It was a marathon three-hour meeting last night (June 15) for the Twentynine Palms City Council. After hearing from community members and advocates, the council decided to have staff draft a resolution that addresses racism as a public crisis. The big-ticket item of the night was the consideration of an emergency ordinance which would place a moratorium on new Vacation Home Rental (VHR) permits for three months while the council and staff considered possible new enforcement policies for VHR violations. After hearing public comments from stakeholders both opposed and in favor of the ordinance; including community members, VHR owners, and those employed by the vacation rental industry; the council decided they did not want to move too quickly with the ordinance. To allow time to work through possible enforcement solutions and collaborate with the planning commission, the council moved to vote on the moratorium during the August 24th regular meeting. In other business, the council also voted to receive $6.2 million from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) and approved the proposed Two-Year General Fund Budget.
