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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes 2025-069RESOLUTION NO. 2025-069 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA, ESTABLISHING UPDATED PROCEDURES FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF THE MAYOR AND MAYOR PRO TEM AND RESCINDING RESOLUTION NO. 2024-013 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, 2021-61, and 2024-013, 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, the City Council has determined that clarification and updates are necessary to ensure fairness and consistency in the appointment process. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Palm Desert, California, 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. C. No Member shall be eligible to serve as Mayor for two consecutive terms. 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. Docusign Envelope ID: 68FF4EDB-1D05-485C-83A8-3BF523299D7F Resolution No. 2025-069 Page 2 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, unless one or more Members voluntarily defer as provided in Section 5. 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, randomized based on the Secretary of State’s most recent randomized alphabet. 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, randomized based on the Secretary of State’s most recent randomized alphabet. SECTION 5. VOLUNTARY DEFERRAL IN TIE SITUATIONS. 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 6 and shall not alter the deferring Member’s place in the rot ation, 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. SECTION 6. DECLINING TO SERVE. 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. SECTION 7. NO OPTION. If these procedures result in no Member being eligible to fill either position, the City Council may vote to appoint any of its Members to serve. SECTION 8. REMOVAL. The City Council may, by four-fifths (4/5ths) vote, remove the Mayor and/or Mayor Pro Tem. SECTION 9. RESCISSION. Resolution No. 2024-013 is hereby rescinded in its entirety. Docusign Envelope ID: 68FF4EDB-1D05-485C-83A8-3BF523299D7F Resolution No. 2025-069 Page 3 ADOPTED ON OCTOBER 23, 2025. JAN C. HARNIK MAYOR ATTEST: ANTHONY J. MEJIA CITY CLERK I, Anthony J. Mejia, City Clerk of the City of Palm Desert, hereby certify that Resolution No. 2025-069 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 October 23, 2025, by the following vote: AYES: NESTANDE, PRADETTO, QUINTANILLA, TRUBEE, AND HARNIK 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 October 23, 2025. ANTHONY J. MEJIA CITY CLERK Docusign Envelope ID: 68FF4EDB-1D05-485C-83A8-3BF523299D7F