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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Package - StudySession_Sep11_2025 PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION MEETING AGENDA Thursday, September 11, 2025 3:15 p.m. Council Chamber, City Hall 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, California NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the purpose of the Study Session is to review the items listed on the agenda. No action will be taken. This is a joint meeting of the Palm Desert City Council, Successor Agency to the Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency, Palm Desert Housing Authority, and Palm Desert Board of Library Trustees. Pursuant to Assembly Bill 2449, this meeting may be conducted as a hybrid meeting allowing public access via teleconference or in person, and up to two Councilmembers may attend remotely. WATCH THE MEETING LIVE: Watch the City Council meeting live at the City’s website: https://palmdesert.zoom.us/ or on the City's YouTube Channel. OPTIONS FOR PARTICIPATING IN THIS MEETING: Send your comments by email to: CityClerk@palmdesert.gov. Emails received prior to 10:00 a.m. on the day of the City Council meeting will be made part of the record and distributed to the City Council. Emails will not be read aloud at the meeting. Pages 1.CALL TO ORDER - STUDY SESSION 2.STUDY SESSION TOPICS 2.a CONSIDERATION OF AMENDING THE APPOINTMENT PROCESS FOR MAYOR AND MAYOR PRO TEM 3 RECOMMENDATION: Provide direction regarding the appointment of the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem: Clarify that declining service as either Mayor or Mayor Pro Tem resets a Councilmember’s “last served” date for purposes of rotation priority. 1. Add a deferral option in tie situations, allowing Members to voluntarily defer service without penalty. 2. 3.ADJOURNMENT 4.PUBLIC NOTICES NOTE: Pursuant to Assembly Bill 2449, this meeting may be conducted by teleconference. Study Session is accessible in person or on the City’s website: www.palmdesert.gov under the Meeting Agendas link at the top of the page. Agenda Related Materials: Pursuant to Government Code §54957.5(b)(2) the designated office for inspection of records in connection with this meeting is the Office of the City Clerk, Palm Desert Civic Center, 73-510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert. Staff reports for all agenda items considered in open session, and documents provided to a majority of the legislative bodies are available for public inspection at City Hall and on the City’s website at www.palmdesert.gov by clicking “Meeting Agendas” at the top of the page. Americans with Disabilities Act: It is the intention of the City of Palm Desert to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in all respects. If, as an attendee or a participant at this meeting, or in meetings on a regular basis, you will need special assistance beyond what is normally provided, the City will attempt to accommodate you in every reasonable manner. Please contact the Office of the City Clerk, (760) 346-0611, at least 48 hours prior to the meeting to inform us of your needs and to determine if accommodation is feasible. AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING I, Michelle Nance, Acting Assistant City Clerk of the City of Palm Desert, do hereby certify, under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California, that the foregoing agenda for the Palm Desert City Council, Successor Agency for the Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency, and Housing Authority, was posted on the City Hall bulletin board and City website www.palmdesert.gov no less than 72 hours prior to the meeting. /S/ Michelle Nance Acting Assistant City Clerk City Council Study Session September 11, 2025 2 Page 1 of 3 CITY OF PALM DESERT STAFF REPORT MEETING DATE: September 11, 2025 PREPARED BY: Anthony J. Mejia, City Clerk SUBJECT: STUDY SESSION: CONSIDERATION OF AMENDING THE APPOINTMENT PROCESS FOR MAYOR AND MAYOR PRO TEM RECOMMENDATION: Provide direction regarding the appointment of the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem: 1. Clarify that declining service as either Mayor or Mayor Pro Tem resets a Councilmember’s “last served” date for purposes of rotation priority. 2. Add a deferral option in tie situations, allowing Members to voluntarily defer service without penalty. BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS: Each December, the City Council appoints the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem in accordance with Resolution No. 2024-013. In preparing for this year’s appointments, staff reviewed the adopted process and identified one area where the language is ambiguous and another where there is no method for allowing Councilmembers to voluntarily defer service in tie situations. The purpose of this study session is to consider whether clarification or additions are warranted to ensure the process remains consistent with City Council direction. Resolution No. 2024-013, adopted in April 2024, governs the annual appointment of the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem on a rotating basis. The Resolution provides:  The Mayor Pro Tem is appointed based on the longest continuous service since last serving as Mayor, if ever.  In the event of a tie, the appointment is resolved by chance (coin toss or drawing straws).  If a Councilmember declines service, they are treated as if they had served in that year, moving them to the end of the rotation. The first issue concerns declining service. Under the current rules, if a Councilmember declines the role of Mayor Pro Tem, their rotation priority is not affected, because priority is based only on how long it has been since they last served as Mayor. A declined Mayor Pro Tem term is treated as though it was completed, but it does not reset the date of their last Mayoral service. This creates the possibility for a Councilmember to skip serving as Mayor Pro Tem and keep their place in the rotation until they choose to serve. Under the proposed amendment, however, declining service would reset the “last served” date. For example, if a Councilmember declined appointment in December 2023, they would be treated as though they last served as Mayor with a term ending December 2024. 3 City of Palm Desert Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem Appointment Process Page 2 of 3 The second issue arises when multiple Councilmembers qualify for Mayor Pro Tem at the same time. Under the current rules, the only options are to resolve the tie by chance or for one or more Members to decline and be moved to the end of the rotation. This means that a Councilmember who is willing to let another Member go first must either accept a decision by chance or sacrifice their place in the rotation entirely. For example, a tie could occur in December 2024 if multiple Members shared the same “last served” date or otherwise entered the rotation at the same time. Under the current rules, this tie could only be broken by chance or by two Members declining and being moved to the end of the rotation. A voluntary deferral option would instead allow one or more Members to step aside for that year while preserving their place to be considered again the following year. PROPOSED AMENDMENTS Staff recommends amending the procedures as follows: Section 5 – Declining to Serve (Proposed Amendment): If a Member declines service as Mayor or Mayor Pro Tem, that Member shall be deemed to have last served as Mayor in the year for which service is waived, and their future placement in the rotation shall be adjusted accordingly. Example: If a Member declines appointment as Mayor Pro Tem in December 2025, they will be treated as though they last served as Mayor with a term ending December 2026. Section 5A – Voluntary Deferral in Tie Situations (New Section): In the event of a tie under Section 3, one or more tied Members may voluntarily defer service to allow another tied Member to serve. Such a deferral shall not be deemed a “decline” under Section 5 and shall not alter the deferring Member’s place in the rotation, except that the deferring Member shall be reconsidered in the following year’s appointment. If no Member voluntarily defers, the tie shall be resolved under Section 4. Example: If three Members are tied in December 2025 and two choose to defer, the remaining Member will serve as Mayor Pro Tem with a term ending December 2026. The two deferring Members will then be considered for appointment in December 2026 (for the term ending December 2027) without losing their place in the rotation. ALTERNATIVES 1. Take no action – Maintain Resolution No. 2024-013 as currently written. 2. Adopt Section 5 – Declining to Serve (Proposed Amendment) only. 3. Adopt Section 5A – Voluntary Deferral in Tie Situations (New Section) only. Legal Review: This report has been reviewed by the City Attorney’s Office. FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with this action. 4 City of Palm Desert Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem Appointment Process Page 3 of 3 ATTACHMENTS: 1. Resolution No. 2024-013 5 6 RESOLUTION NO. 2024-013 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA, ESTABLISHING PROCEDURES FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF THE MAYOR AND MAYOR PRO TEM AND RESCINDING RESOLUTION NO. 2021-61 WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Palm Desert, California, adopted Resolution No. 76-39, amended by Resolution Nos. 80-44, 82-22, and 84-41, establishing a one-year term and setting forth a rotating appointment process for the positions of Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem, and WHEREAS, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 01-110, amended by Resolution Nos. 2013-14, 2015-91, and 2021-61, formalizing the practice of appointing the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem on a seniority rotating basis, and WHEREAS, the City Council must appoint from its own membership two Members to serve as Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem, and WHEREAS, it has been the desire of each City Council serving the City of Palm Desert since incorporation to make these positions honorary in nature, held for a one - year term, and WHEREAS, it is the City Council’s opinion that each Member elected to the City Council is equally qualified and deserving to hold these offices, and each Member should be given ample opportunity to serve in one or both of these offices; and WHEREAS, Resolution No. 2021-61 includes provisions addressing situations in which two or more Members in the same district are sworn into office on the same day as well as when two or more Members are sworn into office on the same day from different districts. These provisions no longer apply to a five -district electoral system as enacted by Ordinance No. 1406; therefore, it is necessary to update the procedures; and WHEREAS, the purpose of this Resolution is to update the seniority-based rotation for the appointment of Members to the honorary positions of Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem. NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA, DOES RESOLVE, DECLARE, DETERMINE AND ORDER AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. TERM OF APPOINTMENT. The appointment of Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem shall be made on an annual basis at the first regular City Council meeting in December of each year. No Member shall serve a term in either office to exceed a one - year period, except as follows: A. If a Member serving as Mayor served a partial term of six months or less, that Member shall continue to serve as Mayor for an additional year. B. If a Member serving as Mayor Pro Tem served a partial term, that Member shall continue to serve unless there is an outgoing Mayor, in which case the Member shall be appointed to serve as Mayor. DocuSign Envelope ID: 811E2559-D2C6-4BCA-A903-9BB99773C95B 7 Resolution No. 2024-013 Page 2 SECTION 2. ELIGIBILITY. Prior to any Member being appointed as Mayor, the Member shall have served on the City Council for approximately two years, and the Mayor Pro Tem shall have served on the City Council for approximately one year prior to being appointed to those respective offices; or in the absence of this occurrence, a Member having served at least one term on the Palm Desert Planning Commission will be sufficient eligibility for appointment to the office. SECTION 3. ROTATION PRIORITY. In appointing the Mayor Pro Tem, priority shall be given to the Member with the longest continuous service since last serving as Mayor, if ever. In appointing the Mayor, priority shall be given to the immediately preceding Mayor Pro Tem; if the immediately preceding Mayor Pro Tem is unwilling or unable to serve as Mayor, priority shall be given to the Member who would otherwise have priority to be appointed Mayor Pro Tem. SECTION 4. TIEBREAKER. When two or more Members are tied, the order of service in the Mayoral Rotation shall be established by a method of chance, with the winner being inserted first into the Mayoral Rotation. A. When two Members are tied, the tiebreaker shall be resolved by coin toss. The Member who will call the coin toss shall be determined by alphabetical order of their last names as they appeared on the most recent ballot from which they were elected. The alphabetical order shall be randomized based on the Secretary of State’s most recent randomized alphabet available. B. When three Members are tied, the tiebreaker shall be resolved by drawing straws. The order of selecting a straw will be determined by alphabetical order of their last names as they appeared on the most recent ballot from which they were elected. The alphabetical order shall be randomized based on the Secretary of State’s most recent randomized alphabet available. SECTION 5. DECLINING TO SERVE: If a Member declines service as Mayor or Mayor Pro Tem, then that Member’s future placement in the rotation will be as if they served in the year for which service is waived. SECTION 6. NO OPTION. If these procedures for the appointment of Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem result in no Councilmember being eligible to fill either position, then the City Council may vote to appoint anyone of its Members to serve. SECTION 7. REMOVAL. The City Council by four-fifths (4/5ths) vote may remove the Mayor and/or Mayor Pro Tem. DocuSign Envelope ID: 811E2559-D2C6-4BCA-A903-9BB99773C95B 8 Resolution No. 2024-013 Page 3 SECTION 8. Resolution No. 2021-61 is hereby rescinded in its entirety. SECTION 9. The City Clerk of the City of Palm Desert shall certify the passage and adoption of this resolution and its approval by the City Council and shall cause the same to be listed in the records of the City. ADOPTED ON APRIL 11, 2024. KARINA QUINTANILLA MAYOR ATTEST: ANTHONY J. MEJIA CITY CLERK I, Anthony J. Mejia, City Clerk of the City of Palm Desert, hereby certify that Resolution No. 2024-013 is a full, true, and correct copy, and was duly adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Palm Desert on April 11, 2024, by the following vote: AYES: HARNIK, KELLY, NESTANDE, TRUBEE, AND QUINTANILLA NOES: NONE ABSENT: NONE ABSTAIN: NONE RECUSED: NONE IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official seal of the City of Palm Desert, California, on ________________. ANTHONY J. MEJIA CITY CLERK DocuSign Envelope ID: 811E2559-D2C6-4BCA-A903-9BB99773C95B 4/15/2024 9