Twentynine Palms city leaders gathered last night for the city council’s bi-monthly meeting and discussed how to spend a surplus. Reporter Heather Clisby was there…
Last evening, the Twentynine Palms City Council took care of business. First, the Council unanimously approved Resolution 1921, confirming the intention to levy a 1.5 percent assessment for the Tourism Business Improvement District.
The Council then approved Resolution 1922 that allows a right-of-way for the city to enlarge the intersection of Highway 62 and Yucca Avenue. This paves the way for the Project Phoenix final map, which should be ready this fall.
And then the fun part. City Manager Frank Luckino reported that due to a $700,000 surplus from the 2018-2019 budget, the council could tackle a list of to-dos, some pre-approved. Council reviewed a list of staff suggestions that included a new paver, a grant application for downtown improvements, bike lanes along Hatch/Sullivan and Amboy, skate park repairs, playground upgrades and compensation reviews.
After pointing out that all the listed projects were much needed, Councilman Dan Mintz suggested applying the surplus and dipping in to budget reserves to cover the remainder – a total of $1.2 million. All agreed and the transfer of funds was approved 5-0.
Addressing a persistent rumor that the Starbuck’s plans have dried up, Luckino stated that construction is due to start in late September. Building will take 90 days and then 60 days to hire and train staff; total completion time is approximately five months.
