Palm Desert City Council - Study Session, March 12, 2026

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AI transcript text.

[00:04:23] Mayor: Council study session for Thursday, March 12th, 2026. And first up we have item 2A, emergency management update and request for direction regarding community concerns, gaps, or priorities to incorporate into ongoing preparedness. I recognize this gentleman, Mr. Daniel Herertado.
[00:04:44] Daniel Herado: Good afternoon, mayor, members of the city council. Daniel Herado, public safety coordinator. And as described, today, I will just be covering a quick PowerPoint describing some of the snapshot of the city's emergency management program here. And just to show you what we have going on for preparedness, response, and recovery.
[00:05:12] Daniel Herado: So, the city of Palm Desert continues to always keep preparedness in mind. How we do it is, we have staff readiness and training ongoing on behind the walls of city hall. We also have emergency supplies that are ready and available to be deployable if needed. We also have cooling care and community resource center partnerships that have been established as well as some regional continuity with some of our cove commission partners as well as just community outreach and storm response actions.
[00:05:44] Daniel Herado: So, what we plan for is the city does what's known as an all-hazards approach. So, every four years the city does a local hazard mitigation plan. We submit it to the state California office of emergency services and from there it goes on to the feds so FEMA for final review and approval and that comes back down letting them know that hey, the city of Palm Desert complies with our standards, you're good to go for the next four years and so forth. So what that does is we do an all-hazards readiness. We cover extreme heat, prolonged power outages, severe storms, flooding, localized wind impacts, earthquakes, wildfires, public health emergencies, and large-scale incidents requiring mass care shelter. And the last one is community disruptions.
[00:06:28] Daniel Herado: How we stay ready is all government employees are known as disaster service workers. We have that in play which means that they all took the oath that in the event of emergency they can be activated as disaster service workers and be able to fill in a position within the EOC or emergency operations center. We also have plans in play. So if some staff is fairly new and they're not understanding as to what an EOC is, we do have training available but we also have the Palm Desert's Emergency Operations Center plans as well where they can review the procedures and understand some of the response checklists. We also have supplies throughout city hall, but primarily at public works at the corporation yard is where we have a majority of our supplies there. And also what we've done is we've established some partnerships with our Cove community partners, our local school districts, SoCal Edison, the Joselyn Center, and even doing more outreach with our homeowners associations and some of our groups here.
[00:07:33] Daniel Herado: Sorry, I think it froze on me.
[00:07:44] Daniel Herado: So, what this does is it just does a snapshot of our emergency management or continuity of government. It shows that all our employees are disaster service workers. During emergencies, some of the employees may be reassigned to support an EOC. If the city had a mass care and shelter established at one of our facilities, this means that we can pull some of the resources and have something that's not normal to them. Let's say just to pick on finance, someone from finance would be able to go ahead and work at our mass care shelter and so forth. So, that just kind of shows where they could be reassigned to support the city. And adding to that, we have our EOC staffing and documentation. And this would be a key for federal reimbursement if public assistance was created down the line for an emergency and a declaration was made. We also have our field support coordination and all of this just ensures that we have continuity of government because once an incident happens our number one thing is we want to recover and continue our operations aside from the emergency.
[00:08:46] Daniel Herado: So prepared people respond faster. What we cover in some of our training is emergency operations training for all staff. It covers incident command. So that's the ICS 100, 200, and 700. We also have safety and response training throughout the year as well as first aid, CPR, fire extinguisher training, active shooter training, and stop the bleed. These are just a snapshot as to cover some of the trainings that do happen here at the city.
[00:09:14] Daniel Herado: For some of the supplies, a majority of these, as mentioned, are going to be at our corporation yard. We have over 200 cases of canned water, and this is probably a 15 to 25 lifespan on those canned waters. So, usually after that time, we would go ahead and get some more or replace those that are no longer good. We also have over 400 cots, 250 sleeping bags, 1,200 blankets, four-week emergency supply cases stored throughout city hall as well as at our library. We also have some electrolytes because we know heat is a big issue here in the Coachella Valley. We also have glow sticks, waste bags, and sandbags for storm and localized flooding.
[00:09:52] Daniel Herado: Some of the deployable capabilities is we acquired a large event tent. And what this does is we would be able to build out this tent if one of our sites didn't
[00:10:01] Daniel Hurtado: We'd be able to build one up and store animals or pets, etc. And we do have portable generators available for it, portable air conditioners because we know heat is going to be an issue. We also have a water purifier machine which would be able to assist with cleansing some of the water. We also have some emergency triage kits here at the city which can cover up to 150 people as well as 25 satellite radios programmed to a Palm Desert specific channel to where we could deploy if needed if communications are down.
[00:10:36] Daniel Hurtado: So, some of the storm readiness actions, if you all have seen in the past, is if we have a storm coming, we start promoting that to the general public through social media, letting them know, hey, there's severe weather coming down the line. City Hall, we're going to... Public Works helps us out with adding sand at our locations near the baseball field and the residents are able to come and pick up sandbags if needed and just guidance and instructions on that. So, our goal is to provide quick public messaging, access to materials, and provide support to the general public, letting them know, hey, this storm's happening. Do you need sandbags? And that way, it's bringing awareness to an issue that's going to be impacting the city.
[00:11:13] Daniel Hurtado: Regional continuity. What this is is the city realized that emergency management doesn't just stop at one city. It goes throughout the Coachella Valley. So, what's really cool with us is we have the Cove communities and we establish what's known as shared emergency management resources. So this MOU essentially, if our EOC is down, unable to be used for whatever reason, is we'd be able to tap into resources at either Rancho Mirage or Indian Wells, and it works both ways. If they have a disruption, etc., we could tap into their resources and vice versa. Some of the stuff is that they would have, we would have designated rooms available to use, office spaces, as well as up to 80 hours of emergency management staffing. So if we have all our positions filled and we need more, we'd be able to tap into some of their staff as well, come over here and assist us until the event is concluded. So this supports and it doesn't create a joint EOC, but it just helps each city retain independent authority and control, and it's just pretty much asking them for assistance in the event of an emergency.
[00:12:20] Daniel Hurtado: As discussed, some of the mass care and shelter partnerships we've established is with Desert Sands Unified. We were able to create an MOU to where in the event something happens, we'd be able to utilize one of their facilities to operate a mass care and shelter. So, the city would request it and we'd be able to work with them in using their site.
[00:12:41] Daniel Hurtado: We also established a partnership with the Joslyn Center, and this would be in the event of an extended heat outage, etc. So, the facility use agreement would serve as an emergency cooling center for residents or the community members to utilize the Joslyn Center in the event we did need to activate this. And it would just be up to us to decide whether we wanted to activate or not depending on how long the power outage is going to last. And that'll tie in with our partnership with SoCal Edison. One of the new items we've recently accomplished was a community resource center. So, we establish a license agreement with SoCal Edison to where their staff would be able to come in and pretty much take the heat from the community, say, 'Hey, what's going on? Why is my power out?' so that staff isn't playing telephone with them. We have a representative from SoCal Edison at one of these sites available to answer questions and as well as provide any resources that may be needed.
[00:13:36] Daniel Hurtado: We've also been doing a lot more of our community preparedness and HOA outreach. We realize that a lot of these homeowner associations are all different. They all have their own specific procedures, rules, and capabilities, and that's what's really great. So, one thing that I'm trying to really fold in is ensuring that we have one template or at least we understand that they all are receiving the same information, and I'm able to provide emergency plans, communication contacts, as well as any staging and volunteer roles that they may already have or are trying to work on developing. And the city continues to support them in any readiness fairs, safety expos, community preparedness events, or any of their HOA meetings where they would like a city representative to come out and discuss what we have going on for emergency management.
[00:14:29] Daniel Hurtado: So the next step and the question for Council is: are there any community concerns or gaps you want staff to keep in mind as we continue in strengthening our readiness? And that will conclude tonight's presentation. Thank you.
[00:14:44] Mayor: Any questions of Daniel?
[00:14:48] Council Member: Daniel, is the hazard plan required by law, or is it something that we need to do to access FEMA funding?
[00:14:59] Daniel Hurtado: That is... so it's more in the line of this will enable us to pursue any grant funding. So, it's not required by law, but almost 90% of the cities and even private industries like school districts have this in play. So, we would want to continue to do this every four years because it would access grant funding. And a lot of the grant applications, it's always a requirement: does your city have a local hazard mitigation plan approved by FEMA? So, we always like to check that box and say yes, so we have that.
[00:15:28] Council Member: Excellent. Have you looked at the emergency services benefits to the city and homeowners who have solar and battery at their home?
[00:15:41] Daniel Hurtado: I've not done enough research to completely answer that.
[00:15:47] Mayor: Anybody else? Karina,
[00:15:50] Council Member Karina: Thank you. This was comprehensive and I think what we've been needing for a long time. My question is, similar to the way that the fire action plan does have an impact on the insurance rates for homeowners, does this in any way assist, for example, in HOAs? Does it help them with those costs that would lead them or incentivize them to participate?
[00:16:15] Daniel Hurtado: I have not... excuse me, I have not seen that.
[00:16:22] Mayor: Council Member Hardick.
[00:16:23] Council Member Hardick: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Hurtado. Uh, I have a couple questions. And are you familiar with the Palm Desert Greens Country Club Emergency Plan?
[00:16:34] Daniel Hurtado: I'm not familiar with that, but I think two years ago they had a major power outage and the city did assist and respond to where we were able to provide resources, but I have not in detail read...
[00:16:44] Council Member Hardick: They've done some impressive preparation. I mean, they have... it would be good to learn what they've done. It's a nice model for other HOAs. They primarily are looking at earthquake, but their preparations go far beyond that and they've done an impressive job with it. Do we have any sort of partnership with the CSU or UCR with that big swath of land that might be advantageous in case we need it?
[00:17:16] Daniel Hurtado: At this time we do not. The city did reach out to CSU, but they don't have a generator at that site, so we deemed it to not be adequate to have that as a listed site.
[00:17:27] Council Member Hardick: I see. Okay. And maybe there's other ways that we could partner with them in an emergency, but they may be an asset. Thank you.
[00:17:38] Council Member: Just a couple quick questions. Um, you mentioned the collaboration between Indian Wells, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert. Um, are there any formal or periodic trainings we do with them just so like walkthroughs, everybody's familiar, kind of game plan, that sort of thing?
[00:17:55] Daniel Hurtado: So this is fairly new, I would say within the past month is how it's been established, but that is the goal and vision of it. We want to have a combined course as well as having training either here at Palm Desert or three of the cities and have combined training. So that is part of our goal is to have it, but it's still fairly new, but we are working on that.
[00:18:14] Council Member: Terrific. Okay. And you mentioned we would be able to utilize a Desert Sands facility in the city. Um, is there one already picked or does it just depend on the circumstances?
[00:18:24] Daniel Hurtado: It would depend on the circumstances. For example, we'd probably primarily want to use Palm Desert High School, but it would just depend on what the incident is. Make sure it hasn't been impacted before we identify any sites.
[00:18:36] Council Member: Perfect. And this may seem a little esoteric, but um, if power's off and water is not flowing, um, there are water towers up in the hills that I would assume just work on gravity. Is there still water available in the event of a power outage?
[00:18:51] Daniel Hurtado: I think we would have to work closely with utilities on that, but I can't answer that.
[00:18:55] Council Member: Got it. Okay. And then last but not least, um, this may sound silly, but it's serious in a way. Um, you said every city employee is trained and expected to pitch in during an emergency. Uh, does that include City Council? Because we haven't... I haven't been trained up. Are we, in other words, are we expected as well, the five of us, to pitch in?
[00:19:18] Daniel Hurtado: You're not required to go through the training, but there is a role for City Council during an emergency. So, there's additional training we could do separate from the one that we're required to do.
[00:19:27] Council Member: Is that role staying out of the way of the experts?
[00:19:33] Daniel Hurtado: Primarily the role is communication, helping us get the word out, if we need to convene a special meeting during the emergency, that action as well. But really it's relaying the information as you're hearing from your constituents to us so we can respond.
[00:19:49] Council Member: Awesome. Good to hear because that's something that I had mentioned to Todd and it was an ongoing discussion. So, it's good to see that we'll pick it up because again, if we happen to be here, it's all hands on deck. I don't think it hurts anybody to have us have...
[00:20:02] Councilmember: ...some of that basic info. Things like stop the bleed, those are great for us to have on an, you know, as part of our everyday lives anyway.
[00:20:11] Mayor: Anybody else?
[00:20:12] Councilmember: Let's just make sure that we're all able to take the C class. It really is valuable.
[00:20:19] Councilmember: Good. Okay, Daniel, one suggestion in terms of potential gaps or areas to study. It may not be for this coming plan, but something that out of personal curiosity and something that Councilwoman Kintine and I have talked about is when homeowners do have solar and battery, not only is it good for their own energy independence and their own household, but it does play a role in emergency preparedness. Just one household that may be more self-sufficient in the event of a power outage or something like that. Not that I'm advocating for us to do anything at this moment except for study it and maybe add it to potential preparedness trainings as some ways that homeowners may better prepare themselves.
[00:21:12] Mayor: Anybody else? Okay. Thank you, Mr. Hot. Great report. Appreciate it.
[00:21:17] Daniel: Thank you.
[00:21:18] Mayor: Terrific. So, we move on to item 2B, update on median landscape master plan development and staff presentation.
[00:21:30] Sean Muer: Good afternoon, honorable mayor, members of the city council. I'm Sean Muer, the community services manager, and I have for you today an update on the median landscape master plan that public works has been working on. Some of these slides will be familiar to you, but we have some new information and some updates to provide. The last time that you heard a presentation on this plan was in September, so six months ago. And at that time, we were asked to focus on adding some more color to the plant palette, ensure that the lighting on the gabion columns that are going to be part of the plan is adequate, and also to investigate plant material on the on- and off-ramps at three locations: Monterey, Cook, and Washington Street. We also wanted to specify in the plan that there are special areas that are not included. So, I'll update you on that. So, just a reminder, the plan includes three tiers of landscape palettes. One of the tier one being the most robust, tier two being a medium, and then tier three being the locations where folks are driving at a higher rate of speed or not as visible areas of the city. And then of course we have the special districts which we've included. Now those two special districts are El Paseo and Baja Park. So El Paseo has a unique kind of Mediterranean style of planting we've included into the plan. And then Baja Park is an educational area that's located on the north side of Fred Waring between City Hall and Deep Canyon essentially. So the plan is overall inspired by the colors and the landscape of the mountains that surround us in the desert. And then the plant density is increasing on the higher tiers and it's lower on the lower tiers.
[00:23:19] Sean Muer: So here's a rendering of the tier one example. Highway 111 would be a tier one median location. You can see the gabion columns there. And then we've updated the plant palette to include a lot more flowering plants and color. The tier two example, we're using a section of Country Club. Still a lot of color and some of those raised planter beds are still incorporated, but we also use some boulders and some other inert material to create accents. And then tier three, more sparse planting, but still we've got some nice flagstone incorporated there, and it's still pleasant to look at.
[00:24:00] Sean Muer: The special districts, El Paseo and Baja Park. So, there's a screenshot from Google of El Paseo. We all know we have some recreational turf in the medians there for our parades and events that we have throughout the year. But, blue fan palms, various different types of aloe and flowering plants. And then Baja Park. Some of these plants have become more mature. So, I will go into more detail about Baja Park in a moment, but that's an example of how it looks now.
[00:24:33] Sean Muer: Staff have been working with Herman Design Group on the overall landscape master plan, but also an intent was to peel off some of these projects and start creating construction documents to update the various areas. Baja Park was a low-hanging fruit because it doesn't require any landscape design. It's already designed. It's an educational area and the plant palette has essentially been set. So, we undertook that construction document planning phase with Herman Design Group and we're nearing completion on construction documents. Last that I saw was I think 80%.
[00:25:12] Sean Muer: With the gabion columns, we had a comment at the last meeting about lighting them both internally and externally, making sure that they're very visible to folks driving by. So we've incorporated that with our electrical engineer. And then we also want to ensure that they're consistent with our monument signs. This was presented to the active transportation committee and we want to make sure that they don't match but they go together, so they complement each other: the gabion columns and the wayfinding signs that are planned under a separate project. And we find that they do both have the same textures and stone materials, earth tones, they have both that column shape and then the landscape lower sign, and then there's consistency on the logo.
[00:26:03] Sean Muer: For the overpasses, again, Monterey, Cook, and Washington are the overpasses we wanted to include into this plan. And we were asked to investigate whether irrigation could be incorporated there so that we can have both the metal artistic plants and some actual live plants. And it turns out we can have both. So, we're already planning on that for Monterey, but this is a rendering of what Cook Street is going to look like and, you know, the direction that we're going with the plan. So, we've got lots of flowering plants and color, inert materials in different colors, and some kind of geographic shapes to create interest. We've also incorporated on the left there, you can see where it says 'new ledger stone', that's some stacked flagstone, and that was a suggestion that came out of the ATP subcommittee. That's used on Portola, the new Portola median that was just updated a couple years ago, and that was found to be a good look. So, we incorporated it here as well.
[00:27:05] Sean Muer: And this is the Monterey overpass. So, same concept, we incorporated live plants.
[00:27:12] Sean Muer: Okay. So, for the demonstration medians, staff want to go ahead and construct three pilot medians for city council and the public to see where these three tiers land and how they look when they're actually built. So, we want to do one example for each tier. And working with Herman Design Group, staff identified three medians that are in need of landscape updates and prioritized them to be used as pilot projects. So the tier one location is right in front of Bristol Farms. It's on Country Club close to Monterey, and the estimated cost for this rehabilitation is $262,000 thereabouts. The tier two is also on Country Club, but it's further down closer to Cook Street in front of Desert Willow. And the estimated cost there is over 350,000, close to 360. And the tier three median is Via Santa, which is off of Hovley Lane. This median has been overgrown. I think the plant material is just aged and it needs a refresh. And this is our tier three, so it's $44,000.
[00:28:25] Sean Muer: So, in terms of rolling this plan out, and I'll go through all of the different projects in just a moment, but if we were to update all of the medians according to this master plan in the city today, it would cost $35 million, which we don't plan to move forward as a plan. What we'd like to do is roll this out over time as more of a maintenance and update project and utilize some of the existing funding that we have year-over-year to make smaller updates where we can, and then request capital improvement funds where capital improvements are happening on roadway improvements and other ancillary projects. So, the median master plan can be rolled into other projects that are going on, and then we can also request special funding for them if there's a desire to move something forward more quickly. So that full plan implementation today would be 35 million. However, we're going to be working on utility planning. For example, on those Country Club pilot projects, we're working with Edison on getting power to those medians. That'll enable staff to install smart controllers, which is a better way to control irrigation and make sure that we're not overusing water. While again, we'll coordinate new improvements with capital projects, and then as funding becomes available and through the budget process, we can request funds to do some of the larger capital improvements.
[00:29:50] Sean Muer: So just kind of biting this off in smaller chunks. The next few fiscal years, this year we do plan on constructing the three pilot medians. We're close to finalizing...
[00:30:00] Staff: construction documents for those. There's funding available for Baja Park. Right now it's programmed under Country Club improvements. However, I plan to bring a staff report in the next meeting, meeting R2, to reallocate those funds from Country Club so that Baja Park can be constructed, and those are the tiers. So, tier one, two, and three for the pilot medians and then the special district of Baja Park will be completed. So, 1.8 million there, and that's already done in this fiscal year and funded. For next fiscal year, we're looking at doing the design for the country club median at about $200,000. And then after that, we'll continue with ongoing projects as they come up and funding is available.
[00:30:51] Council Member: Okay. If you go back one slide, I thought the individual price tag for Baja Park was the same as the total you have on the far right. Is that—
[00:31:04] Staff: Oh, that must be a typo. I apologize.
[00:31:08] Council Member: Okay. So, which one's the correct one?
[00:31:10] Staff: It would be the 1.8 plus the other three above it.
[00:31:11] Council Member: Okay. So, you're talking about 2.3 to 5 million somewhere in there. Okay. Got it.
[00:31:16] Staff: However, the funding is available this fiscal year. I have verified that.
[00:31:32] Council Member Standi: See if I can go back... where it says 200, 62,494 for example, and let's say Country Club 2, you want to add 10 more bouquets of flowers. How much does the actual colored flowers to make it more lush add to the approximate cost of these numbers? I'm trying to figure out what is the cost that's the most expensive. Is it adding the irrigation? And then we can add as many plants as we want. That's my question here.
[00:32:26] Staff: Understood. So we're working with Herman Design Group on creating these designs, and what they've come up with is basically a square footage cost for the three different tiers. I can get that to you. I don't have it off the top of my head, but it does include the cost of providing the additional irrigation for more dense planting and then, of course, the additional plant material. And sometimes they are more expensive plants as well because they're more specimen plants.
[00:32:51] Council Member Standi: Because that would be helpful to have it broken down to see what we're getting charged for irrigation versus the actual flowers, bushes, because I think all the medians need more lushness and color. Yes. Thank you.
[00:33:05] Staff: Absolutely. You're welcome.
[00:33:10] Staff: So this is two slides and includes... there are 20 projects overall, including Baja Park, which is not listed here because we're going to take care of that this fiscal year, if possible. And the implementation plan kind of shows how on an annual basis, Public Works already budgets half a million dollars to do median improvements, and those are already going on through task orders with existing landscape contracts that we have. So, we'll plan on utilizing those again, biting off the low-hanging fruit and handling as many projects as we can as more of a maintenance project rather than large capital investments to complete these. However, there are certain points where there is additional funding needed. And so, these are listed right now in order of the most expensive to least expensive, but in reality, they'll be rolled out in a different order and what makes sense based on where construction is happening, the prioritization of the medians. Some of them are more aged than others and need a refresh sooner, and some of them are in pretty good standing and we'll push those toward the end. But that's the plan. So total funding coming close to that $35 million, and then overall, an additional funding of, you know, over 17 million that will be required, and that's in today's dollars.
[00:34:36] Staff: So this is just a different way of showing the prioritization of projects. The Baja Park design has been completed and construction can commence this fiscal year with the reallocation of the funds from Country Club. The demonstration medians have been designed and they'll be constructed this fiscal year as well. Then we'll move on into the Country Club design, and funds have been requested for that for next fiscal year, and that is likely to require two years because of the coordination with the utility and making sure to install those smart controllers. It's kind of a large stretch, too. In conjunction with that, we also want to start Desert Willow. We know that Desert Surf is coming online. We want to really beautify that area. So that will be one of the new focus areas once we get some of these other things going. And then the ongoing median improvement program shown at the bottom there, 500,000 annually to bite off this large project in small pieces.
[00:35:34] Staff: So the plan is to bring back the completed landscape master plan. I do want to note that in the staff report, it shows that the landscape master plan would be brought back in the fall for council adoption. We do actually plan on bringing that back in the next couple council meetings for you to approve prior to the pilot medians being constructed. We want to recognize that this is a living document. It can be updated. We can always add more plant material or take things away that didn't work out very well. So we want to recognize that, and having a plan adopted sooner rather than later will let staff have some direction to get started on these. We do plan to construct the Baja Park improvements and then the demonstration medians, and then continue implementing those smaller projects using that landscape master plan as our guidance and working through capital project prioritization and funding as it becomes available to implement it.
[00:36:34] Staff: And that's all I have for you today, and welcome any questions and feedback.
[00:36:38] Chair: Any questions?
[00:36:42] Council Member: Thank you. This was exciting and very comprehensive. I remember when one of the roundabouts was being installed and there was a halt with the opening. There were a lot of concerned residents as to why it wasn't ready, and I believe the answer was there wasn't the right matching rocks to put it in place. Are you working with somebody that assures you there's canyons of abundance of the materials you'll need to make sure that doesn't halt anything and push out the timelines?
[00:37:14] Staff: Yes, absolutely. The availability of materials is key. Another aspect of having a landscape master plan is standardization. So having those repeatedly available to staff as updates and maintenance need to happen is key. Yes.
[00:37:30] Staff: You're welcome.
[00:37:31] Chair: Council Member Standi.
[00:37:32] Council Member Standi: Yes. I just want to thank you. This has been a very thorough and great report, and I'm very excited that we are updating our medians. Much needed. And just to add to my previous comments, I, in my opinion, think it's important to add as much colorful plants as possible and as less dirt or desert gold, whatever we want to call it, as possible, depending, of course, on the cost. And so I would like to see the cost, if it could be broken down on what it is per plant if possible, to have that in the report when you come back, just to see how much that would cost. And we are a tourist destination, and we want to make sure we differentiate ourselves from Arizona and want to keep us a more lush and beautiful place for people to want to come here. So those are my comments.
[00:38:36] Staff: Thank you very much.
[00:38:37] Chair: Council Member Hornick.
[00:38:39] Council Member Hornick: Thank you. Um, I have a couple comments. I so appreciate the really artistic use of whether it's the gabion columns and the light and the use of the desert plant palette and bringing out the best. And, you know, the Baja Park has always been so special and such a, you know, as you said, it's really kind of educational, and it's always been so special when we can show what we can do by using native plantings and those that are acclimated to our environment. I do have some questions. I'm unclear on this, and I'm sure you can help me understand. Going back to page 20, and there was a question asked about it before. We have the special district. So we have Baja Park, and we have two different numbers. I'm confused about the numbers on that, on the estimated cost and on the total. So can you help me with that?
[00:39:52] Staff: So I don't have that slide in front of me, but the estimated cost to construct Baja Park is actually about 1.6 million.
[00:40:00] Staff: Uh, $2 million has been budgeted for the country median improvements this year.
[00:40:04] Council Member: Except that Michelle just brought up. Um, perfect. Thank you so much. Okay. So, I'm just I'm absolutely unclear on this, and if you could help me, I'd appreciate it.
[00:40:21] Staff: Sure. Yeah. And I apologize. It looks like it got a little bit jumbled with the lines there. Um, and then of course at the last column there is that does not—that amount, 1.88, does not include the cost to construct the demonstration median. So I apologize for that. However, yes, the 1.8 is the Baja Park construction total cost with contingency.
[00:40:47] Council Member: Okay. And so the tier—the tier three, the 44,000, what relevance is that in the Baja Park?
[00:40:57] Staff: Yeah, that's why it's a little confusing. I apologize. Let me go back to show you where tier three is the via project. So the 44,352 to do that construction project. They're just lumped together into one fiscal year.
[00:41:14] Council Member: Okay. So that's not Baja Park then.
[00:41:16] Staff: Correct.
[00:41:17] Council Member: Okay.
[00:41:18] Staff: That's via.
[00:41:19] Council Member: I was confused. Thank you very much.
[00:41:21] Staff: You're welcome.
[00:41:24] Mayor: Council Member, what are we doing at Baja Park?
[00:41:30] Staff: Baja Park is really a revitalization project. So, a lot of the plant material is overgrown now. It's been there for more than 20 years. So, it's just refreshing the plant material. Also, there was a lot of diverse plant material when that was first planted. Not all of it worked. So, some things died off early on and were never replaced. So, we want to make sure that what goes back in are only the things that worked and it's still densely planted. Um, there's new placards being planned so that each of the plants can be identified, and then refreshing all of the signage along the pathway. Um, there's also a new shade structure planned over the one bus stop that's along that stretch.
[00:42:17] Council Member: And up until now, what has been the kind of guiding principle or design standards we've utilized to build medians, maintain them, and create them, if any?
[00:42:30] Staff: I think that's part of the reason why staff wanted to undertake this project is that there was a lack of a standardized approach to dealing with the medians previously. And so this will really kind of make it predictable, both for maintenance and budgetary purposes.
[00:42:44] Council Member: Okay. So, up until now, it was kind of case-by-case.
[00:42:48] Staff: Exactly.
[00:42:48] Mayor: Got it. Okay. Thank you. Anybody else?
[00:42:51] Council Member: I'll tell a story. Several years ago, I was at an educational seminar, and a lady was giving a presentation. She said she led the development of the plans for all the existing medians, and they were designed to replicate the different deserts throughout the world. And I was sitting with a former council person who was on the council at the time, and I asked him, 'Is that true?' He says, 'I have no idea what she's talking about.'
[00:43:22] Council Member: One last comment to my peers. You'd be surprised how expensive cacti are. Sorry about that.
[00:43:31] Council Member: Even though we overlook them, they are very expensive. And at one time, they were implanting trackers in them because people were stealing them like they would steal copper and resell them. So, we may overlook and want to see beautiful, colorful blooming plants, but part of it is that the cacti are beautiful and very expensive.
[00:43:51] Mayor: Wow. Okay.
[00:43:52] Council Member: Especially if we want to buy more mature ones so that we can see them and not grow them, because it's going to take forever.
[00:43:58] Mayor: Okay.
[00:44:01] Mayor: Anybody else? Okay. Thank you very much, Sean. Thank you.
[00:44:05] Mayor: On to Item 2C, a Public Works maintenance service enhancements presentation to provide direction on proposed maintenance worker positions for the upcoming fiscal year budget. And we're looking for a staff presentation. I'm looking at Mr. Randy Chavez.
[00:44:24] Randy Chavez: Yes, sir.
[00:44:24] Mayor: Very good.
[00:44:25] Randy Chavez: Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor, City Council. I'm Randy Chavez, Director of Public Works, and today we are presenting a study session on maintenance service enhancements and potential adjustments to how certain services are delivered. The focus of this discussion is evaluating whether bringing select contracted services in-house could improve responsiveness, efficiency, and overall service levels. Excuse me.
[00:44:57] Randy Chavez: The purpose of the study is three-fold. First, to review the city's current maintenance service delivery model and the operational challenges we are experiencing. Second, to evaluate whether certain contracted services could be performed in-house more efficiently. Third is to discuss potential staffing adjustments that could be included in the upcoming fiscal year budget. And ultimately, we are seeking the City Council's feedback to guide staff moving forward.
[00:45:33] Randy Chavez: Staff reviewed several services that are currently provided through contracts or reactive response models. These services were selected because they are high visibility, frequently requested, or challenging under the current model. The evaluation focused on where in-house service delivery may provide greater flexibility, responsiveness, and cost control.
[00:46:02] Randy Chavez: Several factors prompted staff to evaluate our current service delivery approach. First, increased weekend activity, which has increased maintenance demands. Second, the community has been expecting higher service standards, specifically in visible areas. Third, city assets and infrastructure, they're continuing to grow, requiring more consistent maintenance. And finally, contracted services can limit operational flexibility, particularly when immediate response is needed.
[00:46:42] Randy Chavez: One of the biggest operational challenges we see is weekend service. Currently, our weekend work is reactive, meaning that when the calls come in, that's when we employ the team, rather than addressing issues proactively. So staff is proposing scheduled weekend coverage that would allow for proactive monitoring, faster response times, reduced emergency callouts—and these callouts include graffiti removal, trash and debris removal, sidewalk cleanup, and illegal dumping response. But one thing to note is that even this would allow for citywide staff deployment throughout the city and not just where we received the call for a specific area.
[00:47:34] Randy Chavez: Currently, there are 45 bus shelters that are maintained through a contracted service, and the cost is approximately $100,000 a year. And the services include cleaning, graffiti removal, and trash removal. And while the contractor performs the service well, there are some issues, such as a fixed scheduling, vendor-controlled response times, and we're paying a premium for that service. And bringing the service in-house would allow for more frequent inspections, faster weekend response, and improved oversight and maintenance quality.
[00:48:19] Randy Chavez: Palm Desert has a significant public art program with 87 artworks located throughout the city, and the annual cost is approximately $39,000, with a little over $90,000 dedicated to routine cleaning of 54 non-specific pieces. And under the current model, routine cleaning typically occurs twice a year, which can limit the ability to maintain consistent presentation. Staff is proposing to integrate routine cleaning of these 54 pieces into field operations, and the specialty artwork will still be subbed out. However, staff intends to train the team and eventually bring some of those art pieces in-house for maintenance.
[00:49:11] Randy Chavez: Um, you may or may not have heard of the shopping cart issue that we've been having, but I wanted to include it in this presentation. The city currently contracts for shopping cart services. Next year, we are looking—if Council does not adopt the proposed model, we are looking at an increase to $30,000 for a little better service. But what we're seeing is that the current response time is still 48 hours once the work order is received. And just a quick statistic: in 2025, 448 carts were retrieved, with 240 reported on the city's work order system. And some of the challenges include safety issues, visible blight, and the carts that are...
[00:50:01] Staff: located in streets and bike lanes, they're removed by staff regardless. So staff is already providing some of these services to remove the carts in some of these problematic areas. And also, this will give staff an opportunity to work with code compliance. Currently, the vendor does not remove the shopping carts if there's homeless items in there. So staff will be able to work closely with code compliance so that way we could remove the shopping cart more quickly.
[00:50:44] Staff: Currently, weekend work is handled primarily through overtime callouts. The estimated cost for last fiscal year was approximately $10,000. However, staff thinks that's a conservative estimate because all the overtime is really lumped into one bucket. So we were being conservative with this number, and this creates a problem because it's, again, it's reactionary, it's limited in scale. The staff responds to just the items that they're assigned to, and then they leave. So, with a structured weekend staffing, these activities could shift into regular assignments, reducing reliance on overtime. And while overtime won't be totally eliminated in case there's an accident and more forces are required, the routine items that staff gets called out for during the weekend, we'll be able to take care of those and absorb those into the regular maintenance.
[00:51:55] Staff: So just some statistics here. In 2025, the city received 608 weekend service requests, and these are just items requested between Friday afternoon and Monday morning, and staff allocated 65 staff hours to address just the emergencies. So this demonstrates that weekend activity is consistent and predictable, which supports the case for structured coverage rather than a purely reactive response, and a scheduled staffing would allow the city to address these issues earlier and more efficiently.
[00:52:36] Staff: So this is just a breakdown on cost for a contracted model versus a staffing model. Staff evaluated the current contracted service model compared with a potential staffing model. The proposed staffing approach would add two maintenance workers with an estimated annual cost of $226,000. There are some startups: $10,000 for uniform, boots, and tools; $40,000 for equipment such as a pressure washer and so forth. And these staff would support the services discussed earlier while also providing a broader operational flexibility.
[00:53:14] Staff: And as you see to the table to the left, currently we are, with the different contracted services, the cost is approximately $258,000. So there is a fiscal impact of $17,000, a little over $17,000 in the first year. However, staff anticipates a savings of a little over $22,000 in year two. And the table on the bottom left just shows the response time by having staff on the weekend to address some of the ongoing problems. We're anticipating we could address some of those issues fairly quickly, and that concludes the presentation. And I'll be happy to answer any questions.
[00:54:04] Mayor: Okay. Any questions from my colleagues?
[00:54:11] Mayor: Council Member Kaneia.
[00:54:15] Council Member Kaneia: How often, or can you have a rough estimate of the breakdown on the weekends? Is there any that are overnight, or is there a dense window of when these hours would be extended? Do you have like a shift idea? That's what I'm talking about. Would there be an idea of what shifts would be implemented?
[00:54:35] Staff: Yes, so a lot of these issues occur during the morning as people are walking and going about their day. So, part of these, the weekend work would be emptying out trash liners on El Paseo, San Pablo. So, the shift would be a morning shift, possibly beginning at 5:30 or 6:00 before traffic ramps up, and then ending at around 3:00, 3:30 in the afternoon.
[00:55:08] Mayor: Council Member Hornik.
[00:55:12] Council Member Hornik: Thank you. Okay. So, when you talk about those shifts, are they—would this be someone who works Wednesday through Sunday, or how are we doing this?
[00:55:27] Staff: Correct. So, the two maintenance workers, both of them will be working on the weekends just because OSHA requirements and whatnot when it's above a certain temperature. But yes, we're proposing that someone will have Monday and Tuesday off, and the other person will have Wednesday and Thursday off.
[00:55:50] Council Member Hornik: Okay, great. And I appreciate the far more efficient response time. That makes a big difference. And like you said, sometimes it's 48 hours before we see a difference with the shopping cart. So is that—that's an independent entity that we contract with currently to remove the shopping carts?
[00:56:14] Staff: That is correct.
[00:56:16] Council Member Hornik: Okay.
[00:56:18] Council Member Hornik: And so we're talking about adding two more team members. Is that accurate?
[00:56:25] Staff: Yes.
[00:56:26] Council Member Hornik: So, one of the things that concerns me, and I see so much of the value when you talk about the response time and the quality and the character of our community by having somebody on the weekends to do things and maintain, and not having to wait a couple of days. But if we just look at two years as we have, that makes sense. But you know, when we hire somebody, we pay a long time. When we look through our check registers, we see pages and pages of people who've retired who we're still paying. So that's my hesitancy, that we're adding on for years into the future every time we add one person. And I know that's the beauty of having contracts and consultants because they come do their work and then they go on their own way, and we're not paying retirement and the post-employment benefits and those sorts of things. So that is of some concern to me. And with the bus shelters, have we dug deep with SunLine to see if they can respond better, or are they just so limited that that might be impossible?
[00:57:51] Staff: We have not reached out to SunLine. However, we have read their contract, and their contract is similar throughout the other cities in the valley, which is they do a daily windshield inspection, and really there's weekly maintenance that they perform. However, it's limited. For example, if there's trash in the trash can, unless it smells or it's overflowing, they don't change it. So there are some caveats to what they do. In addition, there's no reporting mechanism that's stated in their contract. So really, we don't know what they do, to be honest with you. So we've been going and looking at different shelters and whatnot, and some of them are okay, and some of them are heavily used. So that's why we included that in our study. We feel that we could provide consistent service as opposed to this ebb and flow, so to speak.
[00:58:53] Council Member Hornik: I see. Okay. I appreciate that. I know the bus shelters are an important asset in our community. So if we can maintain them in the best way for those people who use them—and you know, all of us may have been at a point where we had to use them. So, I understand the value of having them clean and not being afraid to sit on the bench that's in there. So, I appreciate that. I just, you know, my concern is we're adding team members, and I know the kind of the great feeling that goes along with being part of the Palm Desert team and the pride in the work. But it concerns me when we are adding on going forward, and it creates another obligation, another financial obligation well into the future for the city and for the taxpayers. So that's my concern with it, but I understand making sure that we maintain the quality and character of our city. So thank you.
[01:00:01] Staff: ...for answering all those questions.
[01:00:04] Mayor: All right, Mayor Pro Tem.
[01:00:08] Mayor Pro Tem: I support the staffing model. I thought about this and I agree with Councilwoman Harnik. I'm not the first one to jump up and say we need to add positions, and I like to look at best value. And I think what we're seeing here is by adding the positions, we're going to get a significant increase in response and value for at least a parity in price for the time being. We're seeing that contract agencies have changed. It used to be something that we can contract fairly well with, but more and more we're seeing bids come in much higher than anticipated. And so the question is not, you know, are the costs of staffing going to rise, it's how are they going to rise faster than the contracted services, which at the moment, the contracted services are rising much faster. And then with labor shortages with some of these contract firms, they're spread so thin that reduces some of the response times. Adding our own staff does have trade-offs. I think the trade-offs are mostly positive and that they'll give us a greater degree of control and accountability on the work and delivering for the residents. I especially like that we'll cover seven days a week because our residents are active seven days a week. And the other thing too is, at least for the shopping carts, I don't know about the others, is that 48 hours is based on business days. Add weekends, it extends the response further. So there's definitely trade-offs. I think the trade-offs are ones that will actually yield better value to our residents, and I support the staffing model.
[01:01:55] Council Member: Yeah, I agree with both of you. The long-term implication of the pension costs, etc., etc., is obviously a concern, but I think in the cost-benefit analysis, the greater service provided, the cleanliness of the city, the appearance of the city is well worth it.
[01:02:11] Council Member: Yeah, I support the staffing model. It was a great presentation. You made the case for the staffing model, and you made the case that you can operate in real time. And it would be nice if we could bill back to the grocery stores, at least the Ralphs and Albertsons, to help them with their shopping carts. So, they're getting off the hook, it seems.
[01:02:38] Staff: And we are working with code compliance to look into that.
[01:02:45] Mayor: Council Member Harnik.
[01:02:46] Council Member: I just had one other thing. I love the idea, and you do show that one picture on El Paso right in front of Shake Shack with the overflowing trash. I walk an awful lot, and on the weekends, we don't want that. And you know, when I see that, I know it won't be addressed for a couple of days. And so all our guests and all our visitors and all our community members who are enjoying that street have overflowing trash. So I really do appreciate that approach you've taken.
[01:03:21] Mayor: Yeah, Council Member Quintanilla.
[01:03:22] Council Member Quintanilla: I believe the Mayor Pro Tem has made a lot of excellent points. People visit on the weekend. They don't want to see that trash overflowing. They're coming for our signature events. The last thing they want to do is sit there and try to squish things down, get your hands sticky and dirty, and we want people to feel comfortable and see our city beautiful. I also believe that you made an excellent point of how many of these contractors are extending because they overpromise, underdeliver, go over budget. And as our city grows, we are going to need increased staffing already. We don't know what the future holds. We are going to grow. We are going to have to hire folks. But I feel that this allows for preventive maintenance as well. A stitch in time saves nine. I've seen the way that Public Works comes and reports to Cultural Arts, for example, and says, 'We need to replace the wrapping on these boxes because it looks like this.' Getting ahead of it makes it more cost-effective. So, we are going to have substantial savings. It's just a matter of do we see it on a daily basis? Maybe not. But our staff is asking for it. They see the day-in, day-out. They know what it takes to have our city presentable. We go to conferences and hear, 'Wow, your city is so beautiful.' And I always say, 'It's not us. It's our staff that does it.' You bring up your reports. As Council Member Hernandez brought up, you made the case. I think that we would be foolish to not support what our staff is asking us in a sense that makes it a beautiful place, that keeps it visually appealing, and makes it comfortable for people to want to access. And I think that also with the shopping cart issue, the response time, it does make it difficult, especially with now the locking mechanisms that the shopping carts have in place. You get there, you lock it, and then it's going to be in a weird place where maybe the grocery stores won't be able to go bring it back as easily. Having that as a quick response, I think that's a very important issue. So I wholeheartedly support.
[01:05:45] Mayor: Terrific. Okay, we had clear direction, Mr. Jamez. Excellent. Thank you. Should we bite off 2D before we go into closed session?
[01:05:54] Staff: We can continue with the study session and then move into closed.
[01:05:58] Mayor: Yeah, let's do that. Terrific. Okay, next item is 2D, a presentation on the 2026 Independence Day celebration, request for direction on adding a drone light show alongside fireworks for the 2027 celebration.
[01:06:13] Shelby Goodwin: Good afternoon, Mayor and Council Members. My name is Shelby Goodwin, Special Events Coordinator. Today, I'll be providing an update on the city's 2026 Independence Day celebration and seeking Council direction regarding a potential addition for the 2027 event. Palm Desert has hosted an annual Independence Day celebration at Civic Center Park for more than 30 years. The event continues to be a popular community tradition and features a 20-minute fireworks display synchronized to patriotic music along with live music, food vendors, and family-friendly activities throughout the evening. The event is designed to provide a safe, festive environment for residents and visitors to celebrate the holiday together. For the 2026 celebration, staff is planning several enhancements in recognition of the nation's 250th anniversary. These enhancements include red, white, and blue lighting in the amphitheater area, expanded decor and commemorative signage throughout the event footprint, and a centralized food service and seating area to improve the overall guest experience. We're also expanding the children's area with additional activities, including water-based elements, and offering 250th anniversary commemorative items to help mark the historical milestone. As staff prepares to secure services for the 2027 celebration and future events, we are seeking Council direction on whether to explore adding a drone light show as an additional feature. For reference, a traditional 20-minute fireworks display is estimated to cost between $55,000 and $65,000. An approximately 8-minute drone light show, considered an introductory length program, is estimated to cost between $75,000 and $90,000. This introductory length program is the format staff would plan to utilize if Council chooses to pursue this option. If Council directs staff to explore this option, our first step would be evaluating the Civic Center Park as the primary viewing location consistent with the city's traditional event location. One potential operational solution would involve coordinating with College of the Desert to use the nearby sports fields as the drone launch site. Drone light shows do require specific operational conditions, including a secure launch area, adequate separation from the fireworks drop zone, and coordination with the FAA for airspace approval. Staff's initial research has also identified potential concerns related to environmental conditions. Drone operations can be sensitive to factors such as wind, extreme heat, and air quality. In Palm Desert, summer temperatures frequently exceed 105 degrees and can reach 115 or higher. Drone equipment must also be staged, programmed, and tested during the daytime hours leading up to the evening show, which can result in prolonged exposure to extreme heat. During these conditions, ground and surface temperatures on turf or pavement can become significantly higher than the ambient air temperature, often exceeding 140 degrees in direct sunlight. Equipment staged on these surfaces throughout the day may be exposed to these elevated temperatures for extended periods of time. Prolonged heat exposure above 100 degrees can place additional stress on drone batteries, motors, and electronic components. This may reduce battery performance, contribute to potential motor malfunctions, and affect flight stability, which could impact the reliability and safe operation of a drone light show during the summer season. If Civic Center Park is ultimately determined to be infeasible for drone operations, staff could evaluate other...
[01:10:00] Staff: potential locations within the city if appropriate. One potential future option may include the planned regional park within the city's northern sphere once that's developed, which could provide additional space and flexibility for staging areas, launch operations, and viewing locations. Any alternative location would need to be evaluated based on operational considerations such as available parking, security requirements, site layout, and staffing logistics to help ensure the event could be conducted safely and remains accessible for all attendees. Today, staff is seeking council direction regarding the aerial display for the 2027 Independence Day celebration. Specifically, staff's requesting direction on whether to move forward with procurement for a traditional fireworks display only or to explore incorporating a drone light show in addition to the fireworks. This direction will help guide the scope of services included in the upcoming procurement process for the 2027 event and future celebrations. And that concludes the presentation and I'm happy to answer any questions.
[01:11:03] Mayor: Okay, any questions from my colleagues?
[01:11:09] Council Member: Thank you for studying this because I was curious what the price difference is and I didn't even think of all the technical issues presented with the heat and the drones. So, thanks for looking into this. It appears that fireworks still present the best bang for our buck. Pun intended, which I never do puns. Never a pun guy. Okay. And the odds are probably that it's going to be over 100 degrees and we just heard the presentation of all the limitations when the weather is over 100 degrees.
[01:11:44] Mayor: Council member Hornik,
[01:11:50] Council Member Hornik: you know, it kind of seems like drones are where it's going is what we're seeing in other places. I mean, you did everything but said, you know, don't take a drone if you're allergic to it. You had every caveat that you could. It was just amazing all the problems you—and we've seen some kind of terrible accidents with drones as well. So, you know, there's a side of me that would love to see the drone show, but with the cost and all the cautions, it just seems prudent for us to put that off. And perhaps there's a time we can use it in a different time of the year where the weather makes more sense and we can use it for some celebration we do. But this is, you know, there were a lot of issues that you cited. And with our weather, we all know that every year it's like, 'Oh gee, isn't it great? It's only 110 here tonight,' you know. So, I think we're better off foregoing it. I know that other cities in the valley have tried them. Did we get any input from them?
[01:13:01] Staff: Currently in the Coachella Valley, Indio does do a drone show and the rest of the cities have stuck with traditional fireworks.
[01:13:08] Council Member Hornik: Okay. Because I think maybe Desert Hot Springs is trying it, maybe Palm Springs, and I might not be right on that, but I think they may be.
[01:13:16] Staff: I believe Palm Springs did try it and they've gone back to traditional fireworks.
[01:13:20] Council Member Hornik: Oh, okay. I was going to say let's let them test it out for us. Okay. Thank you.
[01:13:28] Mayor: Council member,
[01:13:29] Council Member: you mentioned for the kids' event that there were going to be water events. Are you thinking like water slides or—
[01:13:35] Staff: Yeah, they would be the water-based inflatables. We've used the regular inflatables in the past. This would be an attempt to hopefully bring some families out a little bit earlier to the day to get a unique experience. But the heat really predicts what time the crowd comes out.
[01:13:51] Council Member: Yeah, I think that was part of the consideration in the past that everyone was freaking out that nobody was showing up, and eventually everybody kind of bombarded when the sun went down. Thank you for clarifying that. And playing devil's advocate, when we look at air quality, we also get air quality issues from the fireworks. When we consider the impact of wind, we also have the same thing when the fireworks come in. But being financially pragmatic, that makes it an easy decision. But I would like to see in the future—I know Cathedral City has done a drone show. I know that Council Member Nancy Ross said that when they did it, they were afraid that they would have less people attend, but on the contrary, they had more. And so I would, you know, if you can ask when—because of course we know that there are ambient considerations and where they staffed or where they staged it. You know, if we are able to find a location where it wouldn't necessarily be on asphalt. Does it have to be asphalt? But those are all future questions. I think that people are asking for drones because they see so many cities doing it, and with proper planning in the future, I think this will be a great opportunity. But thanks for taking step one and letting us know.
[01:15:15] Staff: Thank you.
[01:15:17] Mayor: Okay. A couple observations from last year's July 4th program. I agree like having the water features is great because I know early on not many people are showing up. It would encourage more families, kids, because there's stuff to do. It's a holiday and they want to go play. So, I love that idea. You talked about a central kind of a food area. Are the food trucks going to be there as well?
[01:15:38] Staff: Yeah, the food trucks would definitely be there. That would just be more of a comfortable seating area with some picnic benches and things like that that we haven't had before.
[01:15:46] Mayor: Okay. Because the lines are pretty long, too, for the food trucks, which nobody was really complaining, but it's just an observation. And also, my family and I watched from—there's a lot of people watching from the baseball fields, my family and I included. We weren't being very social, just a nice place to watch it. You can see the darn show from most of the Civic Center Park, but there was no music. I don't know how practical it would be to get, you know, an audio system to pipe in that patriotic music all over the park. Might be worth looking into.
[01:16:14] Staff: That's a good idea.
[01:16:15] Mayor: Yeah, I kind of thought so. But as far as the drone show goes, I'm not a big fan of that. Where did the impetus or the request come from? Was it from residents? Was it just something staff was curious about, or what are the—
[01:16:26] Staff: Um, a little bit of both. Drones have just been a hot topic and—
[01:16:28] Mayor: Okay. Okay. Well, I'm cool with just moving forward with just fireworks, for what it's worth.
[01:16:35] Staff: Thank you very much.
[01:16:36] Council Member: And they would, in order to hear the sound, it was turned to a certain radio station and you could tap in and hear that. Do we still have a partnership?
[01:16:44] Staff: We do. We will have two live remotes on site, but we can absolutely explore adding in some additional speakers for that area.
[01:16:50] Council Member: I think that would be great. Obviously, the speakers, but people watching from home. That way, you're not missing out, people along the way that just don't want to deal with the mess. By any chance, do you know the estimate of how many people attended last year?
[01:17:04] Staff: We don't have specific numbers for last year, but we are seeing in the past couple of years it's looking between 15 and 20,000 people.
[01:17:11] Council Member: Yeah. Yeah, that's a great amount. Thank you.
[01:17:13] Staff: Thank you.
[01:17:16] Mayor: Thank you, Shelby. Appreciate it. And so that concludes our study session. Does staff have clear direction on all four items?
[01:17:23] Staff: We do.
[01:17:23] Mayor: Cool. Okay. So, we'll now call to order the closed session of the Palm Desert City Council, and it's been set aside for public comment. However, I do not see any blue cards. Do we have any online public comments?
[01:17:37] City Clerk: No comments at this time, Mr. Mayor.
[01:17:39] Mayor: Okay, then we shall move on into the closed session portion of our meeting. Thank you.