Palm Desert City Council - Study Session, May 28, 2026

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[00:03:59] Mayor: Okay, welcome everyone. I now welcome you to the study session, Palm Desert City Council study session for Thursday, May 14th, 2026.
[00:04:12] Mayor: And we're going to, first subject we're going to visit is item 2A, potential drone as first responder program and real-time crime center. Looks like we got Mr. Daniel Hertado. Thank you, sir.
[00:04:24] Daniel Hertado: Thank you, Mayor, members of City Council. Today's study session item is intended to provide an overview of a potential drone as first responder program and real-time crime center concept for Palm Desert and the Cove communities.
[00:04:35] Daniel Hertado: These concepts are being evaluated as potential tools to improve emergency response, increase situational awareness, and support the efficient deployment of law enforcement resources. Because this is an operational public safety program, the Riverside County Sheriff's Office team will lead the presentation and provide the Council with a better understanding of how the program works, how drones may be deployed, what safeguards are in place, and how this technology may support deputies, emergency personnel, and the community.
[00:05:02] Daniel Hertado: With that, I would like to introduce Chief Riel with the Sheriff's Department, who will walk us through the presentation.
[00:05:12] Chief Deputy Ken Riel: Good afternoon, everyone. Today I'm going to walk you through how we are leveraging technology, specifically drones as first responders and our real-time crime center, to improve public safety, increase efficiency, and better deliver public service.
[00:05:27] Chief Deputy Ken Riel: I'm Chief Deputy Ken Riel. I'm a fourth-generation Coachella Valley resident and a 27-year veteran of the Riverside County Sheriff's Office. I'll be presenting today's information. I want to start by framing why we're having this conversation. Policing today is at an inflection point. Calls for service continue to increase, staffing remains constrained, and the costs of providing service are rising. At the same time, expectations from our communities, particularly around transparency and accountability, are higher than they've ever been. Because of that, technology is no longer optional. It's not something we just explore; it's something we must implement in order to maintain and improve the level of service we provide.
[00:06:05] Chief Deputy Ken Riel: These tools allow us to respond faster, solve crime more effectively, and deliver measurable value to our contract cities without simply relying on adding more personnel. Today, I'll walk through how drones as first responders and our real-time crime center are helping meet those challenges in a responsible and effective way.
[00:06:25] Chief Deputy Ken Riel: We first introduced DFR and the real-time crime center concept to the Cove Commission during the October 25th meeting.
[00:06:33] Chief Deputy Ken Riel: The commission wanted the concept explored, and we jumped in. This led to an April 26th Cove meeting where we presented our findings, and the Cove Commission approved the idea, moving the concept to each respective city for final approval. The goal today is simple: to give you guys a high-level understanding of what these systems are and how they work together, and most importantly, how they improve response times, decision-making, and overall service delivery. I'll also briefly be touching on costs and how we're approaching this responsibly in hopes of a team effort in implementing through the Cove Commission.
[00:07:08] Chief Deputy Ken Riel: What is DFR? Drone as first responders allow us to launch drones from a fixed location the moment a call for service comes in. In many cases, the drone arrives on scene before a deputy, giving us real-time visibility into what's actually happening.
[00:07:24] Chief Deputy Ken Riel: Why this matters? Drones as first responders matter because in public safety, time and information drive outcomes. When a call for service comes in, our deputies are often responding with limited information, sometimes just a brief description from a caller that creates uncertainty and, in some cases, risk.
[00:07:40] Chief Deputy Ken Riel: DFR challenges that. By getting a drone overhead within minutes, we're able to see what's actually happening in real time. That gives us immediate situational awareness, whether it's confirming a suspect description, determining if a suspect is still on scene, or identifying factors that may pose a threat to responding deputies or the public.
[00:07:58] Chief Deputy Ken Riel: That information allows us to make better decisions before deputies even arrive. We can adjust how we approach the scene, determine the appropriate level of response, and in some cases, slow things down instead of escalating unnecessarily. It also significantly improves safety for both deputies and the community. Deputies are no longer walking into unknown situations; they're arriving with context, which reduces the likelihood of surprise encounters and helps them manage incidents more effectively. Other important benefits are containment and coordination. With an aerial view, we can track movement, establish perimeters more quickly, and coordinate resources with much greater precision, especially in fast-moving situations like fleeing suspects or large-scale events. And in many cases, this allows us to resolve incidents more effectively, whether it's locating a suspect quickly or determining if a situation does not require a full law enforcement response.
[00:08:46] Chief Deputy Ken Riel: DFR helps us avoid unnecessary deployments and focus resources where they are truly needed. This means faster response times, better decision-making, improved safety, and more efficient use of resources, all of which contribute to better overall public safety.
[00:09:03] Chief Deputy Ken Riel: As we evaluated vendors, Skydio stood out for several key reasons. First, it's a US-manufactured platform which aligns with current and future federal compliance requirements, something that is becoming increasingly important as regulations continue to evolve. Second, it offers advanced autonomous flight and obstacle avoidance, which makes it more reliable in urban environments and reduces operational risk during deployments. And just as important, Skydio integrates into the Axon Evidence ecosystem that we're already using. What that means is video captured by the drone is automatically uploaded, stored, and managed within the same secure platform as our body-worn camera footage and other digital evidence. This creates a seamless workflow for our deputies, with everything in one place. It maintains evidentiary integrity and simplifies sharing with prosecutors. That translates to better case documentation and stronger prosecutions.
[00:10:04] Speaker: One of the big things with drones is the transparency, and transparency is an important component of this program. As part of our drone as first responder deployment, we will have a public-facing portal that allows residents to view drone activity. This includes general information such as when the drone was deployed, the approximate location, and the type of call it was supporting. This is intentional. We recognize that with any new technology, especially one that operates in the airspace above our communities, there are questions and concerns. Providing visibility into how and when these systems are used helps build trust and reinforces that the tool is being used responsibly. At the same time, we are mindful of privacy and operational security. The information shared through the portal is designed to be transparent without compromising investigation, officer safety, or personal privacy. We do not share personally identifiable information or sensitive tactical details. Ultimately, this strikes a balance between transparency and responsibility and allows the public to see how the technology is being used while ensuring it's done in a way that protects both the community and our operations.
[00:11:17] Speaker: So, what is a real-time crime center? The real-time crime center, or RTCC, is a central hub that brings all of our technology, data, and information together in one operational environment. At a high level, you can think of the RTCC as a nerve center of modern public safety operations. Instead of information being spread across multiple systems—dispatch, cameras, reports, license plate readers—it is all consolidated in one place where it can be monitored and acted on in real time. Inside the RTCC, trained personnel are actively monitoring incoming information and supporting deputies in the field. They're not just watching screens; they're analyzing data, identifying patterns, and pushing relevant information directly to responding units while an incident is still unfolding. This fundamentally changes how we operate. Traditionally, a lot of analysis happens after the fact during the investigation phase. With the RTCC, we are moving that capability forward into the moment, so the deputies are making better, more informed decisions as events are happening. It allows us to maintain a broader operational picture while deputies are focused on the immediate call. The RTCC can monitor surrounding activity, identify related vehicles or individuals, and coordinate resources across multiple incidents if needed. This means faster access to information, better coordination during critical incidents, and ultimately more effective service delivery without simply increasing staffing levels. In short, the RTCC will allow us to move from a reactive model of policing to a more proactive, intelligence-driven approach. The real value of the RTCC isn't the room itself; it's the ability to integrate multiple systems into one operational picture.
[00:12:59] Speaker: The strength of the RTCC really comes from the ability to integrate multiple systems. One key component of that is our ability to bring in live camera feeds, both from our own systems and regional partners like the Coachella Valley Association of Governments, or CVAG. CVAG has invested in a network of cameras across the valley, and through the RTCC, we're able to access those feeds in real time. That allows us to monitor major corridors, intersections, and key locations during critical incidents, whether it's a fleeing suspect, a missing person, or a large public event. In addition to that, we integrate data from Flock Safety license plate reader cameras. These cameras capture vehicle information and allow us to identify vehicles associated with crimes, whether that's a stolen vehicle, a suspect vehicle from a recent incident, or a pattern tied to ongoing investigations. What's important is the information isn't sitting in separate systems. The RTCC brings it all together. So, while a deputy is responding to a call, our team can quickly check nearby cameras, identify relevant vehicles through ALPR hits, and provide information in real time. This dramatically improves our ability to locate suspects and track movement. This is where the return on investment really comes into play. You're not just buying cameras or technology anymore; you're creating a connected system that allows all of these tools to work together, maximizing their effectiveness. A vehicle involved in a burglary crew hits a Flock camera in Rancho Mirage and is picked up traveling westbound through Palm Desert. An RTCC operator, simultaneously monitoring CVAG traffic cameras while directing deputies in real time—this is where you get your bang for your buck.
[00:14:39] Speaker: So while drone as first responder is a critical component, it's just one of several sensors feeding into the system. The real strength is in how these technologies are integrated and working together in real time. In addition to drones, we're leveraging camera systems from regional partners like CVAG, which give us visibility across major roadways, intersections, and key locations throughout the valley. We're also integrating data from Flock Safety license plate reader cameras, which allow us to identify and track vehicles associated with crimes, whether it's a stolen vehicle, a suspect vehicle, or a pattern tied to ongoing investigations. When you bring all of this together—DFR, fixed cameras, ALPR—you create a layered approach to public safety, each system with a different role. Drones give us rapid, real-time aerial awareness. CVAG cameras provide broad, fixed coverage across the community. ALPR cameras help us identify and track vehicles. And the RTCC integrates all of these inputs into one operational picture. So instead of deputies responding with limited information, they're supported by a team that can see what's happening, identify key details, and provide actionable intelligence as situations unfold. This is a huge force multiplier for us, and it allows us to maximize the effectiveness of every piece of technology we've already invested in and ensures those systems are working together, not in silos.
[00:15:56] Speaker: When we talk about efficiency, this is where technologies really deliver value for your cities. At its core, DFR and the RTCC allow us to make better use of resources we already have. Instead of simply adding more deputies to meet increasing demand, we're using technology to multiply the effectiveness of the personnel in the field. First, we're reducing response times in many cases where the drones arrive first, giving us immediate situational awareness that allows responding units to make better decisions before they even arrive—whether that's adjusting their approach, requesting additional resources, or in some cases, resolving the situation without escalation. Second, we're improving how we deploy our deputies. With real-time intelligence from the RTCC—whether that's camera feeds, vehicle information, or live updates—we can send the right resources to the right place at the right time. This reduces unnecessary calls for backup, minimizes redundant responses, and keeps deputies available for the next call. Third, we're increasing call resolution efficiency. With better information upfront, deputies are able to resolve incidents more quickly. That means less time tied up on an individual call and greater overall service capacity across the city. There's also a direct impact on cost. By improving efficiencies, we reduce reliance on overtime, limit the need for additional staffing, and in some cases, avoid deploying higher-cost resources like helicopters, K9s, or SWAT teams. And finally, this improves consistency of service. Whether it's a routine call or a critical incident, these tools help ensure that every response is supported by the same level of information and coordination.
[00:17:30] Speaker: Ultimately, everything we discussed today comes down to how this benefits the community. First and foremost, it improves public safety outcomes by responding faster and better with information. We increase the likelihood of resolving incidents quickly, safely, and effectively—whether that's locating suspects, finding missing persons, or de-escalating a situation before it becomes more serious. These systems are not theoretical. Across the country, agencies are using real-time crime centers and have documented measurable improvements in public safety outcomes. National studies have shown increases in violent crime and property crime clearance rates, along with improved coordination between patrol, dispatch, investigation, and command staff. One of the strongest examples is the New Haven Police Department, which credits a real-time crime center and integrated technology approach with a significant reduction in violent crime, including a 57% reduction in non-fatal shootings and a 65% reduction in shots fired calls. Now, I fully understand our communities here in the Coachella Valley are not experiencing the same level of violent crime challenges as New Haven. However, these statistics clearly demonstrate how effective a real-time crime center can be at rapidly identifying suspects, coordinating resources, and helping close cases. We all know our communities are frequent targets for property crimes, theft rings, vehicle crimes, burglary crews, and organized retail crime. These same technologies—real-time crime center, integrated camera systems, ALPR, and coordinated responses—are extremely effective tools for addressing those types of crimes as well. It also enhances transparency and accountability. Many of these systems, whether it's drone footage or integrated camera systems, provide recorded video of incidents. That creates a clear, objective record of what occurred, which is important not only for our investigations but also for maintaining public trust.
[00:19:26] Speaker: From a city's perspective, this is about providing the community with a modern, responsive, accountable public safety system—one that aligns with current expectations and future needs. So, here's a slide that shows what our deployment would look like. In this slide, you see there's, I believe, six locations and there'll be 11 drones, but it actively covers all three communities within the commission when we discussed this proposal.
[00:20:00] Presenter: ...built around a five-year partnership with Axon Enterprises and Skydio to deploy a fully integrated drone as first responder program across the Coachella Valley region. The total estimated program cost is about 4.22 million over five years, with annual payments roughly around $846,000 per year. What is important to understand is this is not simply a purchase of drones. This is a complete operational ecosystem that includes docked DFR systems, patrol drones, software licensing, integration into our real-time crime center environment, unlimited evidence storage through the Axon evidence platform, training implementation, and long-term operational support. The proposal includes nine docked DFRs strategically positioned throughout the region, along with four patrol drone systems that can be deployed dynamically based on operational needs. It also includes integration directly into the same Axon evidence ecosystem we already utilize. This is a shared regional capability that allows multiple communities to benefit from advanced technology without each city having to independently build and maintain a standalone program. And while there is certainly a cost associated with the program, the long-term value comes through faster response times, improved case resolution, and increased operational efficiency. Ultimately, this represents an investment in modern public safety infrastructure that is scalable, sustainable, and designed to support future operational needs of our communities.
[00:21:30] Presenter: Currently, the Sheriff's Office is building a brand new dispatch center at our Palm Desert Sheriff Station location. This is a room that's been designated for the real-time crime center within that facility. So, brand new building, brand new facility, and this is the layout of what that center would look like.
[00:21:49] Presenter: The concept behind the RTCC is to create a centralized operational environment where intelligence, technology, and field operations all come together in real time. The facility is designed to support not only drone as first responder operations, but also integrations with CVAG camera systems, Flock Safety license plate readers, dispatch operations, investigative support, and large-scale coordination. At the center of the room is a large 12x6 ultra-high-resolution LED video wall capable of displaying live drone feeds, traffic cameras, dashboards, mapping systems, incident data, and real-time operational intelligence simultaneously. This facility also includes 12 dedicated analyst and operator workstations, integrated collaboration tools, remote conferencing capability, and a dedicated secure audio-visual control network designed specifically for mission-critical public safety operations. What's important to understand is it's not simply a room with screens. This is operational infrastructure designed to support coordinated, intelligence-led policing and real-time decision-making. From a regional perspective, this creates a centralized capability that multiple cities can leverage simultaneously during major incidents, large public events, or regional crime trends. The RTCC allows us to coordinate resources, monitor incidents as they unfold, and provide actionable intelligence directly to deputies and command staff in the field. The estimated cost for the complete buildout—including the video wall, processing systems, consoles, infrastructure, installation, integration, and training—is approximately $1.22 million. While that is certainly a significant investment, the facility is intended to serve as a long-term public safety infrastructure that supports regional operations, improves efficiency, and enhances services delivered for years to come.
[00:23:31] Presenter: Here's a slide that indicates the company that we went with, and this is three of their builds at three different locations.
[00:23:41] Presenter: As we wrap up today, I want to leave you with a few takeaways. First, this initiative is about improving service to our communities. Drone as first responders and real-time intelligence centers allow us to respond faster, operate more efficiently, and make better decisions in real time. Second, this is not about replacing deputies. It's about enhancing the effectiveness of the personnel we already have. Technology is a force multiplier, helping us manage increasing demands, staffing challenges, and rising service expectations in a more sustainable way. Third, the real value comes from integration. Drones, CVAG camera systems, Flock ALPR technology, dispatch information, and analytics all become significantly more powerful when they're connected through the RTCC into one coordinated operational environment. Fourth, transparency and accountability remain central to this approach. From integrated evidence management to public-facing flight visibility, we are intentionally building these programs in a way that aligns with community expectations and public trust. And finally, this is a long-term investment in modern public safety infrastructure. The communities we serve continue to evolve, and our ability to protect them effectively must evolve as well. Ultimately, this is about providing safer communities, better service, smarter operations, and a public safety model that is sustainable into the future.
[00:24:58] Presenter: I have this last slide here. I want to show you one of our DFR units that's operating in the city of San Jacinto. They chose a program. This will be an incident that was resolved, and I'll show a few takeaways from the call.
[00:25:30] Video Voiceover: This subject was seen walking away from that call for service.
[00:25:53] Presenter: This guy fled the scene. And typically in that type of situation, a deputy would respond in a foot pursuit, but because we had the drone overhead, they didn't have to chase him over fences. We maintained visual of him, kept an eye on him, and provided information to deputies on scene.
[00:26:36] Presenter: So when you watch that incident, typically if you were watching Cops, you would see a bunch of cops chasing after the guy, screaming with guns drawn, jumping over fences into unknown backyards with families, children, dogs, animals, things of that nature. But because of this drone and the information they were providing, they're all wearing headsets. They were receiving firsthand information about where the suspect was. The scene was much more calm because you didn't see one of those officers take off running, screaming, jumping. It was very, very controlled. And that is the power of knowledge. Our fear comes from the unknown. If we know, then we de-escalate, we slow things down, and our training kicks in. But when we don't know, things seem to escalate. So that was just an example. And I'm more than happy to take any questions.
[00:27:18] Mayor: Okay. Do my colleagues have any questions?
[00:27:26] Council Member 1: Have we run this by our neighbors, Cathedral City, La Quinta?
[00:27:36] Presenter: So Palm Springs and Cathedral City are in a joint venture using DFR now, and they have a crime center which is being run out of the city of Palm Springs. But they are actively using drones and they're actively using a crime center. The crime center that we will build will be able to link, integrate, and speak to the city of Palm Springs. We'll be in direct communication. I'm trying to build a Coachella Valley-wide communication network so that we're not... crooks don't know jurisdictional boundaries. We kind of tend to operate in those, but being able to communicate back and forth in real time. So if an incident is occurring within the city of Palm Springs and is traveling eastbound on the 111, we'll be getting real-time information and we'll be able to seamlessly integrate all that information.
[00:28:17] Council Member 1: And how about... and I love that the Cove community is working together on this. It's far more effective. I just want to make sure that our neighbors are aware of what's happening so that, you know, the response... You're very wise to wait a while so that you've had the experience of how people have responded to this, and we've got to learn from other regions and other entities how people react, how it can be implemented, and how we can respond to some of the reactions we get from the public. I just want to make sure that our neighbors are aware of what's going on so that there isn't any backlash that we aren't prepared to deal with.
[00:29:03] Presenter: Yes, ma'am. I do know that the city of Palm Springs and the city of Cathedral City are currently already operating and are aware of our intentions to operate. I believe we were in discussions with the city of La Quinta. They were just kind of slow to the table, and with the Cove Commission being so effective and efficient in the way they operate, things were moving much more rapidly on this side.
[00:29:24] Council Member 1: Thank you. I love the integration of intelligence. So I think it's working well. Thank you.
[00:29:31] Mayor: Anybody else?
[00:29:34] Council Member 2: Okay. Well, then I... Oh, question. About a year ago, I listened to the chief of police for Riverside PD and the district attorney talk about... Well, the chief of police of Riverside said in one day they arrested one man four times for auto theft. The message was there's not enough jail beds to house these guys. And we're...
[00:30:00] Council Member: arresting the same ones over and over. As I listen to this presentation and I watch the tools, it appears to me that we're really getting really good at arresting criminals. So much so that if there's not enough jails, are we just continuing to get better and better at arresting the same people over and over?
[00:30:22] Staff: Yes and no. So yes, we are getting very good at arresting people and we know that people will reoffend. But we do know that the better we get, they choose different locations. We do interrupt their lifestyle. So maybe if they choose not to victimize the residents of Palm Desert, Indian Wells, or Rancho Mirage because we have a system in place where we're very good at capturing them, maybe they'll choose to do their crime elsewhere. Unfortunately, the laws are provided to us by the state and we enforce the laws as written. So, I have no control over who stays in jail, but we are getting very, very good at capturing the bad guys, which the community here, I think, would benefit from knowing that we're taking care of them.
[00:31:07] Council Member: Is the county working to increase jail capacity in any meaningful way?
[00:31:13] Staff: Absolutely. I know the sheriff has been active and I believe we even have a budget meeting set for the 8th where we've requested the remaining beds at the Indio facility be reopened. However, I don't know how that's going to work for us with the Board of Supervisors.
[00:31:32] Mayor: Council Member Marino.
[00:31:34] Council Member Marino: I wanted to ask a couple of questions just so that they're on record. Do you know the approximate ratio of dispatchers that are retiring versus new hires? Because I imagine that's going to be a huge impact in how technology will feed into this.
[00:31:54] Staff: I don't know that number off the top of my head, I'm sorry. But I do know with everything within the county and within our services, attrition is always an issue. I don't have that number off the top of my head, I'm sorry.
[00:32:07] Council Member Marino: Yeah, not a pop quiz. It was just the consensus that it takes, I believe, more than a year to train them before they'll be able to even sit in front of any sort of dispatch capacity, and it's hard to fill the positions.
[00:32:20] Staff: The good thing about a real-time crime center is it's not just dispatchers. What you will see at those desks and those operating tables are not dispatchers. You'll see deputy sheriffs, you'll see crime analysts, you'll see a dispatcher, and you'll see a drone pilot. All four are working as a team, a layered approach. So you receive a call for service, there's some suspect information, the crime analyst immediately begins analyzing all of that information—license plate, vehicle information, name, registered owner, all of those things. Premise location, we can run a house trying to figure out these different things, but that's not a dispatcher's job. That would typically be a deputy's job. And when he's responding to a call, he's trying to do that on his computer in his car, so he slows his response. Now he has someone back at the station doing it for him, providing him the information. That information is being relayed by a dispatcher, but that room is not about dispatchers. It's about a team approach layer where we're really trying to create a layer of intelligence to feed the deputies as they're responding to calls, to relieve them of a lot of extra work that they're doing in the car so that when they get to the call for service, they're very well informed and have all the information they need.
[00:33:29] Council Member Marino: Thank you for reminding me that it's a separate room. I had the chance to tour the Palm Springs facility as part of the CVAG Public Safety Committee, and it was astounding to see the number of overlapping systems, including where the call was placed, the surrounding responding officers so they know who to send, not just who's closest. They know who to send, where the fixed locations are for the drones, and who's going to get there in what area. I mean, it really was impressive to see all of that. And as we're talking about maximizing our resources, you know, I've been conscious for a long time to tell folks that law enforcement officers have gotten so many things tacked on to them that don't belong in your scope of why you wanted to join law enforcement. Knowing how this can help with de-escalation, how this can help even our citizens on patrol if they're the first ones responding to the scene of an accident, I find a lot of this being very proactive. And the cost savings as mentioned, you won't have to deploy any of the expensive equipment and units that you need in such a gigantic county. So, those were all wonderful things to hear. But some of the questions that I had were, you said that the data is stored in evidence within the same system that captures the body cam footage.
[00:35:00] Staff: Yes, ma'am.
[00:35:01] Council Member Marino: How long is it stored in there?
[00:35:03] Staff: So, I think we're at seven years for evidentiary purposes, and I believe it's three for non-evidentiary purposes, which is compliant, which is a key component of this. And why it's so important with Skydio and Axon is the unlimited data storage they provide to us. Because if you start thinking about all of the high-definition video and the size of those videos and what that costs, it becomes—and that's a county cost, not a city cost, but that's absorbed through us—it becomes quite a lot of footage.
[00:35:37] Council Member Marino: It was interesting also that, and I'd asked who has access to this or who requests this most frequently. So, in addition to agencies that you've pre-approved, I was surprised that it's like the insurance companies and the lawyers that are the ones that are more likely to request it. So, I thought that was interesting in the greater public service that we may not be considering in this. And I think that we get people that—I know that's more of a comment, I'll save that on the side. My other question was, how do you consolidate people that are looking at it as an invasion of privacy with ALPRs? We know that you don't have the expectation of privacy on public roads, but here you're looking around and through people's backyards where you do have an expectation of privacy. So, how is that communicated to residents?
[00:36:31] Staff: So, one of the things that happens when a drone is responding to a call, sort of a call for service, the camera is pointed out toward the horizon, not down. So, as it's flying to whatever call for service it's going to, the drone is not searching backyards. It's not looking at streets. When it arrives at the call for service, then the camera is deployed and we begin searching, looking, providing information. On the way back, the camera goes up towards the horizon and it's there. So, the key thing is that on the public transparency portal is for them to, number one, understand that we're not filming as we're flying there. So, if you're in your backyard, we're not going to just catch a glimpse of you as we fly over. But also, if they saw the drone fly over them, they could immediately go to the portal. At the conclusion of every flight, the pilot has to go into his computer system, log the flight, provide a file number and a call for service, and some just basic information. So, if you had one fly over your backyard, you could go into the portal and go like, 'Oh, I had a drone over my backyard. Let me see what it was. Oh, yep, there's—it'll show a map. It'll show a line of its flight travel.' And you could go, 'Oh, it was responding to a burglary in progress over on a street that was like two streets over.' And you would have all that information. So, typically, that suffices. There are other people that may say, 'Oh, you're spying,' and all those things, but we're not. And all of it's recorded. All of those videos get uploaded, so if they needed to have a conversation with one of us, they could come down to the station and we could provide some context.
[00:37:57] Council Member Marino: So, that makes wonderful sense. I'm happy to know that there is no live feed until you get to that area. But let's say that if that video happened to be at my home, for example, and somebody was there, and then hypothetically, you know, Mayor Troy is my next-door neighbor. At what point does it say, 'Well, now this happened at this home. Now we have the right to film over your property'?
[00:38:18] Staff: It's the same as a helicopter. We're doing it now, but this will just be on a more frequent level. I mean, ultimately, I think the mayor would be happy they were breaking into your house and not his. And hopefully, I think he would be happy that we caught them before they got to his house. I mean, at least that's what I would think.
[00:38:43] Council Member Marino: These are again questions on record because we need to get people that say, 'They're smart cities and you're opening us up to all of these things.' And these are common questions that I know we're going to be asked. Can I make a comment now, or are there more questions?
[00:39:00] Council Member: I got a few questions and then we'll move on to discussion. Gina, did you have any? Okay. A couple of questions, and these are more about the numbers, I guess. You talked about a $4.2 million cost for implementation.
[00:39:12] Staff: Yes.
[00:39:13] Council Member: That's separate from the RTCC control center?
[00:39:17] Staff: Yes.
[00:39:17] Council Member: Okay. So, total about $5.4 million to implement this whole program between the three cities. Cost shared among the three cities. I guess that wouldn't be equally since we're all different sizes. You have to figure out kind of a prorated cost.
[00:39:28] Staff: I believe your guys' city managers are all discussing those numbers now.
[00:39:32] Council Member: Okay. Based on population or historical calls, or...
[00:39:35] Staff: It'll be year one by drone count, most likely. And then once we see data after year one, we can refine the cost distribution.
[00:39:43] Council Member: Okay, sounds good. And then I also noticed on the RTCC, you mentioned there are 12 analyst operators, or space for 12.
[00:39:52] Staff: Yes.
[00:39:53] Council Member: I would imagine that—and I'm making an assumption here—but you said four on a team, so this way they can work a 24-hour shift. There's
[00:40:00] Council Member: Three times four is 12. You could conceivably have 12 working at a given time. Um, are those new positions or are we kind of repurposing existing?
[00:40:09] Staff: We're currently in a repurpose people we already have within the organization. We're not going to do any add-ons.
[00:40:13] Council Member: Okay. So, we're not growing staff by virtue of implementing this program. Okay. Um, and that's actually, I believe, all I had. So, uh, I guess I'll, if we're all done with questions, we'll open up to discussion.
[00:40:25] Council Member: I have one last question.
[00:40:26] Council Member: Of course. I'm sorry.
[00:40:27] Council Member: And following up, uh, Mayor Pro Tem's um, example, and I remember hearing that before and it's a great question. Are we just getting better at catching the same folks? I understand it is a deterrent and they'll go somewhere else, but in the meantime, has it led to any improved conviction rates?
[00:40:46] Staff: Yes. So, all of this direct evidence we become at the prosecution level, the prosecutors love us. It becomes a slam dunk case. We have between identifying license plates, all of now we have real-time video feed that's being recorded all within a secure evidentiary system. Um, they become slam dunk cases that they, they do not even get to a jury, a judge or a jury. They're, they're more than likely pled out because the evidence is so good.
[00:41:13] Staff: Thank you.
[00:41:15] Mayor: Okay. Very good. So, uh, I guess we're going to start the discussion phase if anybody wants to.
[00:41:21] Council Member: Well, I'll start then. I, I really enjoyed the, the presentation, all the detail, and, and you made a very strong case for, you know, improving public safety, transparency, making your job much easier, and it's going to be much safer for our police officers as well. Like you said, they're, they're not going into a situation blind, not knowing how dangerous it is if there's a gun going to be pointed at them. So, those are all great things, and I am very supportive and, and look forward to this technology. The, the only negative I see, uh, Council Member Marino brought it up, is individual freedom that, that we do give up as a society. And I do worry about our individual freedoms, and, and, and it's something that we just have to weigh as a society. But I, I believe this is a step that will really improve our community, and, uh, and based upon what you said about having, um, um, citizens the opportunity to go to the police station and discuss their concerns about the breach of, of privacy, I, I, I believe that's very important. So, yes, I'm supportive.
[00:42:44] Mayor: Anybody else?
[00:42:46] Council Member: Yeah,
[00:42:49] Council Member: in terms of, um, the same context of what we're giving up and what we're gaining, I always put it in into the mind of people say, 'I don't want it. I don't want it. I don't want them looking at me,' until it's your loved one that's missing. Until there is that Amber Alert. Until there's a missing person. And then they say, 'Well, where's the cameras? Why didn't the cameras catch it?' Well, the cameras don't catch everything. The cameras aren't everywhere. So, that's, that's one element. Um, and in the info that they presented in Palm Springs, um, somebody mentioned, you know, the, the school shooting in Uvalde and the kind of situation when people hesitate because they don't want to go in blind, and we were shown, um, an image of, um, Palm Springs High School and again, what, what would it look like where the heat sensors are to say, 'Look, there's someone hiding on the roof,' and because somebody that's responding from out of the Coachella, from another area, doesn't know the layout of the school. This can help with that. So, you know, when we look at cameras on the streets, we sometimes aren't looking ahead at the decisions that we're making and how they can help our students feel safer that in the event that something happens, there'll be an easier way to respond to keep people safe. So, it's, it's the balancing act that we have to do in the 21st century. We want some technology. We don't want all of it. But how do we balance that? Um, but given all of those considerations, I, I think it's important to, to support.
[00:44:30] Mayor: Okay. And I guess the consensus, it sounds like we're supportive of pursuing this program. I'll just voice one concern. Um, you know, at the rate of, I guess, change or progress of, uh, AI computers, it's technology, I would never want to see the, uh, human element removed from policing, and that would be my one concern. You know, then you turn everything over to, uh, automation and you remove the kind of human empathetic element or decision-making. Uh, that'd be my one concern. I'd like to think I'll know it when I see it, but I hate to think there's a slow creep towards that. So, that's what I'm sort of, uh, vigilant against and on guard for. So, hopefully we're on the same page there. Um, but besides that, I say we move forward with this program.
[00:45:14] Council Member: So you want to move forward as long as there's no robo dogs.
[00:45:19] Mayor: Yeah. Uh, the movie was good, but in reality might not be so nice. Um, but yeah, that sounds like the plan.
[00:45:25] Staff: Good. Thank you.
[00:45:26] Mayor: Appreciate the presentation. And, uh, looks like we've got about 18 minutes till closed session. Um, we're going to dive into the Dave...
[00:45:32] Staff: I thought we have another item. That's what I'm saying. I might want to address that.
[00:45:35] Mayor: We got the Dave Irwin presentation. I guess we'll, we'll start it and see where we wind up and, okay, very good. Then we move on to item, uh, 2B, Dave Irwin Park project update, design progress, budget assessment, and strategic options. We're going to get a, uh, presentation, please. The whole crew is here. Very good. Thank you.
[00:45:56] Ryan Lamb: Uh, hello honorable mayor and fellow council members. Uh, Ryan Lamb of the capital projects department, and we'll be presenting the Dave Irwin Park project. Along with, along with me is Shawn Mure, Services Manager, as well as, uh, for any technical questions that we might have if we don't have the information, we also have our design team from Inner West. We have Scott Harrison and Ryan Spradlin that will be joining us in the presentation as needed. So, we are here to review, uh, the project. You last saw it in April of 2025 where the conceptual design and the park name was approved, uh, by the council, and we're going to present the schedule impact since then, the design progress, and the associated budget, uh, strategic options moving forward, how we can proceed with the next steps. We're looking for the feedback from, uh, from you on how we move forward, as well as the impact on the project budget and associated funding in order with those decisions and how they're related.
[00:46:51] Ryan Lamb: So, for the schedule impact, so the project timeline in April of 2025, in that presentation, the, that was a conceptual, uh, level schedule that was put together by the team, and that had the, in May of 2025, the would commence the environmental studies. Uh, by December of '25, they anticipated having 100% plans. February of '26, we'd looking to award construction, uh, award a contract for construction, and then, uh, March '26 to commence with the construction with an estimated 24-month, uh, duration for completion of that.
[00:47:24] Ryan Lamb: Today's project timeline is now more refined. We have, as the project has developed, we have, we're now at 60%. Uh, we are looking, based on decisions and, uh, feedback that we receive from the council today, will guide us towards, uh, where the actual completion of the plans are, but we're looking at the 100% completion of plans in January of '27, uh, which then would go out to bid, and we would look to award in April of '27, and then construction, depending on, again, direction, decisions on how, uh, we would look to implement the project. If we were to do a full buildout in a single phase of the entire project, we'd be looking at 24 months, completing construction in April of '29. And then we have phased approach with, uh, which would be 18 months for a phase one, which we'll cover, uh, in a moment of what that looks like, with completion in fall of '28 for that first phase. Uh, and then that would lead into the second and third phase over the next two years after that through, uh, 2030, uh, which would be an overall project duration of 42 months.
[00:48:28] Council Member: Quick question.
[00:48:29] Ryan Lamb: Yes.
[00:48:29] Council Member: I saw the, the SQA study commenced. When was it completion? What's the...
[00:48:35] Ryan Lamb: Yep. It, it was completed in December of '25. Oh, yep. Uh, and we'll, we'll have a little bit more on that here. And so you'll see a little more clarity on that as well. So, the, some of the items that were impacting the schedule: So, the Palm Villa is at Millennium. There are three points of connection to our park project and park site. And so we've been working through that element. We have a pedestrian, uh, as well as vehicular, uh, access points and connections that we've been working through and realignment with that project.
[00:49:07] Ryan Lamb: Uh, along that line also, there was, uh, the road access between, technically, from the roundabout at Technology and Zenith. We had to do a land acquisition in order to have the, uh, space that we needed for the right-of-way in order to access the park site from the east. Uh, and that was, that's an important, you know, not only from circulation, accessibility, but also emergency vehicles, uh, and maintenance vehicles for that traffic flow.
[00:49:31] Ryan Lamb: Uh, there is, on the east end of the site, there is an easement for the adjacent property. So, we're working with the city engineer, uh, to abandon that easement because it's not necessary based on the existing development, but ultimately, that does need to be abandoned before we can construct on that site in that area, and that is in the area of the maintenance yard, which we'll see in a moment.
[00:49:51] Ryan Lamb: Uh, so again, going back to the environmental: So, we had the, there was already, uh, it was started already prior to the, uh, conceptual approval, but ultimately, the, uh, supplemental work that...
[00:50:02] Ryan: ...was required on the—for the environmental study. That study all wrapped up in December of 2025. So now we're—that's behind us, and then we will look to have a notice of exemption when we do award the project for construction. So topographical survey and hydrology study, additional surveys were required because of the Section 29 work that is on the site and adjacent to it, and that was completed in August in 2025. But the result of that was, especially with the hydrology study, identified the need for a new retention basin. So that added additional time for that civil work, that design and engineering and associated. So while as large as that basin is there on the west end of the site, the gravity, the flow, the height, the percolation of the soil, and the elevation change required or, you know, necessitated the need for a basin on the east end of the site, which you can see. So in the blue, everything—all of that water flow would be going towards the main basin, the large basin which is designated as 9A, and then all of the red, that is what—the water would be flowing to the east and ultimately be caught in that basin there at the very east end. And then electrical utilities. So we are constantly coordinating with Edison, so both on-site and off-site utilities to ensure that we have—that they're able to provide service to the site where it's coming from, and that level of effort and coordination. There's, you know, it's a lengthy process that we have to work through with Edison, and so that's continued to be ongoing. So, Sean, design...
[00:51:41] Sean: Thank you, Ryan. Afternoon, Council. So just hearkening back to the initial approved concept plan for the park, this was presented in April 2025. And as you may recall, the development of the programming for the park was accomplished through a long process of community engagement. We had two online surveys, five in-person open house meetings, an HOA meeting on Zoom, and received all of the public input that led to the programming for the park. In April in 2025, when this was presented, we gave a rough order of magnitude cost for construction, and it was estimated at $19 million. And since then, we've moved forward in the progression of the design, and Ryan will walk us through that shortly. But today, the current design looks like this. There have been some additions, as I mentioned. Ryan will walk us through those. The estimated all-in project costs are now $35 million. I want to note that we've included street improvements on this, and they're included in the design. However, the improvements themselves are not included in the construction costs for the park. So as we move through the presentation, that's something to keep in mind. But you'll notice that we've retained all of the initial programming elements that were included in the conceptual plan that was presented a year ago, and then made improvements on the design from there based on the needs for the project site.
[00:53:18] Ryan: So moving on to the scope additions that we discussed since the concept design was approved. So that 9B basin, which is the smaller basin on the east end of the site, so that is incorporated into the planned maintenance yard, so it does not impact the park's program or amenities. So that is strictly served or enclosed within that maintenance yard. The sound wall, while it was identified in the conceptual plan, the extent of the wall as far as its length, its height, and the structural requirements associated with it were not fully refined because it was at a conceptual phase. Since we went through the Environmental Quality Act requirements, we identified the necessity of it, and it is the full length of the project site, which is nearly a half a mile, and a minimum of six feet, and then the structure as well. So it is a very robust element within the project and a costly element, but it is a necessity and it is a requirement around the basin. So the basin, given the size of the basin, in order to meet the needs for it to function as a stormwater mitigation measure, the sides around that basin are relatively steep. But in order to still use it functionally, we look to incorporate some seating, some terrace seating, accessibility ramps, and other seating areas on both sides, that way when—for it to function also as a park and not just simply as a retention basin. The dinosaur roundabouts and the street improvements that Sean had mentioned, so that is incorporated into the design of the project, but we do have alternative funds that we are going to utilize to address it. So when you see these items that are incorporated into the project, it is in the contract for the design team to engineer it and design it, but we will, when we do bid it out, we'll have alternate funding that will be available for it. And depending on feedback that we receive from the Council today as well, we can identify whether that priority is escalated and moved up sooner, or if it runs in tandem with the actual park development and implementation. And then I had mentioned the off-site dry utilities. So that scope, we're looking to now incorporate Wi-Fi capability across the park, as well as the extent of what the utilities are required in order to serve the expanse of that park. So this is a little matrix to kind of give a little more refined look at what the difference is between what was approved in 2025, where we are with the current design, and a potential proposed phase delivery method. So as Sean mentioned, the approximate construction-only cost of that design from last year was at $19 million, which relates to an all-in project cost of $31 million. So the other items that are not captured in the $19 million, obviously we have design services, construction management, plan check fees, other agency fees, utilities—all of that that culminates into the total project all-in project cost of 31. With the additional scope items, that 19 went up to 23, and an overall all-in project cost of $35 million. And if we were to look at a phased delivery option in line with what we would see as a minimum necessity in order for the park to function as a park, to serve its stormwater retention needs, in order to have a playground, parking, road accessibility, all of that, you'll be looking at a $15 million construction cost with an all-in project cost of $22 million. And you'll see in a moment we have the budget summary sheet for the annual CIP, where originally we had an estimate of $39 million identified for the park, not the 35. The reason for that was that was earlier construction estimates for the project that we were able to refine and get more deliberate and get it less conservative, as well as the $2.5 million that we're estimating for the dinosaur roundabouts and street improvements that were then—that are also getting pulled out from the Dwin Park budget. So strategic options. So going back to the current design, this is option one, would be the complete delivery in a single phase that we'd be looking at for $35 million that would be cash flowed over the three years, and that would have all the amenities other than the roundabout item, as I mentioned, that will be incorporated, but the $35 million does not capture that cost. That has a separate cost but is ultimately delivered into the project. And a potential phased approach that would be the $22 million. So this would be the core elements that would be required in order for us to have a functional park. We have the maintenance—or, I'm sorry, not the maintenance, but yes, we have the maintenance yard, but also we have a landscape buffer there on Dinosaur. We have a parking lot that would serve—the paved parking lot fully developed. We have the minimal to serve the park as developed, with number 25 there being the future expansion of the main parking lot, but that would be DG, so it would basically serve as an overflow for if there was larger events. There would be a playground, restroom facility, the basin, and back to the maintenance yard and road that would circulate around the project site. And that would be the minimum that we would need in order to entertain that—to actually have a park started. So items that are not included in that phase one, so this is a list. I won't go through them item by item, but this is today's cost. So we have the $22 million, and then all of these add up to your $13 million, that gets us to the 35. And that is the all-in project cost for that to be delivered. And again, reiterating, the dinosaur roundabouts and street improvements are not incorporated here on the list because they are going to happen, it's just not—they're not being pulled out anyway from the phasing. So what that looks like from the three phases of how that would work: so you have the phase one with the minimal items in order for it to function, and then a phase two in 2029, and a phase three in 2030. And now that all-in cost, due to escalation—we have about approximately 7.6% escalation per year—so those last two phases over those last couple years has escalated, the four and five years out, that now increases that remaining 13,000 or, I'm...
[01:00:02] Ryan: Sorry, 13 million up to 15 million. So ultimately, the all-in project cost due to escalation would be 37 million. Now, this is, we're not recommending the phasing. We're looking for you to give us your feedback, what you prefer. If you were to phase, this would be our recommendation of how to phase it. It's based on constructibility, feasibility, desire, you know, priorities of the community. And that's how we identified that this is the best way to phase the project if we were going to phase it. And one of the elements that was incorporated into the final project was the splash pad. And we are recommending that the splash pad be omitted from the project. Not only would it be a significant savings to the project, but we also really want to activate PDAC that much more. That is a water feature, water element for the community, and that it would be best served to keep people going to PDAC, and then we can use that space at the park, at Dave Irwin Park, for, you know, it could just be grass play area and whatnot, or picnic area that would be better served and without that added cost.
[01:01:12] Ryan: So moving on to project funding. So the Measure G spending plan we had identified for this coming fiscal year originally for the regional, the north side parks, at 15 million. But given the state of the project and where we're at, that we do not need those funds now in this fiscal year, we would need a little over 3.1 million to get us to the next fiscal year.
[01:01:37] Ryan: And as I mentioned, you had the recent budget study session where we were showing this would have been, this is a phased delivery approach at with the $39 million estimate, where you see the total of 22 million through fiscal year 28-29, and then implemented the phase 2 and phase 3 in 29-30 and 30-31.
[01:01:59] Ryan: And if we were to, if the decision was to go with a single delivery, single-phase delivery, that would move the funds. The impact to the general fund would be higher in the earlier years, where we would have a larger share of 25 million in year two and then the 6.8 in year three. Now, just want to put an emphasis on the north regional park, that still, that project is still moving forward. We have the feasibility study budgeted for year two of $5 million to ensure that we are still progressing on that project as well.
[01:02:35] Sean: So I just wanted to highlight some of the grant opportunities that staff are also pursuing for this project in addition to what Ryan just shared about the budget. We've received a grant for $300,000 for the design of Dave Irwin Park, and that's through the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy. They're a partner of the city, and we want to continue moving forward with them as we progress into construction. So, you'll see some additional opportunities that we're pursuing with them as well. And then later this year, there are two upcoming grant opportunities: urban greening and the statewide parks program, which we intend to apply for funding for. And I want to note on the application amount, if the grant has already been received, we put the application amount. However, the other amounts listed are the maximum potential application, and it might be advisable to target where we place those grant asks so that we can capitalize on our best assets that meet the criteria for the grant. So, we may not apply for the maximum amount for each of those grants, but those are what is listed in the table. So, we'll continue to pursue those moving forward and supplement the construction budget where we can.
[01:03:44] Council Member: So, I'm looking at this right now. So, the urban greening grant program, you have about a week from today to get that completed, and you're on target for that. Am I reading this?
[01:03:55] Sean: Yes, that's correct.
[01:03:56] Council Member: Okay. And we would be applying for 5 million that would go towards the park.
[01:04:02] Sean: We're actually looking at three million, and that is new information just from this week.
[01:04:07] Sean: And that's because of, like I said, the grant criteria. There's only certain aspects of the park construction that best meet the grant criteria. So we want to submit the most successful application possible.
[01:04:18] Council Member: I see. Yes, I understand now. Thank you.
[01:04:21] Sean: Okay.
[01:04:26] Ryan: So to give a recap of the project status where we're at. So we have, as mentioned, we have the flow analysis identified for 39 million in the project budget from the general fund. But the requirement that would be needed if we were to do a single phase would be the 35 million, and if we did the three phases, it would be 37. And we do have other funds that we would be able to potentially tap into that are adding up to about 535,000 annually each year. And so if we did not want to utilize the general funds for that, we could utilize that and repurpose those funds and use the general funds elsewhere, which you have the breakdown of the 334 to the general, and then the 343 to the general if it was a three phases. And as Sean mentioned, we are actively and aggressively pursuing these grants. And so any award that we might receive would also then offset any need for general funds as well. But we also recognize that we can't plan for something we don't have. So we want to ensure that while we hope we're going to get it, we're also planning to ensure that we have the ability to move forward on items when we don't. So the schedule to recap on the final completion of January '27, looking to award, and that is for full development. Whether we phase the implementation and construction, the documents will be fully developed across for the entire project. And if we do end up going with the phased approach, we would just have to, you know, cut up the package into different phases for what we would put on the street for bid. Again, the non-phased construction is 24 months, and the phased approach for the first phase is 18 months, and then phases two and three to follow.
[01:06:09] Ryan: So direction that we're looking for from the council today: one, funding strategy. Do we want to use all of the, to go all in on the general fund with a single phase? Do we want to multi-phase? Do we want to offset with other funds as well? And is there any scope changes? You know, we see what we have that is currently programmed. You know, like we had recommended to pull out the splash pad. Are there other items that are of priority or less priority that you would like to see us, you know, reassess for whether it should be incorporated or added to if there's something that isn't in there? And then I mentioned the phased approach for the single or the double, and then the alternative pricing if that splash pad is ultimately, you know, if you're in agreement that we would remove that from the project scope. And with that, I'll open up for any questions or comments.
[01:07:10] Chairperson: Thank you very much. Any questions from my colleagues?
[01:07:16] Chairperson: Okay. Yeah.
[01:07:20] Council Member: In other conversations and study sessions, we've been talking about prioritizing some of the capital improvement projects, which, are we spreading ourselves too thin? In the event that we should want to push it out further, clearly it will be more expensive, but would we be at risk of breaking any contracts, or are the contracts that we have now time-sensitive to deliver this? Clearly, we know things will get more expensive, but it will also get more expensive to delay the existing capital projects that we're not finishing. So help me understand, what are the consequences if we don't proceed on track?
[01:08:07] Ryan: Yes. So right now, currently, we do have the grant for the $300,000 grant for the design, which we do need to complete that on schedule in order to receive that reimbursement, and we will, we're doing that. We're going to plan to do that. We are going to get that done and ensure that there is no impact there. So ultimately, it is the implementation and the construction. So we do not have any contracts with contractors. We have contracts with our design consultants and our construction manager. Now, if we do push any work out, you know, obviously there is always, you know, labor rates and their service rates increase over time. So their contracts are time-driven, that their rates for their individuals that are working there, you know, at a certain dollar figure per hour for the work. If it were to get pushed out, you know, four years, five years, six years, then those labor rates could potentially increase. So we'd be looking at that. That is definitely a more minimal impact to the project. It truly is the construction cost and the escalation that is the big impact to the project. So as it gets, as it does get pushed out, the more it gets pushed out, the more the project is going to cost further down the road, and that is really, that's where you're going to see the impact, not contractually.
[01:09:19] Council Member: Thank you very much. Question, and I think I know the answer, but I just want to verify. We are obligated to build this park through an agreement with Millennium, is that correct?
[01:09:32] Ryan: Uh, isn't, wasn't there an agreement?
[01:09:34] Sean: Yeah, through the Millennium specific plan.
[01:09:36] Council Member: Right?
[01:09:36] Sean: Yeah.
[01:09:37] Council Member: Okay. So, not building it is not a choice, correct?
[01:09:42] Sean: Correct.
[01:09:42] Council Member: Okay. Yes. Very good. Okay. Um, okay. So, that's just up to us to decide to what scale and scope we want to build it. Council Member Hardick?
[01:09:51] Council Member Hardick: If we just hit the ground running on this park, can you identify other projects that
[01:10:01] Council Member: might be delayed because of that?
[01:10:04] Staff: So projects would not be delayed. It's just a matter of how much we're going to be tapping into the general fund reserve in order to fund it.
[01:10:13] Council Member: Okay. So, it's not we're not going to take away, if your decision is to do it now, put more money into it now, it's not going to pull from the other projects.
[01:10:22] Council Member: Thank you.
[01:10:29] Mayor Pro Tem: Thinking of a way to phrase this as a question. We have in phase three several items that were placed in phase three for probably good reason, meaning that maybe they aren't the things that the community has expressed the greatest desire for. Um, except for I'd imagine a dog park is pretty still high up on the list. We have a couple of options, which is to take on this project, do it now. It'll be cheaper long term, phase it, keep optionality with our reserves, pay a longer amount, or do either one of those with a reduced scope. I'm looking at phase three as opportunities to reduce the scope. As a matter of opinion, I think the recommendation to omit the splash pad is a smart one considering what we're dealing with with PDAC and the maintenance issues associated with splash pads. What demand is there from the community for things like fitness and agility, bocce court, event stages, and things like that?
[01:11:54] Staff: Sure, I can help with that one. Um, starting with bocce, we did have a small community turnout. There is a ponk arena at Hovley Soccer Park and some of those folks came out expressing desire to also play bocce. So, we did have some community input about that specifically. Um, the farmers market was another big highlight, especially for people in the nearby community who wanted to have event space or a nearby farmers market that they could walk to from their homes. And then with the dog park you mentioned, um, there was a strong community input wanting a dog park. However, there is a dog park less than a mile away at University Dog Park. So, that's why it's placed further down the list. But essentially, you know, the fitness and agility is, you know, fitness equipment that is more standard to, you know, parks nowadays. And then, yeah, basically the farmers market, it's in the third phase because of the location of it. So even though it was desired by the community, because of the location on Dinosaur and Pacific, it would be part of the third phase development.
[01:13:02] Mayor Pro Tem: When we say desired by the community, I take into consideration that it's a desire of the people who showed up to the meeting and either have an agenda or, when not required to consider the trade-offs of the money, will express a desire for any number of things that they like, which is fine. We have the challenge of having to reconcile their desires with the reality of what we can afford at any given time. And so I think this is a good conversation to have. It's a tough one. I'm torn between saying let's bite it off and reduce part of the scope and do it now, or phasing it. I know the risk of costs continuing to climb and climb is a real one. That's kind of my initial thinking on this right now.
[01:13:54] Council Member: Okay. Well, I will comment then. I believe we're obligated to do this as we all know, and...
[01:14:01] Mayor: Okay, you have questions.
[01:14:02] Council Member: We've got some questions.
[01:14:03] Mayor: Well, people are commenting and not actually just asking questions.
[01:14:08] Mayor: But if Jan has a question...
[01:14:11] Council Member Harnik: And I, yeah, I apologize. I thought we were still just simply on questions. My question is, and Mayor Pro Tem brought it up about the fitness and agility course, and it's what have we learned? I know what my experience has been with the fitness equipment at this park, and my experience has been is that it's not used. Um, what have we learned about fitness and agility courses? Are they truly an asset or are they something we put in because it feels good and it sounds good? Uh, I'd like us to make sure we're looking at that closely before we expend those funds.
[01:14:58] Staff: I can speak to that a little. Um, or if our consultant wants to weigh in just in general on the fitness equipment. Um, I did check into that at this park specifically because after installing it, you know, being here during the day, I did not observe people using it. However, um, you know, asking about it and doing a little research, there are people that are here in the very early morning that do use it on a daily basis. So, um, you know, it might not be the most used asset in the park, but um, it does get use, and I've heard the same in neighboring cities as well.
[01:15:33] Mayor: Okay. Any more further questions? Okay, we'll open up for discussion or comments if Council Member Nande would like to make her comment.
[01:15:41] Council Member Nande: All right. Well, thank you. Well, for one, we've already watched this wonderful presentation, and the citizens in the north sphere, and that is my district, I will say they do reach out to me and they're very excited about this park and not doing it in phases. And I believe we do have an obligation because doing it in phases is not going to save our city money; it's going to cost our city money. So, all we're really doing, I believe, is alienating the residents that live in the north area. And then they're going to look at the civic park for those that live farther south and say, 'This looks disparate. It's not equal.' And so, I believe we do have an obligation to move forward. I do think perhaps the splash pad is something we forego based upon what staff has presented, but otherwise, I'm very supportive of doing it all at once, phase one.
[01:16:49] Mayor: Okay. Anyone else?
[01:16:51] Mayor: Council Member Harnik, time for comments. Yeah.
[01:16:54] Council Member Harnik: I absolutely agree. I feel it's my district too because I'm representing the city, and we definitely need to give those community residents a place and a park. Uh, splash pad will become, given what we know about the wind and the Venturi effect impact, will become a mud pad quite often. So to take that away and then to redirect people to use PDAC, I think is a great idea. I think we jump in, we get it done. You know, as we delay a construction project, we increase the cost of the construction project. So I do support just getting it done.
[01:17:41] Mayor: Council Member, sorry, Council Member Marino, did you have any comments or...
[01:17:48] Council Member Marino: In our magic crystal ball of what's coming up in the north part of town, we are crossing our fingers to have some new hotels coming, right? And potentially looking at other toots coming in around the desert surf area. Was that correct? Okay. So, I'm seeing some nodding heads. Just wanted to be sure that, okay, what I'm looking at is again the projections that we've seen, the shifts that we have made to be sure that we are fiscally sound, you know, 8, 9 years into the future. Everything's going to cost more. Every single thing is going to cost more no matter when. Um, yes, we are contractually obligated. That's not something I dispute. I'm just wondering, can we maybe even push things out a little bit further? I truly believe that we need to prioritize the current ongoing capital improvement projects because those things are going to get more expensive, too. And we can't make everybody happy. And I agree with Council Member Nande. It's not a matter of we don't serve the city. I think that was a comment that minimizes how often your residents reach out to you because you're there. There's one thing to hear comments, but I know how often they're reaching out to you and people are wanting it. But I think that I would really like to see what other projects could be prioritized or coming ahead. Um, so again, I don't dispute it. I don't have an opinion on which phases because I would rather see which are the current projects and how close they are to completion before we, you know, chomp somewhere else. And I thought the question was asked that there aren't other capital improvements that are going to suffer at the expense of moving forward with the all-in phase one.
[01:19:59] Staff: That is correct. The projects that are
[01:20:00] Staff: Currently on our list and in the queue to complete with design and implementation, whether the decision is to do it now for Dave Irwin Park, to do it all now, or phase it, won't impact the current CIP project schedule.
[01:20:14] Mayor Pro Tem: Thank you for confirming. And I support moving forward and just doing it all at once with the suggestion that we look at the things that you've listed in potential phase three, if we had phased it, and consider the absolute necessity of including those. That would be my suggestion if we're going to move forward all at once, is look at those phase three things and really question: are they absolutely necessary? And if they are, are they necessary at the current designed intensity?
[01:20:53] Council Member: Yeah, I actually agree with Mayor Pro Tem. You know, I consider myself a fiscal conservative if you want to look at everything through a lens of 'can we afford it?' But of course, that takes on a lot of different meanings when you talk about escalating costs. So, I agree about biting the bullet now, building all at once with an eye on specifically those phase three items—the exercise track, etc., etc.—and moving forward now. And the one thing that struck me was you mentioned that even the total buildout of 35 million...
[01:21:28] Staff: Correct, if it was all done at the same time.
[01:21:31] Council Member: And the general fund cash flow indicates we have 39 million available to do this project without going into reserves?
[01:21:38] Staff: No, that would go into the reserves.
[01:21:41] Council Member: Okay.
[01:21:41] Staff: Yes.
[01:21:41] Council Member: But it still maintains our reserve policy, etc., etc. We're still conforming to all those other constraints.
[01:21:49] Veronica Chavez (Staff): It does. What it does is it accelerates how it dips into the reserve more so than when we had it spread out over time. Staff is really looking at our options on how we can do all things right. And so in September, we will come back to you with a financing option once again, because one of the things that we haven't talked about is we've talked about a 7.6% escalator each year on construction costs. Our rates right now for debt is about 4.5% on a very large issuance for, say, 85 million. That delta is where we're under by issuing debt so we can get everything done now. And what that does is it could give us the ability to spread those costs over time to the people who are actually using the facilities over time, and give them the benefit of using them with actually the cost being associated with their use, versus it going towards the people who have already put the money into our reserves now. And it's a way for you to maintain your reserve policy, the funding that you have in savings, and get all of those projects done more expediently. It's just a concept that we want to give you as an option later, so that there isn't this pressure on the reserve as much as there is now.
[01:23:16] Council Member: And this is actually a bit of a question, I suppose, but you know, these are all estimates on building costs. You really don't know until you go to RFP and get true construction costs returned from potential builders.
[01:23:30] Staff: Correct.
[01:23:31] Council Member: So do you stand the risk of running into the same problem we ran into with the library?
[01:23:37] Staff: Even with the library, that's still at the estimated level, whereas we would be bringing forward—we wouldn't be bringing forward anything that would require commitment contractually until the project was fully designed, and then we put it out to bid. And then ultimately, those hard numbers would either confirm that we can deliver at that cost, or if they were a bust at the time—you know, we're looking at a crystal ball again, seven months down, what could that be? And then perhaps if that is the case, then we would bring it back and say phasing is our recommendation. Right now, we're not recommending one over the other. It's a budgetary decision. And an item as far as Mayor Pro Tem's comments about the program items in future phases, there are some of those that we are actively looking to see how we can co-capitalize on existing areas, one being the farmers market that is currently identified and located there along the dinosaur landscape area. We're looking at opportunities to bring it back, to bring it into the park area. So, that might be something that would already have the opportunity to move into an earlier phase regardless. As well as some of those items, they drive our grant opportunities. So, we don't want to necessarily, just because it's later in the phase, look to have them pulled out because they could be an element that is an opportunity for us to go after a grant in order to serve its needs. So, we have to find that balance between those two elements.
[01:25:06] Council Member: Got it. Okay. So we can give you direction to pursue the avenue of buildout all at once. You can come back once we go out for RFP, get estimates on buildout, and then we can still have some flexibility to pursue a different model.
[01:25:20] Staff: Correct, yeah. Until we would come back to award of contract, there is no money officially committed, with the exception of our design services contract, which we're already in the process of evaluating for a change order because their original contract was a mix of the regional park and the community park. And so that element of their contract, we're pulling out the regional park. So, they're going to be focused—that contract will only be doing the community park, as well as all the scope changes that we're increasing the cost of that contract. But that estimate, that 35 million, is incorporating those pending contract change orders that we'll be bringing forward to you here in the near future.
[01:26:02] Council Member: Perfect. Okay. So, you're comfortable with the direction from Council at this point?
[01:26:07] Mayor: Yes. Okay. Thank you very much. Oh, sorry, Council Member Reno.
[01:26:09] Council Member Reno: Um, I greatly appreciate, Veronica, Miss Chavez, that you mentioned where we're looking at the acceleration rate and what those options are. I think that that puts my mind at ease a little bit more. And if we could get some of that info for the next presentation, I would greatly appreciate that to help, you know, look at everybody and the community as they scrutinize where we're spending every dollar. Thank you. Thank you.
[01:26:37] Mayor: Okay. Very good. Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it. All right. So, that concludes our study session. I now call to order the closed session of the Palm Desert City Council. Going to ask for public comment for closed session items only. And this item has been set aside for members of the public to address the City Council on items contained only on the closed session agenda within the three-minute time limit. City Clerk, anybody online?
[01:27:01] City Clerk: No online comments.
[01:27:02] Mayor: I got no blue card. I have no blue cards. So, I suppose we're going to go into closed session now.