The Twentynine Palms City Council faced a full agenda at last night’s meeting though Vacation Home Rental (VHR) regulations brought out the most passion.
While such meetings have traditionally begun with an invocation of prayer, resident Karalee Hargrove presented a secular invocation, likely the city’s first. Recreation Division Manager Kary Minatrea then introduced two new city employees, Curtis McCoy, and George Pena, who will be working in youth sports.
Councilmember Octavius Scott asked that an item be pulled from the Consent Calendar so that the public could hear more details. Minatrea explained that they are requesting that a construction services contract be awarded to Courtmaster Sports, Inc. to repair and resurface the Luckie Park basketball courts. In light of new basketball facilities at the Community Center at Freedom Plaza, Minatrea said the courts will likely be repurposed for tennis and pickleball. The item was approved.
After a perfunctory approval of a “development code clean-up” for Nonconforming Buildings and Uses, the topic of VHR regulations took over the meeting. Several specific regulations have been volleyed between resident study sessions, the planning commission and the council, and last night was another deep dive. (With a cap of 500, the number of issued VHR permits peaked last June at 484; today, there are 455.)
Mayor McArthur Wright read three letters from residents, before residents addressed the council on various points. Jim Krushat, a member of the planning commission (who had recused himself during VHR discussions) and a VHR owner, urged to council to “just settle this thing” and noted, “I know this is good because no one group got everything they wanted. It was a compromise.”
Nevertheless, frustrations and concerns were expressed around new purpose-built VHRs that do not align with neighborhood character, number of permits allowed per entity, the requirement of paved parking for rural areas, and neighborhood density, among others.
Resident Heidi Heard, who has lived in the city for more than 35 years, asked the council, “When does my voice count?” Heard went on to state, “Those of us that voted to put you into office put our trust in you to do what’s right for those of us that live here. We chose to live here because it was a nice, small city, not a tourist destination. We have a housing crisis, not a recreation crisis.”
Ultimately, Community Development Director Keith Gardner went through each regulation, point by point, and the council sent several back to the commission for further review. Councilmember Mintz suggested that the number of permits allowed per entity be reduced from five to three, which was approved. (Current permit holders would be grandfathered in.) The mandatory Good Neighbor Class, which was required annually for all permit holders, can now be taken just once, unless a violation occurs. The council also approved the removal of an insurance requirement.
The council did move on to other matters – such as approving state recommendations for the process of trimming or removing Western Joshua Trees, approving a new appointment to the Public Arts Advisory Committee – but the next big topic was the city clerk’s compensation. Because Interim City Manager Larry Bowden is limited in his available hours due to a retirement package, City Clerk Cindy Villescas will likely cover his duties on occasion. Thus, the council agreed to a standard five percent longevity increase, due to a recent positive review, and another five percent to cover Villescas additional duties. The additional five percent would be rescinded once a full-time city manager is hired.
The next meeting of the Twentynine Palms City Council will be in December.
