RECAP: Twentynine Palms City Council Meeting, June 10, 2025
A marathon of speculative budgeting ended on Tuesday when the Council successfully passed three budgets before July 1, but the community events funding is nowhere to be seen.
The goal for the night seemed to be getting through the lengthy agenda. On Tuesday, June 10, 2025, the City Council successfully passed all three of their budgets for this meeting. Despite this, the next City Council meeting is already scheduled for June 24, 2025, in anticipation of needing more time before the July 1, 2025, funding deadline. The City’s agenda for the meeting is here and our meeting preview is here.
The meeting was kicked off with an unusual start. This week, Dr. Xárene Eskandar, who serves on the Public Arts Advisory Committee (PAAC), gave the invocation. An invocation always starts the meeting, but it is usually led by a representative from a list of churches associated with the Ministerial Association led by Councilmember and pastor McArthur Wright. However, any resident can sign up for the invocation by emailing the City Clerk at cvillescas@29palms.org.
Dr. Eskandar read a Zoroastrian prayer for the invocation. Zoroastrianism is a religion that originated in Persia, and the short invocation was recited in Farsi and Engligh: “Righteousness is the best good. It is radiant happiness. Radiant happiness comes to the person to whom righteousness is for the sake of righteousness alone. May it come to what is brimming with love.”
AWARDS, PRESENTATIONS, APPOINTMENTS AND PROCLAMATIONS
4. Presentation from Community Events Grant Recipient, Friends of the Historic Plaza
Jimmy Brower of Friends of the Historic Plaza, a one-year-old nonprofit, gave a recap of their past year of hosting community events in Twentynine Palm’s Historic Plaza, located at Adobe Road and 2 Mile Road. The series was funded by a $10,000 grant from the City: the First Annual Pioneer Days Classic Car Show, of which 70% of car entries were owned by Twentynine Palms residents; the winter Holiday Market that had 500 attendees; and finally the spring Chalk Fest and Art Fair, which saw 250 attendees despite rain. Their final summer event is a barbecue scheduled for June 22.
5. Presentation by the Youth Council—"A Year in Review"
Following was a presentation by representatives of the City’s Youth Council—Thomas Elkins, Truman Walsh, Isaac Coleman, and Viviana Hermosillo—which is finishing its inaugural year. The group recounted their accomplishments including establishing bylaws and a mission statement for the Council, hosting volunteering opportunities for high school students, and organizing two events: Teen Astronomy Night with Sky’s the Limit Observatory, and City Youth Olympics. The representatives finished their presentation with a special thanks to Amy Tessier of Parks and Recreation for advising them.
CONSENT CALENDAR
8. Benefits Policy—Special Compensation
Councilmember April Ramirez pulled the policy from the Consent Calendar to discuss bilingual skills pay, which currently sits at $25 per bi-weekly period. She advocated for an increase of $20 a month to that pay rate, which she justified through a pay comparison with neighboring governments.
The city of Hesperia gets $50 per pay period. The city of Hemet gets 5% of their total pay rate [additionally]. Cathedral City, if they were hired before July 1 of 2022, they get 2.5 of their base pay. If they were hired after July 1, 2022 they get $85 a month. Desert Hot Springs gets $152.53 per pay period. City of Indio is $75 per pay period. City of Victorville is $50 per month. And city of Beaumont, their employees actually get an extra $1.50 per hour for being bilingual.
During public comment, Carlos Blandon asked if the benefit applied only to Spanish. City Manager Stone James clarified that it applies to any language. Councilmember Octavious Scott asked if the bilingual benefit was available to all City employees, and James confirmed that it is.
The benefits policy was passed 5-0 with no other commentary on the rest of the policy, which includes a longevity pay benefit to current City employees beginning July 1, 2025. The pay benefit, meant to retain long-time employees by paying them one-time bonuses on their 15, 20, and 25 year employment anniversaries, is explained in depth in our agenda coverage.
PUBLIC HEARING
11. Amended to the Master Citywide User Fee Schedule for FY 2025-26
Finance Director Abigail Hernandez-Conde presented the updated Citywide Fee Schedule for the upcoming year, starting July 1, 2025. All fees were increased 2.5% with the exception of Solar Energy fees, Sewer fee, Development Impact fees (DIF), and State/County mandated fees. DIF, which is charged to property owners based upon square footage of proposed structures, was increased 2.78%. Hernandez-Conde stated that these increases are inflation adjustments.
Additionally, Business License reprinting fees are dropping 40%, and two new party size options for private parties at Luckie Pool are being added: a $146 hourly charge for parties of 101 to 150 persons and $165 hourly charge for parties of 151 to 200. The full list of fees for 2025 to 2026 is available here.
During public comment, hotelier Veno Nathraj asked if the City could consider subsidizing pool fees for low-income residents. Nathraj explained that the ticket price, which he quoted as $4.501 per person, discouraged teens from using the public pool and opting for Nathraj’s hotel pool instead.
The Council passed the new fee schedule 5-0 without discussion.
12. Presentation of the Proposed Two-Year General Fund Budget for Fiscal Year 2025-26 & 2026-27
Finance Director Hernandez-Conde followed next with a presentation of the General Fund budget for the next two years: fiscal year 2025-26, which starts July 1, 2025, and 2026-27. She started by acknowledging that the Council had not yet passed strategic planning goals, but that she’d continue to move forward using a “preliminary” plan.
The City’s biggest three revenue sources are property taxes in lieu of annual vehicle license fees, property taxes, and the Transit Occupancy Tax (TOT). The City’s largest cost at 42% is contracting law enforcement. Hernandez-Conde noted that the cost had increased rapidly in recent years. In 2018-2019, the cost was $3.7 million, and in 2025-26 is budgeted to be $5.5 million.
The City’s second largest cost is salaries and benefits. Hernandez-Conde explained that costs in this category would be increasing due to cost of living (COLA) income pay bumps that help offset inflation costs for employees, the longevity pay that was passed earlier in the meeting, and the prospect that City Councilmembers could make up to $950 a month, a change that will be considered this fall. If the stipend goes up, Hernandez-Conde stated that it would be the first stipend increase since 1984, and would begin January 1, 2026. Hernandez-Conde noted that the budget does not account for the increase in bilingual pay that was passed earlier in this meeting.
Mayor Pro Tem Daniel Mintz inquired about a presentation slide that mentioned a $3.3 million in reserve surplus beyond the 55% of operating expenses recommended. Hernandez-Conde clarified that she would actually recommend not to go below 65%, in which case the surplus was closer to $1.8 or $2 million, she stated.
A notable change from the preliminary budget presented on May 13 to the Council was the dissolution of a budget category for community event grants. The budget category had $50,000 in it for a grant program for community events that the City has funded for the past two years. From that $50,000, $25,000 was reallocated to non-profits performing community services, $20,000 for the Parks & Recreation Department, and finally $5,000 for use by the PAAC.
Two speakers advocated for the dead-in-the-water budget category of community events grants. Vickie Waite of the Joshua Tree National Park Council of the Arts, the organization in charge of the yearly JTNP Arts Expo, expressed disappointment in losing a long-time funding source with this budget reorganization.
With no warning or concern for local event organizers, contrary to the preliminary budget you released in May, you now propose reallocating $50,000 for other purposes instead of community events, except those organized by Park and Rec. I feel blindsided. We've been counting on the City for annual sponsorship, and now it's too late to ask for more money from the TBID [Tourism Business Improvement District] or the PAAC. Their deadlines passed in April and May.
Jimmy Brower, who spoke earlier in the meeting as a representative for Friends of Historic Plaza, echoed Waite’s concerns.
So my need for comment on this agenda item came as a surprise to me while I prepared our event series presentation, and now understanding that the community events grant program is planned to be dissolved. Successful, signature, worthy events such as the ones produced at the Historic Plaza are incredibly important to not only the free enjoyment of our residents, but also act as the only financial lifeline to our small business and nonprofit community that may not fall into the Health and Human Services category.
In response, Mayor Pro Tem Mintz acknowledged that he “knew where Vickie was coming from” and suggested that Council could approve the budget and go over the reallocation of the community grant funds in July. At that point Hernandez-Conde confirmed with City Manager James that strategic planning priorities would also be ready by July, as those are not accounted for in the budget. She clarified that adjustments could be made “in that same month,” and at the mid-year budget adjustment in February.
Mintz added:
As we have seen over the last year, this is a living and breathing document — us giving out money. So I would like us to approve this budget tonight, this one, and then I will say that I want to revisit how we're going to allocate this year's community grant money. So they do have time, knowing next year it's not going to be there, or if we approve it not being there, that they can apply for the TBID and for the PAAC instead.
Councilmember Scott, an advocate for increasing funds for homeless services in the City’s budget, expressed his support for this budget version, despite his previous rebuttals.
I think that [the budget] I think it's well balanced, and I know that we transferred funds from from our homeless program to code enforcement, but I think it's actually made up by putting money into the into our nonprofits, right, and our service providers.
The two-year budget for the General Fund was passed 5-0.
13. Proposed Two-Year Special Revenue Funds Budget for FY 2025-26 & 2026-27
Hernandez-Conde presented the two-year budget for the City’s Special Revenue Funds, which are reserved for special projects through structures that restrict what the funds can be spent on. Projects included in this budget are the construction of a bike path along Hatch/Sullivan, planning the City-wide Channel Trail, the building of Split Rock bridge, road resurfacing, and resurfacing ball courts.
During public comment, Eric Menendez advocated for the senior center to receive budgeting for wi-fi.
Mayor Pro Tem Mintz pointed out an outdated budget category reserving $45,000 for a shade structure outside of City Hall, an idea that has since been scrapped. There was some confusion and discussion amongst Councilmembers as there is also a future agenda item for shade structures at Freedom Plaza. Councilmember Scott endorsed the Freedom Plaza plan and noted he would like to see the leftover $45,000 be used for that item. Similar to the prior budget vote, Council acknowledged the ability to later reallocate funding to address the issues brought up in current budget discussions and passed the Special Revenue Funds budget 5–0.
14. Proposed Two-Year Budget: Project Phoenix Funds and Sewer Fund—FY 2025-26 & 2026-27
Mayor Pro Tem Mintz recused himself for this discussion because of the proximity of his wife’s business to Project Phoenix. About $185,000 in unused project money is still available, with remaining allocations being $108,900 for store improvements, $29,300 for street furniture, $24,600 for multi-purpose facility fixtures, $15,000 for public art at Freedom Plaza, and $7,500 for contracting the engineering of a crosswalk. $1 million in the budget has already been committed to the building of an affordable housing project, Hernandez-Conde stated. She also spoke about the funding sources for a needed USGS study of the local water resources. About $1.7 million needed for the study will come from grants and $524,000 from the City, leaving a shortfall of $100,000.
The sewer fund accounts for the City’s management of a limited sewer to septic service to businesses in the vicinity of Freedom Plaza. Hotelier Nathraj stepped up to the podium to address sewer funding, referring to the $70,000 transfer from the General Fund to the Sewer Fund to balance its budget. “When do you think the bleeding of the missing operating expenses will stop?” Finance Director Hernandez-Conde answered, “For the fees we’re currently collecting, I don’t think that’s going to happen any time in the near future.” The budget was passed 4–0–1.
DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS
15. Five-Year Strategic Plan Update
City Manager James reviewed a draft of the City’s proposed five-year strategic plan. James stated that the preliminary priorities that arose out of the April 5 strategic planning meeting were Financial Sustainability, Improved Local Character, Improved Infrastructure, Access to Resources, Local Tourism, and Community Outreach and Engagement. Council has yet to officially discuss or pass priorities for the five-year strategic plan.
It should be noted that the language for one of the priorities that City Manager James listed in this presentation differed from what Finance Director Hernandez-Conde cited in her presentations dating back to May 13 agenda. Hernandez-Conde slide’s reads “Preserving local character” which echos the first principal of the City’s General Plan” “preserving the City’s desert, small-town feel.” James has rephrased this as “Improving local character”, which is the first time this phrase has been used during the strategic planning process.
James spoke about community engagement with the planning process at the strategic planning meeting:
I thought that was a huge win, the the opportunity for the Council to have that forum, the interaction from the community. They had the ability to speak their comments. They had the ability to write down their comments. They even had small breakout sessions
He also reported on the community survey—which, as we noted in our agenda coverage, had only 103 completed responses.
The biggest priority, that was consensus among all of the Council and the community, was that we will be a place of financial stability to support the needs and new initiatives of our residents. Other things that were that really stood out was to build upon and preserve the small town feel where community care and existing connections can flourish. Other goals include improving infrastructure, improving access to resources, and building local tourism.
Regarding the survey, unmentioned was the 70% of community respondents who replied that the item they most valued about Twentynine Palms was “natural environment.”
James noted that a draft plan would be ready for the Council’s review at the June 24 City Council meeting.
Eric Menendez attempted to comment, but as an informational only agenda item City Manager James limited him to question and answer. It should be noted that per the Brown Act, the item should have still been open to public comment.2
FUTURE COUNCIL INITIATED ITEMS
Several items were removed from the list of items to be discussed in the future because they have been addressed or moved forward by the City Manager. These included discussion of abandoned homes, reviewing policies for non-profits that receive City funding, and Reach Out Yucca Valley.
PUBLIC COMMENT
LeeAnn Clarke of Action 29 Palms addressed the Council to raise awareness of the increase in tagging in Twentynine Palms—specifically a mural showing a historic flash flood.
Blandon came back to the podium to bring to the Council’s attention the closing of the local Rite Aid. Audrey Philpot asked that a group applying for a Levitt Foundation grant (reported here) be placed on the June 24 Council agenda.
Eric Menendez continued to advocate for more scrutiny of TBID funding, which Veno Nathraj echoed.
CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
City Manager James elected to skip the report because “the city manager update was contained within our discussion of the future agenda items.”
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The fee per child 2 to 17 and adults is $5.00, according to the City website for Luckie Park Pool.
But why the othering language of saying it was an “unusual start”? An invocation is an invocation, especially if anyone can request to offer it. These linguistic micro-aggressions are how people, cultures, and customs present in US society have difficulty being normalized and recognized as part of us. My invocation shed light that Zoroastrians are in our society and gave an introduction to our spiritual philosophy. How unusual!