The Twentynine Palms City Council met last night to review and address issues relating to VHR permit fees, new bike lanes, city finances, abandoned shopping carts, and how to fund a much-needed upgrade to the Luckie Park pool.
Last night’s three-hour Twentynine Palms City Council meeting was mostly about money. Regarding the price tag of new and renewed vacation Home Rental (VHR) permits, the council considered increasing the fee from $143 to $750. After discussion, the council ultimately approved an increase to $300 per permit. With a cap of 500 VHRs (and five VHRs per entity), the city now has just 43 permits left.
City Manager Frank Luckino informed the council about their grant application to fund a $3M Class 2 bike and pedestrian path along Hatch/Sullivan roads. The council also approved the new Channel Trail construction plan with the contract award going to Urban Habitat.
When the council originally budgeted the Luckie Park pool project in March, costs were estimated at $4.8M. Several factors (inflation, oil prices, material supply-chain issues, high work demand, less staffing) have now driven that cost to $6.2M. The council discussed numerous ways to make up the difference, including moving funds from other city projects, but it was ultimately decided to tap into the city’s reserves to cover the $1.4M discrepancy.
Finance Director Abigail Hernandez presented to the council on several budget revisions for the General Fund and the Project Phoenix Funds. All were approved.
Community Development Director Travis Clark laid out possible solutions to the unsightly problem of abandoned shopping carts and offered examples of how neighboring cities handle the issue, including tokens, citations, retrieval services, magnetic strips, and fines. The council concluded that businesses/cart owners need to be part of the conversation before further action is taken.
