County Board of Supervisor Dawn Rowe kicked off last night’s meeting of the Twentynine Palms City Council by providing a general update on various issues, starting with the modified Short-Term Rental (STR) Ordinance. The county heard outcry from neighborhoods with heavy STR saturation, so they commissioned a study to be released in August or September. Rowe stated that findings of the study may result in a cap on STRs but how exactly it would be applied to specific regions and neighborhoods “appropriately and fairly” has yet to be determined. Rowe noted that a balance must be struck between the STR saturation concerns, consideration of STR owner investments, the need for affordable housing, tourism lodging demand, and the policy must accommodate an area of over 20,000 square miles.
Rowe then announced that the county would be giving the city $1M for the sewer and wastewater treatment project. The County Board of Supervisors were each given an allocation of America Rescue Plan Act funding and City Manager Frank Luckino made “a plea for groundwater safety” to Rowe and funding was approved, albeit, with certain timelines.
The Third District Supervisor then discussed redistricting, post-census. Considering the distribution of population, the revised Third District map went from 3,900 square miles to just under 10,000 square miles. Rowe stated that serving such a large area has proved “exceptionally challenging” as the area now includes 12 incorporated cities (previously 11) and 109,000 residents in unincorporated areas. It is the only supervisorial district that has mountains, desert and valley – each with their own unique issues – but with no additional staff or budget increase. “We are stretched a little thin trying to serve all of our communities, and then you have the blizzard of 2023,” said Rowe.
Before briefly touching on the mountain communities’ snow challenges and the success of Operation Hammerstrike, Rowe touted the strength of the county’s Workforce Development Program. The county operates America Job Centers of California in various locations to offer resources for both employers and job seekers.
Rowe addressed the void of the Morongo Basin Municipal Advisory Council and noted that it still exists somewhat in the form of the Homestead Valley Community Councils, though Joshua Tree, Wonder Valley and Pioneertown are not represented due to lack of applicants. Instead, Rowe is scheduling monthly Open House events at her Joshua Tree office (63665 Twentynine Palms Highway). The next one will be held on Wednesday, March 29, 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. with a focus on Special Districts.
The council then approved the Strategic Planning Guidance Document that will become a policy reference for resource allocation. The city’s strategic priorities include:
- New Shelter / Animal Control
- Addition of a Sheriff Detective
- Ballfield Lights at Luckie Park
- Theatre 29 Expansion
- Housing and Homeless Advisory Committee
- Events
- IT Improvements
- Debt Financing to pay for major improvements
- Revenue Augmentation to pay for debt financing
- Emergency Response Plan
Next, the council narrowly rejected a $6,000 budget augment request from the Public Arts Advisory Committee (PAAC) for the remainder of this fiscal year to enact cultural arts programming, hire a conservator to assess the 13 city-owned art installations, increase pay for the PAAC assistant, and hire a grant writer. While Councilmember Scott seemed sympathetic for the need for a grant writer and pointed out that ‘events’ are listed as a city priority, other councilmembers pushed back. Councilmembers Scott and Bilderain voted in favor of the request and Councilmembers Klink, Mintz and Mayor Wright voted against.
The next agenda item was to clarify the PAAC Mission Statement per the council’s request to clarify the PAAC as an “advisory” entity. A brief debate ignited over whether or not to allow for an alternate on the committee, as requested. Councilmember Klink stated that there was no need as the city’s commissions and councils do not need alternates. It was pointed out that these positions are paid and that PAAC members are volunteers. (Later in the meeting, Councilmember Scott suggested compensation for these members.) Ultimately, PAAC Chairperson Cindy Bernard noted that recent revisions were not included in the document before the council, so the item was moved to the next meeting with no vote.
