the net cost that is
[00:50:25] then aortioned out among the various
[00:50:28] parcels for the fiscal year 2025
[00:50:32] 2026 assessment for residential unit
[00:50:35] dwelling units is proposed to be levied
[00:50:37] at
[00:50:41] $46969. The commercial rate which is
[00:50:43] based on square footage um rather than a
[00:50:46] unit per unit basis is proposed to be
[00:50:49] levied at
[00:50:51] $18 um per square
[00:50:54] footage. The CFD number two which is the
[00:50:57] Western Vacation Club was established in
[00:51:00] 2001 to fund library services. This
[00:51:03] assessment is subject to an annual
[00:51:05] increase to reflect the change in
[00:51:08] consumer price index. The CPI change was
[00:51:14] 2.936%. Therefore, the rate for CFD
[00:51:17] number two will increase from the
[00:51:20] current
[00:51:22] $4766 to
[00:51:24] $494 per accessible week. Staff
[00:51:27] recommends approval of this the attached
[00:51:29] resolutions which will then be forwarded
[00:51:32] to the county for placement on the 2025
[00:51:34] 2026 tax role. And that concludes my
[00:51:37] presentation. I'll be happy to answer
[00:51:39] any questions you may have. Thank you.
[00:51:42] Thank you, Kofi. Are there any public
[00:51:43] comments? Yes, I received one speaker
[00:51:46] card again from individual named public
[00:51:48] speaker. Next in order.
[00:51:53] Thank you again. Brad Anderson, city
[00:51:55] ranch. I will address this briefly. U
[00:51:59] nobody likes increased taxes. I don't.
[00:52:01] Uh I understand the CPI is 3% but you
[00:52:04] said 2.61 I believe. Uh so there's
[00:52:08] really nothing that can be done uh to uh
[00:52:12] curb this. But I just want to remind
[00:52:14] everybody that the prior city council uh
[00:52:18] did an amendment to the sheriff's
[00:52:20] department uh for public safety uh and
[00:52:24] and and that was I guess emphasized by
[00:52:28] one of the council members to to protect
[00:52:31] or one of the ex- councsil members uh
[00:52:34] for uh services of section 31. And I was
[00:52:38] opposed to that at the time because as
[00:52:40] we know 13 homes uh are currently uh
[00:52:44] being lived in in that development now
[00:52:47] my understanding from the last meeting
[00:52:49] or comments from one of the city council
[00:52:51] members. So I think we've been paying a
[00:52:54] lot more than we had to for a long
[00:52:56] period of time meeting as a citywide. Uh
[00:52:59] but uh I I agree uh I think we have
[00:53:02] outstanding services that the city
[00:53:05] provides. uh the residents uh police and
[00:53:08] fire and and other services. So um uh
[00:53:12] there's really nothing that can be done
[00:53:14] uh to curb that but uh uh maybe we can
[00:53:17] be more thrifty with how we do it in the
[00:53:20] future. And that's all I have. Thank
[00:53:21] you. Thank you. Is there anyone else who
[00:53:24] would like to speak on
[00:53:25] 7A? No additional speakers. Thank you.
[00:53:29] Are there any council comments regarding
[00:53:32] this item?
[00:53:36] Seeing none, I'll entertain a motion for
[00:53:39] uh for the annual levy of special taxes.
[00:53:43] I'll make the motion uh motion to number
[00:53:46] one adopt resolution number 2025 next in
[00:53:48] ordering the levy and collection of the
[00:53:51] fire tax and fire excise tax pursuant to
[00:53:53] ordinance number 190 and ordinance
[00:53:55] number 475 for fiscal year 202526.
[00:53:59] Number two to adopt resolution number
[00:54:02] 2025 next in order establishing the and
[00:54:05] ordering the levy and collection of the
[00:54:08] annual special tax pursuant to ordinance
[00:54:10] number 485 for community facilities
[00:54:12] district number one police and fire
[00:54:14] services and annexations thereto for
[00:54:17] fiscal year 2025 2026 and adopt
[00:54:20] resolution number 2025 next in order
[00:54:23] establishing and ordering the levy and
[00:54:25] collection of the annual special tax
[00:54:27] pursuant to ordin ordinance number 767
[00:54:31] for community district facilities
[00:54:33] district number two Weston Vacation Club
[00:54:36] and annexations thereto for fiscal year
[00:54:38] 2025 2026.
[00:54:41] Thank you. Is there a second? I'll
[00:54:43] second. There's a motion and a second.
[00:54:45] Please vote.
[00:54:49] Motion carries 5.
[00:54:52] Thank you.
[00:54:54] The uh next item will be presented
[00:54:59] uh by
[00:55:01] uh Ian and Lassley again fiscal year
[00:55:07] 202526 park maintenance district special
[00:55:11] tax levy. Ian if you would.
[00:55:14] Good afternoon again mayor and council
[00:55:16] members. The item before you today is
[00:55:18] the park maintenance district special
[00:55:20] tax levy for fiscal year 2025 and 2026.
[00:55:24] In 1998, Rancher residents approved a
[00:55:27] special park tax to fund the maintenance
[00:55:29] of Rancher Mirage City Parks. The park
[00:55:32] tax is levied equally to each
[00:55:33] residential dwelling unit within the
[00:55:35] city regardless of value. Commercial,
[00:55:38] recreational, and undeveloped land is
[00:55:39] levied accordingly to equivalent
[00:55:41] dwelling unit calculations as shown on
[00:55:43] page one of the resolution. The counties
[00:55:46] levy the role and collects the park tax
[00:55:49] on behalf of the city as approved by the
[00:55:52] voters. The park tax can only be
[00:55:54] adjusted annually according to CPI. This
[00:55:57] year's CPI adjustment is 3% and is
[00:55:59] reflected in the tax resolution and
[00:56:01] assessment rates. The current park tax
[00:56:04] is $39 and would increase to
[00:56:06] $40.17 per equivalent dwelling unit.
[00:56:09] Staff recommends the city council
[00:56:11] approve the attached resolution to
[00:56:13] adjust the 2025 and 2026 park tax based
[00:56:16] on the CPI increase. This concludes my
[00:56:19] presentation. I'm happy to answer any
[00:56:20] questions.
[00:56:22] Thank you. Ian, are there any public
[00:56:24] comments regarding this? No speaker card
[00:56:26] submitted. Is there anyone who would
[00:56:27] like to speak on item
[00:56:29] 7B? No speakers.
[00:56:33] Are there any council comments regarding
[00:56:35] item 7B?
[00:56:38] Seeing none, I'll entertain a motion. I
[00:56:41] move that the council adopt resolution
[00:56:43] number 2025 next in ordering the levy
[00:56:45] and collection of the park maintenance
[00:56:47] special tax pursuant to ordinance number
[00:56:49] 685 for fiscal year 2025 2026. I'll
[00:56:53] second. Oh, sorry. Go ahead. I'll
[00:56:56] second. There is a motion and a second.
[00:56:59] Please vote.
[00:57:03] Motion carries 5. Thank you.
[00:57:06] The next item will be item 7 C. It's the
[00:57:09] fiscal year
[00:57:11] 202526 and
[00:57:15] 202627 budget. Joseph Carpenter,
[00:57:18] assistant administrative services
[00:57:20] director. Joseph, good to see you up
[00:57:23] here if you would please. Thank you, Mr.
[00:57:26] Mayor. And good afternoon, Mayor. Just
[00:57:27] real quick before before Joseph before
[00:57:29] Joseph goes on to do the presentation, I
[00:57:32] just wanted to say a big thank you to
[00:57:34] everybody involved in this process. Um
[00:57:37] it's we started the process late March
[00:57:40] and there's been a lot of um back and
[00:57:42] forth, a lot of discussions and I just
[00:57:44] want to say a big thank you first to the
[00:57:46] city manager for his leadership in this
[00:57:48] process and um all the departmental
[00:57:50] directors as well as the staff leans.
[00:57:53] they did a lot of heavy lifting in the
[00:57:55] background and um a very big thank you
[00:57:58] to to Joseph. Um he did a lot of work on
[00:58:02] this and so um before he does the
[00:58:04] presentation I just wanted to publicly
[00:58:06] say how we appreciate all the work that
[00:58:08] he puts in in getting this budget
[00:58:10] together. So thank you. Well indeed it
[00:58:13] is a team effort for sure. Thank you
[00:58:16] Joseph if you would please. Thank you
[00:58:18] Mr. Mayor and good afternoon members of
[00:58:19] the city council. Uh, I'll echo KO
[00:58:22] Kofi's statements. He said it better
[00:58:23] than I could. But on April 28th, the
[00:58:26] preliminary budget was distributed to
[00:58:28] the city council and made available to
[00:58:30] the public for review. On May 8th, the
[00:58:32] city council held the study session to
[00:58:34] discuss the budget. Staff has not
[00:58:36] received any questions or comments on
[00:58:38] the budget since the study session.
[00:58:40] Today's presentation and a bridged
[00:58:42] version of the one presented at the
[00:58:44] study session will provide a highle
[00:58:46] summary of the city's two-year budget
[00:58:48] focusing on fiscal year 2025 2026. The
[00:58:52] resolutions you act on today will
[00:58:54] approve the fiscal year 2025 2026 budget
[00:58:57] and tentatively approve the fiscal year
[00:58:59] 2026 2027 budget subject to council
[00:59:03] review.
[00:59:05] The operating budget includes most
[00:59:06] revenues and covers the general cost of
[00:59:09] running the city such as utilities at
[00:59:11] city facilities and personnel costs. As
[00:59:14] shown on your screen, highlighted in
[00:59:16] orange, the fiscical year 2526 budget
[00:59:19] includes approximately $37 million in
[00:59:21] operating revenue and $35.9 million in
[00:59:24] operating expenditures for a surplus of
[00:59:27] approximately $1.1 million.
[00:59:30] The fiscical year 2627 budget tenatively
[00:59:33] includes approximately $ 38.8 million in
[00:59:36] operating revenue and $37.6 million in
[00:59:40] operating expenditures for a surplus of
[00:59:42] the same approximately $1.1
[00:59:46] million. The next few slides in this
[00:59:48] presentation will focus exclusively on
[00:59:51] fiscal year 2526 and provide a summary
[00:59:53] of the general fund operating revenues
[00:59:55] and expenditures.
[00:59:57] The city tracks general fund operating
[00:59:59] revenue in more than 30 accounts and has
[01:00:02] they've been grouped into eight
[01:00:03] categories shown on your screen. About
[01:00:06] $18.84 million of the $37 million
[01:00:09] operating revenue budget comes from
[01:00:12] transient occupancy tax also known as
[01:00:14] toot or bed tax and sales tax. With
[01:00:17] about 50% of general fund operating
[01:00:19] revenues coming from tourists driven
[01:00:21] taxes, it is important to recognize that
[01:00:24] about half of the city's revenue is
[01:00:26] susceptible to changes in the economy
[01:00:27] that impact tourism, which is one of the
[01:00:30] reasons the city council created a
[01:00:31] prudent
[01:00:33] reserve. The pie chart currently
[01:00:35] displayed on your screen shows how
[01:00:37] operational revenues are spent. About
[01:00:39] 49% or $17.5 million of the
[01:00:42] approximately $35.9 million general fund
[01:00:45] operating expenditure budget is
[01:00:47] dedicated to public safety. It should be
[01:00:50] noted this amount doesn't represent the
[01:00:51] total cost of public safety to the city.
[01:00:54] It includes public safety expenses
[01:00:56] chargeable to the general fund which
[01:00:58] include the full cost of sheriff
[01:00:59] services and about 23% of the cost of
[01:01:02] fire protection services.
[01:01:04] Also of note in this year's proposed
[01:01:06] budget is the city's continued
[01:01:08] contributions for the Joselyn Center,
[01:01:10] McCllum Theater, the Rancher Mirage
[01:01:12] Chamber of Commerce, regional
[01:01:14] homelessness services, and funding for
[01:01:16] nonprofit organizations supported
[01:01:18] through the city's nonprofit program.
[01:01:22] The capital or non-operating budget for
[01:01:24] fiscal year 2526 includes approximately
[01:01:27] $660,000 in non-operating revenue and
[01:01:30] approximately $4.5 million in
[01:01:32] non-operating expenditures for reserve
[01:01:35] spending of approximately $3.9
[01:01:38] million. After accounting for the
[01:01:40] operating surplus of roughly $1.1
[01:01:42] million, the city is projected to spend
[01:01:44] approximately $2.7 million in reserves.
[01:01:48] It is normal to see a deficit or
[01:01:49] spending when discussing the capital
[01:01:51] budget as it indicates an agency is
[01:01:53] spending its reserves and investing
[01:01:55] funds back into the
[01:01:56] community. Significant capital projects
[01:01:59] funded from the general fund for fiscal
[01:02:01] year 2526 include the city's share of
[01:02:04] construction costs for the new IID
[01:02:07] substation. continued design work for
[01:02:09] the Frank Sinatra water crossing and
[01:02:12] Raone Road dinosaur roadway sand fence
[01:02:14] improvements which are partially funded
[01:02:16] with a grant through
[01:02:18] CALR. The capital budget for fiscal year
[01:02:21] 2627 includes approximately $2.4 million
[01:02:24] in non-operating expenditures and after
[01:02:27] accounting for the operating surplus of
[01:02:29] roughly $1.1 million, the city is
[01:02:32] projected to spend approximately $1.3
[01:02:34] million in reserves.
[01:02:36] The finance division projects the city
[01:02:38] will end fiscal year 2425 with
[01:02:41] approximately $67.3 million in reserves.
[01:02:45] Based on the budget presented today,
[01:02:47] approximately $2.7 million in reserves
[01:02:49] will be used in fiscal year
[01:02:52] 2526 and $1.3 million of reserves will
[01:02:55] be used in fiscal year
[01:02:57] 2627, leaving an estimated reserve
[01:02:59] balance of approximately $63.2 million
[01:03:02] at the end of fiscal year 2627.
[01:03:06] This concludes my presentation. Thank
[01:03:07] you for your time and consideration this
[01:03:09] afternoon. Staff is available for any
[01:03:11] questions.
[01:03:12] Thank you, Joseph. Is there any public
[01:03:14] comment? Yes. One speaker identified as
[01:03:17] public speaker next in order.
[01:03:25] Thank you again. Brad Anderson, city
[01:03:26] ranch. Wanted to speak on the budget
[01:03:28] item. I it bores me to death these type
[01:03:32] of uh type of issues and I don't go I
[01:03:36] don't dive into them. Riverside County
[01:03:38] I'm diving into that. That's a whole
[01:03:40] another issue. Uh I am concerned about
[01:03:43] the city council's um recommendation to
[01:03:46] increase uh nonprofit a lotments to u by
[01:03:51] $100,000. Um I'm just worried because it
[01:03:55] takes one city council meeting or person
[01:03:58] according to Mr. downs to put anything
[01:04:00] on the agenda and friends of city
[01:04:02] council and their nonprofit appears to
[01:04:05] profit mostly from that type of action
[01:04:09] and and it's just not a fair avenue for
[01:04:13] other
[01:04:15] uh nonprofits in the valley. Desert
[01:04:18] Healthcare District would be a prime
[01:04:20] example to use for how
[01:04:23] they distribute money to nonprofits in
[01:04:26] the eastern Katella Valley or um and and
[01:04:30] mainly in the eastern valley. But, uh, I
[01:04:32] just I was concerned about that and the
[01:04:34] increase to subcommittees that you have
[01:04:36] in the city, uh, that regularly feed
[01:04:38] their their commissioners, which is
[01:04:40] okay, but I that's kind of a pet peeve
[01:04:43] of mine because people make enough money
[01:04:45] without uh, having having myself and
[01:04:47] other people pay for it. And that's all
[01:04:48] I have. Thank you. Thank you for your
[01:04:51] comments. Is there anyone else who would
[01:04:53] like to speak on item 7 C? No additional
[01:04:56] speakers. Thank you. Um, Joseph, great
[01:05:01] presentation. Appreciate that.
[01:05:05] Um, it's it's amazing. It's um uh a city
[01:05:09] that we can be very proud that we have
[01:05:12] the resources
[01:05:14] uh to be able to provide for the needs
[01:05:17] of so many people. And we're we're
[01:05:20] blessed from that standpoint.
[01:05:23] I will say this that our the ratio that
[01:05:26] you show for public safety is about 50%
[01:05:32] of the budget that is very common for
[01:05:36] most
[01:05:37] cities. About 50% of most budgets go for
[01:05:42] public safety i.e. fire and police. not
[01:05:47] unusual because that is our single
[01:05:50] greatest
[01:05:52] responsibility as far as council people
[01:05:55] are concerned is making sure that we
[01:05:58] protect the safety uh and the way of
[01:06:02] life for our residents. So again, great
[01:06:06] job. Appreciate that. Uh I'll call on
[01:06:10] any other council comments.
[01:06:13] I do have a couple of comments, Mr.
[01:06:14] Mayor, if I may. Uh so the first uh
[01:06:17] comment that I will make is that the
[01:06:19] $100,000 for SAF is not new. It's been
[01:06:21] there for years. Um we did discuss it at
[01:06:24] our special um study session last time,
[01:06:27] but it's been there for a long time. So
[01:06:29] for those uh in the public who might
[01:06:31] think that that's a new issue, it's not.
[01:06:32] Now uh the other thing that I do want to
[01:06:34] talk about for a moment is uh there
[01:06:36] might be some concern on some members of
[01:06:38] the public about uh taking a look at the
[01:06:40] draw down in reserves. We will still end
[01:06:42] up at the end of uh fiscal year 2627
[01:06:45] with what about $63 million in reserves.
[01:06:48] Is that right, Joseph? Correct. Yes. Um
[01:06:51] and it's important for the public to be
[01:06:52] aware uh of where most of that money
[01:06:56] will be spent over the next couple
[01:06:57] years. It will be spent uh to help fund
[01:07:00] a substation in the northern part of
[01:07:02] this city. And that substation has to be
[01:07:04] built. And it has to be built for a
[01:07:06] really important reason. So, one of the
[01:07:08] big issues that this council undertook
[01:07:10] last year was the development of
[01:07:11] affordable housing and the approval of
[01:07:14] um four different affordable housing
[01:07:16] projects on city-owned land. Now, three
[01:07:19] of those projects are up in the northern
[01:07:21] end of the city on land that is um the
[01:07:24] energy for that uh for that land comes
[01:07:26] from the IID. There's only a small
[01:07:28] section of the city where power comes
[01:07:30] from the IID. Now, if the IID is unable
[01:07:34] to service power to that um that land
[01:07:37] where we're going to build affordable
[01:07:39] housing, that affordable housing won't
[01:07:40] be built. And that is in fact the case.
[01:07:42] The IID is not able to build that
[01:07:44] substation. So, the IID has come to the
[01:07:46] cities to ask us to find a way to uh to
[01:07:49] fund that substation. And we did. So,
[01:07:52] the city entered into agreements with
[01:07:54] the city of Palm Desert, with the
[01:07:56] county, and with uh the Burger
[01:07:57] Foundation to uh go together to
[01:08:01] contribute to build that substation,
[01:08:02] which will be roughly about $40ish
[01:08:05] million or so. Uh our uh portion will be
[01:08:08] less than 10 million, but a lot of that
[01:08:09] money will come uh from those reserves
[01:08:12] that you that non-operating expense that
[01:08:14] you saw uh on the budget presentation
[01:08:16] that Joseph just made. So, it's
[01:08:18] important for the public to be aware
[01:08:20] where those nonoperating funds are being
[01:08:23] spent. It's being spent to build a
[01:08:26] substation and if that substation is not
[01:08:28] built, then we will not have development
[01:08:30] in that section of the city. And it's
[01:08:32] it's important to be aware that that's a
[01:08:34] section of the city where affordable
[01:08:36] housing will be built. So, I wanted to
[01:08:38] make that point for everybody to be
[01:08:40] aware of. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank
[01:08:41] you, Steve. Any other comments? Yes, Mr.
[01:08:44] Mayor. I just like to also point out
[01:08:46] that for people concerned about the draw
[01:08:47] down. Uh when you look at the
[01:08:49] operations, everything that Steve said
[01:08:51] is correct, but also that we have an
[01:08:53] operating surplus. There'd be concern if
[01:08:55] you were running in an operating deficit
[01:08:58] on the operations, but we consistently
[01:09:00] add about a million dollars in operating
[01:09:03] um activities. So, I'd like to say to
[01:09:06] Joseph, thank you for this report and to
[01:09:10] Kofi and to the city manager and really
[01:09:12] all the directors. Watching the sausage
[01:09:15] being made uh is interesting. Uh but you
[01:09:18] made it look painless and it's
[01:09:19] understandable and I say it's a good
[01:09:22] job. Thank you. Any other comments? I'd
[01:09:26] like to thank city staff extensively for
[01:09:28] their work. This was my first budget
[01:09:30] season, as they call it. I thought it'd
[01:09:32] be a lot more fun than it was.
[01:09:35] But although like school, although not
[01:09:38] always fun, highly educational and I
[01:09:40] learned a lot about what our city
[01:09:42] provides in detail that I think I just
[01:09:45] took for granted in operations uh in my
[01:09:48] life as a private citizen versus today.
[01:09:50] So, I was really impressed by the
[01:09:52] process. And as for comments around the
[01:09:54] nonprofits, I would like to remind
[01:09:56] people that the city can't be everything
[01:09:58] to everyone. We try to do a lot in terms
[01:10:00] of support for our constituents and and
[01:10:02] residents and making sure that quality
[01:10:04] of life is is eminent. But the
[01:10:07] nonprofits in this valley of whom I've
[01:10:10] seen a lot of them close up do a lot of
[01:10:12] that heavy lifting around food
[01:10:14] insecurity, cooling centers, camps,
[01:10:18] child development, child care, etc. And
[01:10:21] I think that our support of those really
[01:10:24] actually is part of our commitment to
[01:10:27] quality of life for the people that live
[01:10:28] in Ranch Mirage and quality of life for
[01:10:30] the people that want to come and live in
[01:10:32] Ranch Mirage and also quality in support
[01:10:35] of our local businesses. So I think it
[01:10:38] it goes a lot deeper the support that we
[01:10:42] choose to do because we can't do it all
[01:10:44] ourselves and so they are really allies
[01:10:46] and community partners. So that was what
[01:10:48] I wanted to add. Thank you. Yeah, thanks
[01:10:50] for your comments and we are so
[01:10:52] fortunate that we'll be able to uh to
[01:10:54] provide that that need and that help uh
[01:10:59] because you're you are correct uh those
[01:11:02] entities are an annex uh of the city uh
[01:11:06] without a doubt. Any other comments? Mr.
[01:11:09] Mayor, if I may. Yes, mayor program. Our
[01:11:12] commitment and uh to the IID substation
[01:11:16] is pivotal uh to our affordable housing.
[01:11:20] Our afford the reason is is not only do
[01:11:23] we have a mandate from the state of
[01:11:24] California, we as a council, we as a
[01:11:27] city have committed to our community,
[01:11:31] our our largest employers, our smallest
[01:11:35] employers, we need workforce housing.
[01:11:38] And we've said this number a couple of
[01:11:41] times. Would it surprise you to know
[01:11:43] that for our
[01:11:45] affordable housing subsidy housing
[01:11:48] request for just 55 and over, there is a
[01:11:51] waiting list of 5,500
[01:11:54] people. That does not
[01:11:57] include families of other age groups.
[01:12:01] This city is committed to getting that
[01:12:03] affordable housing and we are moving
[01:12:06] forward in the quickest pace we can and
[01:12:10] uh I appreciate everything that staff
[01:12:12] and our finance department has done to
[01:12:15] help us reach those goals all for
[01:12:18] serving the needs of our community.
[01:12:21] Thank you. Thank you. Any other
[01:12:24] comments?
[01:12:26] If not, then I will entertain a motion
[01:12:29] regarding item 7 C. I'll be happy to
[01:12:31] make the motion, Mr. Mayor, but I will
[01:12:33] ask the city attorney if it is
[01:12:35] acceptable if I simply suggest that uh
[01:12:38] we move to the recommended action as
[01:12:41] recommended by staff or must I read this
[01:12:43] entire uh recommendation? Just the uh
[01:12:46] top paragraph in the recommendation
[01:12:48] section. Okay. Uh, I will move then that
[01:12:50] the city council and the city of Ranch
[01:12:52] Mirage and the board of directors of the
[01:12:53] city of Ranch Mirage Housing Authority,
[01:12:55] Ranch Mirage Library Observatory and
[01:12:57] City of Ranch Mirage Community Services
[01:12:59] District adopt the resolutions
[01:13:01] identified as resolutions 1 through six
[01:13:04] as presented by staff. I will second.
[01:13:07] There's a motion and a second. Please
[01:13:09] vote.
[01:13:12] By the way, I would have been happy to
[01:13:13] read the whole damn thing if it was
[01:13:14] appropriate. No, I I I sensed there was,
[01:13:17] you know, a little um hesitancy, but you
[01:13:20] got away with it. And motion carries
[01:13:23] 5-0. Sorry.
[01:13:26] Good job. Congratulations. Uh the next
[01:13:29] item will be handled by um our
[01:13:33] uh Ursil, city manager, and that has to
[01:13:38] do with the consideration of a $2
[01:13:41] million grant to Eisenhower Health
[01:13:44] Foundation for a workforce development
[01:13:46] program for a new child care center. If
[01:13:51] you would, Isaiah. Thank you, Mr. Mayor,
[01:13:54] members of the council. I will be brief
[01:13:56] because I'm going to have uh Monica
[01:13:58] Vasquez, the director of community
[01:13:59] giving, uh do most of this presentation.
[01:14:02] I did prepare a staff report that has
[01:14:04] some information in it uh from the
[01:14:06] city's perspective. You know, the city
[01:14:08] does a lot. We just approved the council
[01:14:10] just approved our budget and uh when you
[01:14:13] look at how the city invests in quality
[01:14:16] of life, we do that in many different
[01:14:17] areas.
[01:14:19] Uh access to highquality health care and
[01:14:23] facilities is a pillar within our city's
[01:14:26] general plan. Uh and it's long been
[01:14:29] recognized the importance that uh that
[01:14:32] access plays in our residents uh quality
[01:14:35] of life. Uh and so the details uh from
[01:14:39] my perspective were put in the staff
[01:14:40] report, but I will yield my time to
[01:14:42] Monica. Monica, thanks for being here
[01:14:44] today. Go ahead. Thank you. Good
[01:14:47] afternoon, Mr. Mayor, council members,
[01:14:49] city managers, city staff. On behalf of
[01:14:52] Eisenhower Health, I want to thank you
[01:14:54] for the opportunity to be here this
[01:14:55] afternoon. As noted, my name is Monica
[01:14:58] Vasquez, director of community giving,
[01:15:00] and I am here to respectfully request
[01:15:03] your support of $2 million towards a
[01:15:06] project that will create lasting impact
[01:15:09] for our staff, their families, and our
[01:15:11] community. That is the Eisenhower Child
[01:15:14] Care Center.
[01:15:18] Sorry. With me this afternoon is Mr. Ken
[01:15:21] Wheat, COO of Eisenhower Health, Mr. Ben
[01:15:25] Farber, vice president of patient care,
[01:15:28] Miss Lee Rice, director of
[01:15:31] communications, Wendy Bearbower and Mr.
[01:15:34] David Ranker, both senior vice
[01:15:36] presidents of the foundation.
[01:15:38] Mr. Michael Landez and Mr. Marty
[01:15:42] Marciello could not be here today,
[01:15:44] unfortunately.
[01:15:48] This project is one of 10 key
[01:15:50] initiatives in our $279 million
[01:15:53] Eisenhower passion for excellence
[01:15:55] campaign which is focused on
[01:15:57] strengthening the future of healthc care
[01:15:59] across the Coachella Valley and we are
[01:16:01] proud to say that the city of Ranch
[01:16:03] Mirage helped catapult that campaign
[01:16:06] with your generous early support. a
[01:16:08] partnership that we are deeply grateful.
[01:16:11] Among the 10 initiatives in this
[01:16:13] campaign, the child care center is
[01:16:15] especially close to my heart. It's not
[01:16:18] just a building. It's a statement of
[01:16:20] support of the people who care for us
[01:16:22] every day. Our doctors, our nurses, and
[01:16:25] our support staff. As you know, access
[01:16:28] to affordable quality care is one of the
[01:16:31] greatest challenges facing working
[01:16:33] families today. And that challenge is
[01:16:37] particularly acute in healthcare. Our
[01:16:39] staff work long demanding hours. They
[01:16:43] need a place where they can trust their
[01:16:45] children are safe, cared for, and
[01:16:47] moments away if
[01:16:50] needed. That's why we are building a
[01:16:52] 17,000 square foot center with
[01:16:54] additional outdoor play space across the
[01:16:57] street from the main campus off of
[01:16:58] Country Club Drive and placing it
[01:17:01] adjacent to our new memory care center.
[01:17:03] Dislocation isn't a coincidence. It's
[01:17:06] intentional. Studies show that
[01:17:09] integrational intergenerational
[01:17:11] connections between children and older
[01:17:13] adults improve empathy, social
[01:17:16] development, and cognitive function for
[01:17:19] both age groups. We're building a place
[01:17:22] where meaningful relationships can form
[01:17:24] across generations.
[01:17:26] The center will be operated by Bright
[01:17:29] Horizons, a nationally respected
[01:17:31] provider, and it will be accessible to
[01:17:33] employees at all levels through a
[01:17:35] sliding scale tuition model. It will
[01:17:38] serve families across all roles and
[01:17:40] income levels. Whether your child's
[01:17:43] parent is a surgeon or a housekeeper,
[01:17:45] they will receive the same care in the
[01:17:48] same classroom in safe, enriching
[01:17:51] environment and not have to pay the same
[01:17:53] tuition.
[01:17:56] Beyond Eisenhower Health, the positive
[01:17:58] ripple effects of this center will be
[01:18:00] felt throughout the city of Rancher
[01:18:02] Mirage. Working parents in critical
[01:18:05] roles will have the support they need to
[01:18:07] remain in the workforce. Families will
[01:18:09] save and thrive here. The city will
[01:18:12] benefit from enhanced economic vitality
[01:18:14] and strengthen health care
[01:18:16] infrastructure and a deeper sense of
[01:18:18] community. Most importantly, this
[01:18:21] initiative will directly improve quality
[01:18:24] of life for the citizens of Ranch Mirage
[01:18:26] by enforcing the foundational services
[01:18:28] that help communities
[01:18:30] flourish. This approach aligns with our
[01:18:33] values and with our goals. Our president
[01:18:35] and CEO, Marty Mariello, is deeply
[01:18:38] committed to this project, not only as
[01:18:40] an investment in our staff, but as a
[01:18:43] recruitment and retention tool that will
[01:18:46] set Eisenhower apart. As a teaching
[01:18:49] hospital with a graduate medical
[01:18:50] education program, we need to attract
[01:18:53] med top medical talent and this center
[01:18:56] will be a major factor in helping us do
[01:18:59] that. Just as importantly, it will
[01:19:02] support the incredible team we already
[01:19:04] have. Imagine a nurse dropping their
[01:19:07] child off just steps away from their
[01:19:10] workplace. This piece this is peace of
[01:19:12] mind. That's support and action. On
[01:19:15] behalf of everyone at Eisenhower Health,
[01:19:18] thank you for your continued
[01:19:19] partnership. We are deeply grateful to
[01:19:22] the city of Ranch Mirage, not only for
[01:19:25] your past support, but for considering
[01:19:27] this new investment in a project that
[01:19:29] promises wide reaching long-standing
[01:19:32] impact. We respectfully ask for your
[01:19:35] support of $2 million to help bring
[01:19:38] Eisenhower Child Care Center to life and
[01:19:41] to help us continue build a future where
[01:19:43] our caregivers are cared for as the
[01:19:46] patients they serve. Thank you. I'm
[01:19:49] happy to take any questions you may
[01:19:50] have.
[01:19:55] Well, needless to say, it's a privilege
[01:19:59] and an honor to have you here. have
[01:20:03] again representatives from a hospital
[01:20:05] from a foundation here and uh as I made
[01:20:10] comments earlier Eisenhower is a
[01:20:13] critical part of the fabric of our
[01:20:16] community and uh we cherish the
[01:20:19] relationship very much. So thank you for
[01:20:22] being here today. Thank you. Are there
[01:20:24] other comments who would like to be
[01:20:26] made? Uh if you would like to take
[01:20:28] public comment on this item, Mr. Yes.
[01:20:31] Are there any comments? Yes. Patrick
[01:20:33] Lowry.
[01:20:43] Thank you. And good afternoon. Patrick
[01:20:44] Lori, 21-year resident of resident of
[01:20:47] Rancho Mirage. Let make some quick
[01:20:49] comments here and I'll be real blunt in
[01:20:51] my feelings. With Eisenhower, I'm
[01:20:56] ambivalent. Okay. I consider it the home
[01:20:58] of indifferent
[01:20:59] care. Hopefully, this helps. Now,
[01:21:03] they're late to the table when it comes
[01:21:05] to offering these kinds of services, but
[01:21:07] these are needed.
[01:21:09] $2 million is a lot of money. Maybe you
[01:21:13] should be asking the taxpayers about
[01:21:14] that $2 million. If you have $2 million,
[01:21:17] get it over to St.
[01:21:20] Jude's. So, again, I want to be blunt
[01:21:23] about this. If this gives us more in the
[01:21:25] way of better care for patients, if it
[01:21:27] straightens out that emergency room, if
[01:21:30] it gives us better trained doctors,
[01:21:31] that's great.
[01:21:33] $2 million is a lot of money. Eyes now,
[01:21:37] find it someplace else. Thank you. Sorry
[01:21:40] for that bluntness, but thank you. Thank
[01:21:42] you for your comments.
[01:21:45] Next is public speaker next in order.
[01:21:52] Hi, Brad Anderson, City of An um this is
[01:21:58] concerning item 7. D $2 million for the
[01:22:02] daycare center for Eisen Hospital. Uh I
[01:22:05] believe Palm Desert gave $5 million last
[01:22:07] year for this uh aspect of the built and
[01:22:11] I believe this is a building uh aotment
[01:22:14] or a a portion of it. Uh, I wouldn't say
[01:22:18] it's across from the campus. Uh, maybe
[01:22:21] the daycare or the uh the memory care
[01:22:23] center would be, but the daycare center
[01:22:25] I believe is further down. It's a drive.
[01:22:28] I wouldn't recommend walking to it. I
[01:22:30] would like to see such a it's not up for
[01:22:33] me to decide, but such a campus should
[01:22:36] probably or such a building should
[01:22:38] probably be on campus, but it is what it
[01:22:40] is. Uh I I'm just uh um I guess I'm
[01:22:45] opposed to this aotment. I would like to
[01:22:47] see it go to other other Eisenhower
[01:22:51] programs uh because this is a private
[01:22:54] private daycare for employees of the of
[01:22:57] the Eisenhower and and unless they open
[01:23:01] it up to the community at a whole of any
[01:23:04] any other family members that live in
[01:23:06] the community that that desire or need
[01:23:08] that type of service for daycare for the
[01:23:10] children. I would like to see that. Um
[01:23:14] that's my only issue with it. Again, the
[01:23:16] last speaker spoke about the a lotment
[01:23:18] of 2 million, which is a lot of money.
[01:23:20] Uh this apparently it's that's in the
[01:23:22] budget already for this year. Uh so it's
[01:23:25] going to happen, but u I I think uh
[01:23:28] there's better use for that. But again,
[01:23:31] it if it wasn't just a private aspect of
[01:23:34] the hospital and if it was open for the
[01:23:36] community as a whole to use that
[01:23:38] services and imagine it's a 24-hour
[01:23:41] service, I don't think it's going to
[01:23:42] impact that many people, maybe three or
[01:23:44] four residents that live next to it. Uh,
[01:23:47] and there'll be people across the
[01:23:48] highway, the private gated community.
[01:23:51] But, uh, that's all I have to say. Uh,
[01:23:54] thank you very much. Thank you for your
[01:23:56] comments.
[01:23:58] James Graph
[01:24:07] Radford. Good afternoon to all. Thank
[01:24:10] you for having me. Thank you for your um
[01:24:12] service to this wonderful community.
[01:24:15] Thank you, Mayor Prom, for your
[01:24:16] comments. Um, I could tell you I was
[01:24:19] with my father uh in the ER the the
[01:24:22] night before he passed and I remember a
[01:24:26] conversation vividly with um his RN
[01:24:31] Darnell who was and you have to
[01:24:34] understand my father when he met someone
[01:24:36] who was as passionate and as
[01:24:38] enthusiastic about the hospital and
[01:24:41] about healing as he was that would peak
[01:24:44] his own enthusiasm. you could sense the
[01:24:46] difference in his voice. And so when he
[01:24:49] sparked when he spoke with
[01:24:51] Darnell, he recognized that enthusiasm
[01:24:54] and the first thing he brought up was um
[01:24:58] this initiative, the the daycare center.
[01:25:01] and his comments to Darnell were, "Look,
[01:25:05] I've been working on a daycare center,
[01:25:08] raising money for a daycare center uh
[01:25:10] for the children of staff at Eisenhower
[01:25:13] Hospital, not just doctors, but nursing
[01:25:16] included and all staff because he knew
[01:25:19] and my dad had tremendous vision when it
[01:25:21] came to the practice of medicine. He
[01:25:24] knew that if this day daycare center
[01:25:26] were built, it would attract the best
[01:25:28] and the brightest and pay its dividends.
[01:25:32] So ladies and gentlemen, again, thank
[01:25:34] you for your time. Thank you for your
[01:25:36] service, and just know that this daycare
[01:25:40] center um was incredibly important to my
[01:25:43] father up until his last moments.
[01:25:48] Thank you. Thank you for being here. Is
[01:25:50] there anyone else who would like to
[01:25:51] speak on item
[01:25:53] 7D? That was the last speaker.
[01:25:56] All right. I will ask for council
[01:25:58] comments regarding this item. I've got a
[01:26:01] couple of comments if I may, Mr. Mayor.
[01:26:03] So, first, um, after a really
[01:26:05] stimulating set of public hearings and
[01:26:07] action calendar items, we finally come
[01:26:09] to something that's a little exciting
[01:26:10] here today. This $2 million request from
[01:26:12] Eisenhower. So, happy to talk to this.
[01:26:14] So, uh, and also I'm I was happy to hear
[01:26:17] from, uh, Dr. Graph Ratford's son. Thank
[01:26:20] you to the mayor prom for talking about
[01:26:22] him earlier today. And I do know that uh
[01:26:25] that the uh child care center was one of
[01:26:27] the important issues for him. So I'm
[01:26:29] happy that for that reason um among many
[01:26:32] others that that this is on our our
[01:26:33] agenda today. We're often asked what we
[01:26:37] can do to help Eisenhower be more
[01:26:39] productive. Well, this is one of the
[01:26:40] things that we can do. This is one of
[01:26:42] the things that will help Eisenhower to
[01:26:44] attract and retain staff at a greater
[01:26:47] level than they they're able to to do
[01:26:48] today. So, I think this is obviously I'm
[01:26:51] going to vote yes on this. I think this
[01:26:52] is an extremely important request. Um I
[01:26:55] am happy uh that this request comes to
[01:26:58] us uh particularly now um so that we can
[01:27:02] help um support this childare center.
[01:27:05] So, I'm excited about this. I'm happy to
[01:27:06] see this come to us. I'm happy to vote
[01:27:08] yes on this. Thank you for for my time,
[01:27:10] Mr. Mayor. Thank you. Thank you, Steve.
[01:27:13] Good comments. Any others? Yes, Mr.
[01:27:15] Mayor. I'd like to make a couple of
[01:27:17] comments. You know, Ranch Mirage is
[01:27:19] known for medical care and health and
[01:27:21] wellness. People over the last couple of
[01:27:24] years, I've met so many people who live
[01:27:25] here and they tell me they specifically
[01:27:28] live here because they want to be near
[01:27:30] Eisenhower and uh their
[01:27:33] doctors. I also hear from folks who are
[01:27:36] concerned when we announce that there's
[01:27:37] growth coming to our city. they are
[01:27:39] worried that there will not be enough
[01:27:41] doctors to meet the demands of and needs
[01:27:44] of our residents. Um I always say to
[01:27:47] them that Eisenhower is not concerned
[01:27:49] about that because it's evidenced by
[01:27:53] your capital campaign uh that your
[01:27:55] decisions to build a state-of-the-art
[01:27:57] cardiology center, a memory care center,
[01:28:00] additions to Lucy Kirchie, a child care
[01:28:02] center, all indicate that it's you're
[01:28:05] going to go forward with business. Uh,
[01:28:07] so your commitment to expanding health
[01:28:09] care I think is commendable. I also
[01:28:13] believe that Eisenhower is an economic
[01:28:14] driver in our city. You're our largest
[01:28:18] employer, 5,000 jobs, and there are good
[01:28:21] paying jobs that allow folks to live
[01:28:24] here, build a family, create a
[01:28:26] community. So for those reasons, premier
[01:28:30] health care, economic development, and
[01:28:33] community building, if the city can help
[01:28:36] attract medical professionals by
[01:28:38] contributing specifically to the child
[01:28:41] care
[01:28:42] center, then I'm happy to support this.
[01:28:45] Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you,
[01:28:47] Michael.
[01:28:48] Um, Mr. Mayor, I'd like to make a few
[01:28:50] comments.
[01:28:52] Um, speaking as maybe one of the only
[01:28:55] council members still raising a child in
[01:28:57] my house and being a working mom, um, to
[01:29:01] have employer available, sponsored and
[01:29:04] created healthc care is so valuable. I
[01:29:07] have been lucky enough to be able uh, I
[01:29:09] run my own business and been able to
[01:29:10] take my time around my child as needed.
[01:29:13] Um, was a family decision that my
[01:29:15] husband and I made. Uh, but I have many
[01:29:18] friends who don't. And the idea of
[01:29:21] number one, having somewhere to take
[01:29:23] your child that you know is close by and
[01:29:25] safe and highly regulated and quality is
[01:29:28] incredible. 17,000 square feet is
[01:29:31] amazing. This is the building blocks for
[01:29:35] especially young children to get them
[01:29:36] ready for school. The number of children
[01:29:38] that don't get to go to preschool
[01:29:39] because of the cost of preschool. And
[01:29:41] I'm sure there will be learning
[01:29:43] opportunities going on for children zero
[01:29:45] to five in this setting is so valuable
[01:29:47] for those parents. The reality of the
[01:29:50] world today is two parents have to work.
[01:29:52] If they're going to own a home, if
[01:29:54] they're going to provide for college
[01:29:56] educations, retirement, there has to be
[01:29:58] two incomes coming in. It is not the
[01:30:01] days when one parent could stay home.
[01:30:04] And to know that you can take your child
[01:30:06] somewhere that is sponsored by your
[01:30:08] employee employer is incredibly
[01:30:10] valuable. And it's an elevated idea. It
[01:30:12] does not happen a lot out here. Um, it's
[01:30:15] an expense that employers are now
[01:30:17] looking at because this next generation
[01:30:19] is looking for that quality of life in
[01:30:21] their work environment and the closeness
[01:30:23] to their children. They don't want to
[01:30:24] lose that time with their kids at
[01:30:26] expense of their career, but don't feel
[01:30:28] like there's always the choices
[01:30:29] available. So, I can't I
[01:30:33] I can't endorse this idea enough for the
[01:30:37] future of this community to bring more
[01:30:40] working families here, to bring a higher
[01:30:41] level of employee to this valley, to
[01:30:44] bring the doctors. We all know from
[01:30:46] talking to other healthcare providers,
[01:30:47] the shortages for medical providers, and
[01:30:50] then all that staff that supports those
[01:30:52] medical providers is essential. So, this
[01:30:55] is an incredible idea. This is workforce
[01:30:57] development. This is what it looks like
[01:30:59] today. And this goes back to the to what
[01:31:01] I had said earlier. We can't provide
[01:31:03] everything, but we can enable our
[01:31:05] community partners to be able to provide
[01:31:07] it. So I fully support this. Thank you.
[01:31:10] Well expressed a absolutely. Any other
[01:31:13] comments, Mayor Prom? Thank you, Mr.
[01:31:17] Mayor. Most people don't realize today
[01:31:20] we all raised our children in another
[01:31:22] era except for Eve.
[01:31:26] Uh, my son is 36 and at the time I was
[01:31:29] an X-ray tech and I had to leave the
[01:31:31] medical field. I was on 24-hour call
[01:31:35] working for the ER and I had to change
[01:31:38] career paths and I went into local
[01:31:40] government. Not a bad gig, but I do I do
[01:31:44] miss I do I did miss being in medicine.
[01:31:49] Had this existed at that
[01:31:52] time, there could have been a different
[01:31:56] trajectory. Most people don't realize
[01:31:58] the cost of child care
[01:32:01] today. I have a sister that uh is a
[01:32:05] national sales director for Mosimo. They
[01:32:07] do the Pulock Symmetry
[01:32:09] um equipment, one of many of
[01:32:12] their their products. She
[01:32:15] has a sales staff uh
[01:32:19] with
[01:32:21] mothers with toddlers and
[01:32:24] infants 22 to
[01:32:27] $2,800 a month per child for child
[01:32:32] care. I'm so glad I didn't have to pay
[01:32:36] at that time. Granted, there's been a
[01:32:38] lot of years stretched. My son's 36, but
[01:32:40] how do as as my fellow council member
[01:32:43] alluded to, how do you afford quality
[01:32:46] child care and have a house payment?
[01:32:49] You're my daughter-in-law is facing that
[01:32:52] now. My son and daughter-in-law are
[01:32:53] trying to make that decision. Does she
[01:32:56] stay home because child care is cost
[01:32:59] prohibitive?
[01:33:03] This effort to have a child care center
[01:33:06] works in lock step with our commitment
[01:33:10] with affordable
[01:33:11] housing where we can't be everything to
[01:33:15] everybody. We're going to work in
[01:33:18] partnership to help bring the best of
[01:33:21] the best. Whether it is a surgeon, an
[01:33:24] RN, someone that works in the cafeteria,
[01:33:27] a housekeeper, a grounds person, they
[01:33:31] all in any corporation, it's like a
[01:33:34] jigsaw puzzle. And if one piece is
[01:33:36] missing, it's not a whole. And that's
[01:33:39] how we look at our community. That's how
[01:33:41] we look at our workforce because we all
[01:33:44] contribute to the quality of life. So, I
[01:33:48] would like uh to support this and I'm
[01:33:51] happy to make the motion.
[01:33:53] Thank you, Mayor Prom. Uh, I'll call on
[01:33:56] you for in a moment to make that motion.
[01:33:59] And I would merely like to say
[01:34:01] that what this does and Eisenhower has
[01:34:05] emphasized
[01:34:07] this is this not only will
[01:34:11] relieve pressure and financial burden
[01:34:16] for so many but will enable medical
[01:34:20] people to stay in the community to
[01:34:23] remain here knowing that their children
[01:34:26] are going to be safe and that they can
[01:34:30] again prosper in an environment that is
[01:34:33] secure for both themselves and their
[01:34:37] children in the future. So there are
[01:34:39] many aspects to this investment and I
[01:34:42] too look forward to the opportunity to
[01:34:45] support it. That being said, I'll ask
[01:34:48] the mayor prom to make a motion that we
[01:34:51] approve a grant of $2 million to
[01:34:54] Eisenhower Health Foundation in support
[01:34:56] of the workforce development program of
[01:34:59] a new child care center.
[01:35:01] I'll second. There's a motion and a
[01:35:04] second. Please vote.
[01:35:08] Motion carries 5. And congratulations,
[01:35:10] Eisenhower Health. It's our honor to
[01:35:13] make that contribution.
[01:35:17] We will now go to
[01:35:21] um the uh non-aggenda public
[01:35:25] comments. This is an opportunity for the
[01:35:28] public to speak on issues not on the
[01:35:31] agenda and again for a maximum of three
[01:35:35] minutes. Should you exceed the three
[01:35:38] minutes or approach it, I will ask you
[01:35:40] to conclude your
[01:35:42] comments with that.
[01:35:45] Uh, I'll ask for non-aggenda public
[01:35:47] comments if you would. Patrick Lori,
[01:35:58] let me emphasize, I support child care.
[01:36:01] I don't support paying for
[01:36:03] it. Love
[01:36:06] children. I made a public records
[01:36:10] request and got back a very peculiar
[01:36:13] response. This has to do with you uh
[01:36:16] Miss
[01:36:17] Alstein. Uh I wanted to find out whether
[01:36:20] you when you came here and joined the
[01:36:23] health plan whether you came in as a
[01:36:24] single or two party or a
[01:36:28] family. I got a letter back from the
[01:36:30] lawyer saying we're not going to answer
[01:36:31] that
[01:36:33] question. I fired back a note and said,
[01:36:35] "Well, that's interesting. I can give
[01:36:36] you 25 employee names and tell you what
[01:36:40] each one of them cost us by month when
[01:36:43] they submitted claims for their care.
[01:36:45] But you can't tell me whether a council
[01:36:47] person has a single two-party or family
[01:36:50] contract. Okay, let me chase this down a
[01:36:53] bit more. I don't believe in u having
[01:36:57] eternal terms. I want term limits and
[01:37:00] I'm going to push hard to get term
[01:37:01] limits here and a mirror. I want a
[01:37:03] single point of accountability. I don't
[01:37:05] want people hanging out here without new
[01:37:07] ideas, new ways of looking at the city.
[01:37:10] Now, I appreciate you. I know what you
[01:37:12] go through. I'm amazed, Mr. DS, at how
[01:37:14] much you know, and I agree with you when
[01:37:16] it comes to Eisenhower and tenant. I do
[01:37:18] as much as I can
[01:37:20] understand, but I don't like this
[01:37:22] business. Next thing I asked for was,
[01:37:25] "How much does a retiree cost us? You
[01:37:26] have
[01:37:29] projections?" Comment back, "We don't
[01:37:31] have projections. We don't keep those."
[01:37:33] Well, actually you do. And you made one
[01:37:36] in 2000. And in 2000, you projected
[01:37:39] retired council persons would cost us
[01:37:43] $600,000 25 years
[01:37:47] ago. What do you cost us now when you
[01:37:50] retire? I'd like to find that out. And I
[01:37:53] hope somewhere, Mr. Heaggerman, that
[01:37:54] ends up on your agenda because it
[01:37:57] doesn't seem to be a recent projection.
[01:38:00] So that's my goal. term limits, one a
[01:38:04] mayor. Now, I appreciate Mr. Anderson
[01:38:07] and his comments. I hope he's listened
[01:38:09] to. Two, I hope you people come out and
[01:38:12] talk to the public rather than us coming
[01:38:14] here knowing we're hardly being listened
[01:38:17] to. That's important. And you talk about
[01:38:20] safety, Mr. While. I think now year on
[01:38:22] year, we're up 19% when it comes to
[01:38:24] burglary, theft, breakins. We also pay I
[01:38:28] think now in the valley the highest per
[01:38:30] capita cost for sheriffing if that's
[01:38:33] what you call
[01:38:34] it. Give me a safe
[01:38:37] city. Thank you very much for your
[01:38:41] time. Thank you for your comment.
[01:38:48] Oh,
[01:39:13] Melinda. Yeah. Good
[01:39:22] afternoon. Today I am going to talk
[01:39:26] about the term
[01:39:29] nomenclature.
[01:39:35] Nomenclature. So we keep
[01:39:39] saying affordable housing, lowincome
[01:39:42] housing.
[01:39:44] Those are old uh terms. They are
[01:39:50] antiquated. They are
[01:39:53] oldfashioned. We live
[01:39:56] in
[01:39:58] the AI/ML
[01:40:03] era, artificial
[01:40:06] intelligence, machine learning era.
[01:40:16] So the the the new term that that we
[01:40:20] want to concentrate on is equity
[01:40:25] participatory housing.
[01:40:32] That brings me to
[01:40:37] uh the university the Rancho Mirage
[01:40:44] University
[01:40:46] because many people don't understand
[01:40:50] what is going on. Everybody says there
[01:40:53] is thousands and thousands and hundreds
[01:40:56] of thousands of homeless
[01:40:58] people
[01:41:00] everywhere. They can't that they can't
[01:41:04] they can't afford an apartment. They
[01:41:08] can't they don't have money. They have
[01:41:12] uh they may have worked all their lives
[01:41:14] and social security does not cover what
[01:41:17] they need. And especially when Trump and
[01:41:21] Elon are trying to take that away and
[01:41:24] the Republican party, the
[01:41:27] Republicans. Now I say
[01:41:30] university because that that you need to
[01:41:34] know you need to know what's happening.
[01:41:35] You need to know what equity is. Very
[01:41:39] people know what equity
[01:41:41] is. Equity is when you pay rent and it
[01:41:45] goes into a hole. But equity is when you
[01:41:47] get some of that money
[01:41:50] back. So, so please learn the new
[01:41:55] nomenclature equity participatory
[01:41:59] housing. So, you find somebody on the
[01:42:01] street and you say, "Well, how much
[01:42:03] money do you do do you get from social
[01:42:06] security?" Well, very little. How much
[01:42:08] money do you get from the VA? Well, very
[01:42:10] little because you don't have equity.
[01:42:12] You never earn equity.
[01:42:16] And that's what and that's what
[01:42:18] everybody needs. Thank you.
[01:42:21] Thank you for your comments. Public
[01:42:24] speaker next in order.
[01:42:32] Thank you, Brad Anderson, City Ranch
[01:42:34] Mirage. Uh a lot of good good points
[01:42:37] today. Uh uh I just wanted to start off
[01:42:40] with uh um on the walk over here today.
[01:42:43] I did notice a lot of mail uh being
[01:42:45] discarded along the way. So apparently
[01:42:48] we have an issue again with probably
[01:42:50] possibly people taking mail from
[01:42:53] mailboxes and disposing of it. Um
[01:42:57] so that's an issue. Nothing that I don't
[01:42:59] think the city can do, but that just
[01:43:01] shows you that the the possible crime
[01:43:04] element that we have in the city. Um, I
[01:43:07] I want to just to emphasize again that
[01:43:11] I'm really disappointed because most
[01:43:13] people probably know that the
[01:43:14] non-aggenda public comments were moved
[01:43:16] to the towards the end of the meeting
[01:43:18] from the longest established since the
[01:43:21] city began at the beginning of the
[01:43:24] meeting and this was I believe an
[01:43:27] intention action from administrators
[01:43:31] uh conspired upon probably with the city
[01:43:33] council to limit public participation
[01:43:36] and disenfranchise the public from
[01:43:38] speaking. That's my take on the whole
[01:43:41] issue. And that's that's an issue
[01:43:43] because we have to look at that and say
[01:43:45] why why would you do that? Are we
[01:43:48] disclosing facts uh or uh
[01:43:54] embarrassing certain council members
[01:43:57] because we have a council member that's
[01:43:59] overstayed
[01:44:01] uh the extended period of time that's
[01:44:04] required uh and we should vote for these
[01:44:07] people. We shouldn't have them appointed
[01:44:10] for the length of time that they are.
[01:44:12] And so that's taken a right away from me
[01:44:16] and away from everybody that lives in
[01:44:18] the city that votes uh on on city
[01:44:20] council. So and and the minutes aspect
[01:44:24] of how the minutes are recorded now, my
[01:44:26] testimony today will not be
[01:44:29] recorded will be retained in written
[01:44:32] format for future generations or anybody
[01:44:35] that wants to see it. And I have a right
[01:44:38] to speak on an agenda. We have that
[01:44:40] right and we should be
[01:44:42] recorded also. Uh that's probably
[01:44:44] litigation. The the person ahead of me,
[01:44:47] the speaker ahead of me was talking
[01:44:48] about public records. I've had issues
[01:44:51] with public records too. So I want to
[01:44:54] just ask people that if they have
[01:44:56] issues, please contact me. I am
[01:44:59] the gatekeeper, bookkeeper, whatever you
[01:45:02] want to call it now because I will be
[01:45:04] documenting everything forever. where I
[01:45:06] have been now because these are big
[01:45:08] issues when you're talking about free
[01:45:10] speech, uh, public participation and and
[01:45:14] and the city's, uh, willingness to take
[01:45:17] that away from us. And that's all I
[01:45:18] have. Thank you. Thank you, Susan
[01:45:22] Ragdale.
[01:45:27] Hello, city
[01:45:29] council. I I guess I'm going to speak
[01:45:32] from the heart. I have so many things I
[01:45:34] could say. I could spend an hour telling
[01:45:37] you about everything. I wish I could
[01:45:40] have a testimonial with
[01:45:43] you. I'm apologizing because I've sent a
[01:45:46] lot of emails trying to help the city
[01:45:48] council understand who I really am
[01:45:51] because I've been defamed to the hilt.
[01:45:53] I've been character assassinated
[01:45:55] starting with these tenants and going to
[01:46:00] other tenants and the property manager
[01:46:03] who because I complained to the city,
[01:46:06] she felt that her job was in jeopardy.
[01:46:09] And so she began turning the entire
[01:46:11] situation around and blaming me for all
[01:46:13] the hostility and harassment. And I sent
[01:46:16] you things about myself to try and show
[01:46:19] you that I I I'm not capable of
[01:46:22] harassing or being hostile to anyone at
[01:46:24] all. Never. I I never was with my
[01:46:27] ex-husband or my daughter, my dog. I
[01:46:31] just I'm not that person. And the
[01:46:34] problem is is that my rights have been
[01:46:37] violated so in the extreme that actually
[01:46:41] crimes were committed against me. And
[01:46:44] I've been very kind and understanding
[01:46:46] about it all along. I didn't want to
[01:46:48] alienate anybody in the city. I actually
[01:46:50] tried to blame it on Haidider. But
[01:46:54] Haidider didn't want to admit that they
[01:46:56] had a fraud for a property manager
[01:46:58] because they already were in probation
[01:47:01] earlier for six months.
[01:47:05] Unfortunately, I am the victim of
[01:47:07] circumstance where I was in the wrong
[01:47:09] place at the wrong time when there was a
[01:47:12] second group of uh in-n-out burger
[01:47:14] protesters. I was extremely interested
[01:47:17] in helping the city with beautiful
[01:47:19] inviting lighting. I'm extremely
[01:47:22] sensitive to anything visual and the way
[01:47:25] things look, how they make me feel. I
[01:47:26] think I'm one of those extra sensitive
[01:47:28] people, but
[01:47:31] unfortunately, I'm kind of out of
[01:47:33] balance. It's like and I didn't get my
[01:47:35] financial thing together and I certainly
[01:47:37] had plenty of opportunity. I just didn't
[01:47:41] have the wherewithal and I don't have
[01:47:44] the wherewithal now that I have been
[01:47:46] defrauded of my plan for retirement. You
[01:47:49] know, seven I get 1,700 and I paid about
[01:47:52] 450 or something for my beautiful
[01:47:55] apartment that I was madly in love with.
[01:47:57] I spent the whole time I was there
[01:47:59] decorating, trying to I I decided it was
[01:48:02] 850 square feet. So, I went up. I
[01:48:04] thought, "Oh, this is like living in a
[01:48:06] Manhattan apartment. I decorate all over
[01:48:09] the place. I'm completely into that."
[01:48:11] And I I was kind to everyone. So, I
[01:48:14] would really appreciate if you would all
[01:48:17] give me an opportunity. And I don't mean
[01:48:19] to call anybody out. If anybody else had
[01:48:22] been injured the way I have, they would
[01:48:24] just say, "Hey, you stop hurting me.
[01:48:26] You're doing this to me." And it's not
[01:48:27] fair. That's all. It's I don't want to
[01:48:30] call anybody out. I don't I I wouldn't
[01:48:33] be here. I I just wouldn't even be here
[01:48:35] except that it's an unwelcome. Thank
[01:48:37] you. Thank you for your comments. Please
[01:48:40] I'm sorry. Your time is Sure. If you
[01:48:43] could see me after after this council
[01:48:45] meeting and that would be awesome.
[01:48:49] Is there anyone else who would like to
[01:48:51] speak on something not on today's
[01:48:53] agenda? That was the last speaker.
[01:48:56] All right. That concludes our
[01:48:58] non-aggenda public comments.
[01:49:01] Um before we go into close session, I
[01:49:06] will ask uh our council to review any
[01:49:08] items on the
[01:49:12] agenda. Thank you, mayor. We'll begin
[01:49:15] convening into close session for the two
[01:49:16] items before you on the agenda. The
[01:49:18] first being conference with legal
[01:49:20] counsel, public employee performance
[01:49:22] evaluation pursuant to California
[01:49:24] government code section
[01:49:25] 54957. the public employee, the city
[01:49:28] manager, executive director. The second
[01:49:31] item being conference with labor
[01:49:32] negotiator regarding unrepresented
[01:49:34] employee pursuant to California
[01:49:36] government code section
[01:49:37] 54957. City representative is myself,
[01:49:40] Colin Kirkpatrick, the city attorney,
[01:49:42] and the unrepresented employee is the
[01:49:44] city manager/executive director. Mr.
[01:49:46] Mayor, we do have a request for public
[01:49:48] comment on this item. Okay. Public
[01:49:51] speaker next in order.
[01:49:57] Thank you. Almost done. Uh Brad
[01:50:00] Anderson, city ranch. Uh this is
[01:50:02] concerning close as an item of the city
[01:50:04] manager
[01:50:05] u I guess uh performance. Yeah,
[01:50:08] performance evaluation and uh more than
[01:50:11] likely wage increase and benefit package
[01:50:14] increase. Uh we don't know that. Uh but
[01:50:17] anyway, uh I did uh write some comments.
[01:50:21] Hopefully they were taken out of
[01:50:23] context. Uh uh I I have um I have
[01:50:27] respect for the current city council man
[01:50:30] uh manager and the other three other two
[01:50:33] that's on the city payroll uh to this
[01:50:35] day uh in benefits. But anyway, I just
[01:50:38] wanted to u hopefully
[01:50:43] uh I guess comment that uh maybe well I
[01:50:48] bring it to light that we have an
[01:50:50] assisted city manager now. Uh I don't
[01:50:52] know when that happened or how that
[01:50:53] happened or uh but it happened this
[01:50:55] year. Uh
[01:50:57] so and uh and this and the city clerk's
[01:51:01] uh responsibilities have decreased
[01:51:05] because of the way the minutes are kept.
[01:51:07] So if wage increases are an aspect,
[01:51:09] maybe they shouldn't be uh considered at
[01:51:12] this at this time. And and I'm concerned
[01:51:15] too that you have another item 10 and a
[01:51:17] item after this concerning the city
[01:51:19] manager. So, I'm thinking this is all
[01:51:22] predetermined anyway, but I will be
[01:51:24] waiting for item 10 when that comes
[01:51:25] available to you. Thank you. Thank you.
[01:51:30] Is there anyone else who would like to
[01:51:32] speak? That was the only speaker.
[01:51:35] All right. If there are no other
[01:51:37] comments, uh we will now recess this
[01:51:40] meeting.
[01:51:52] Okay, we will reconvene the meeting.
[01:51:54] I'll ask the
[01:51:55] uh council to review those items
[01:51:59] contained in the prior in the closed
[01:52:01] session.
[01:52:04] Thank you, mayor. No reportable action
[01:52:05] taken today in close session.
[01:52:16] Okay. We will now consider approving any
[01:52:20] proposed provisions to the city manager
[01:52:23] executive director employment
[01:52:27] agreement. Um council, would you please
[01:52:31] uh review that?
[01:52:34] Thank you, mayor. In close session, uh,
[01:52:37] the city council offered and the city
[01:52:38] manager tentatively accepted the
[01:52:40] following amendments to the city
[01:52:42] manager's annual
[01:52:44] compensation. Uh, first, the the
[01:52:48] following will be aligned with the city
[01:52:50] employee for the health savings account
[01:52:53] as well as the holiday schedule. That
[01:52:54] will be aligned with the city manager's
[01:52:56] employment agreement will be aligned
[01:52:58] with the city employee. Uh,
[01:53:00] additionally, a 5% salary increase to
[01:53:03] $357,000 a year annually, as well as an
[01:53:06] increase in deferred compensation to the
[01:53:08] annual IRS maximum.
[01:53:14] Yeah. Thank you.
[01:53:16] [Music]
[01:53:17] Um, are there any public comments
[01:53:20] regarding that item? Yes. Public
[01:53:22] speaker. Next in order.
[01:53:30] I'm sorry, I should have sat closer. My
[01:53:32] name is Brad Anderson. Currently live in
[01:53:33] the city of Rage. I really don't have
[01:53:36] any additional comments uh because of
[01:53:39] the brief summary. I'll have to look at
[01:53:41] that and study that later and then I'll
[01:53:43] write some written comments, but I am
[01:53:45] concerned because you reported out of
[01:53:47] close session that you had no report of
[01:53:48] reaction, but then you did. So, I'm
[01:53:51] concerned about that. And that's all I
[01:53:52] have. Thank you. Thank you for your
[01:53:54] comments.
[01:53:57] No additional comments.
[01:54:00] Okay. Uh are there any public
[01:54:05] comments? Um council, do you want to um
[01:54:09] review the motion, please? Certainly. If
[01:54:13] anyone would like to make a motion. Um
[01:54:14] you can make a motion um to approve the
[01:54:18] um uh amendments to the city manager's
[01:54:22] um annual compensation and amendment to
[01:54:24] his uh employment agreement to reflect
[01:54:27] the same.
[01:54:29] I'll make a
[01:54:31] motion to approve the revi I'm sorry the
[01:54:35] revisions correct or amendments to the
[01:54:38] city manager's compensation and what was
[01:54:42] the second part of that and to amend the
[01:54:44] uh the the employment agreement to
[01:54:45] reflect the same and to amend the uh
[01:54:47] employment re um agreement to
[01:54:50] reflect this God I'm I'm having problems
[01:54:53] today city the same can can you just say
[01:54:56] to the The motion is to make the
[01:54:59] adjustments as described by council.
[01:55:01] Thank you. And I'll second
[01:55:04] that. There's a motion and second.
[01:55:07] Please vote.
[01:55:10] Motion carries. 5-0. Okay.
[01:55:13] Congratulations. More than deserving.
[01:55:16] That's all I can say.
[01:55:19] Um before we adjourn, I want to announce
[01:55:23] that um that this meeting is being
[01:55:26] adjourned to June
[01:55:28] 18th, 2025 at 100 p.m. here at the
[01:55:32] Rancho Mirage City Council
[01:55:35] Chamber. The June 19 regular city
[01:55:38] council meeting will be cancelled as it
[01:55:41] falls on a city observed
[01:55:44] holiday. Accordingly, the adjourned
[01:55:47] meeting of the Rancho Mirage City
[01:55:49] Council held on June 18 at 100 p.m. will
[01:55:54] be a regular meeting of the city council
[01:55:57] when the meeting agenda being released
[01:56:00] at least with the agenda being released
[01:56:03] at least 72 hours prior to the
[01:56:06] meeting. That concludes this meeting and
[01:56:09] we are now adjourned.