Palm Desert council approves consent calendar, reallocates CDBG funds and clears bond plan for apartment project

The Palm Desert City Council approved its consent calendar by a 5-0 vote, adopted multiple substantial amendments to Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) annual action plans, and approved a plan for bond issuance for the Palm Villas at Millennium apartment project in separate votes during the council’s May 8 joint meeting.

Council members approved a package of CDBG substantial amendments after staff recommended reallocating unspent funds from several program years. Ivan Tenorio, the city’s homeless and supportive services manager, told the council that U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development rules require a public hearing when $25,000 or more is moved between projects or program years. “HUD requires that anytime that there is a moving of $25,000 or more between projects or program years… we would require a substantial amendment and a public hearing,” Tenorio said.

Tenorio described a reallocation plan that would concentrate COVID-era CDBG funds on a Desert Ark HVAC project, support an Americans with Disabilities Act bathroom upgrade at the Joslyn Center, and use the remaining balance largely for parking-lot resurfacing at the Candlewood property. He said the combined reallocation totals “217,000 and some change.” Council approved the amendments by a 5-0 vote.

The council also considered a proposed plan for bond issuance by the California Statewide Communities Development Authority (CSCDA) for Phase 1 of the Palm Villas at Millennium apartment project, located north of Gerald Ford Drive between Dinah Shore Drive and Technology Drive. A representative from the project developer, Palm Communities, participated by Zoom. After brief questions, the council approved the plan by a 4-1 vote, with Council member Quintanilla recorded as voting no.

Procedural votes: the consent calendar was approved on a motion and second; the council recorded the motion as passing 5-0. The CDBG amendments were approved following the public hearing and staff presentation; the motion passed 5-0. The CSCDA bond plan passed 4-1 with Quintanilla voting no.

What passed and next steps

- Consent calendar: approved 5-0. No items were pulled for separate discussion in the transcript record.

- CDBG substantial amendments: approved 5-0. Staff said the reallocations would apply unspent funds from program years including 2020 (COVID year), 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, directing money to the Desert Ark HVAC project, the Joslyn Center ADA bathroom project, and a Candlewood parking-lot resurfacing project. Staff said the total reallocation is about $217,000 and that staff expects to expend the funds within the calendar year.

- Bond plan for Palm Villas at Millennium: approved 4-1. The council’s approval is the city’s required jurisdictional consent for CSCDA bond issuance; a Palm Communities representative was available by Zoom. Council member Quintanilla voted no; the transcript does not record a roll-call of the other individual votes.

The council did not record additional conditions or amendments to the bond authorization in the meeting record. Several items, including the CDBG reallocations, depend on staff completing procurement and project work to expend funds; the council did not identify further legal or state-level approvals in the transcript.

Votes at a glance (recorded in the meeting transcript)

- Consent calendar: motion to approve the consent calendar as presented; motion passed 5 to 0 (vote recorded without member-level roll call in the transcript).

- CDBG substantial amendments (program years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024): motion to approve substantial amendments and reallocation plan; motion passed 5 to 0 (no individual vote roll call recorded in the transcript).

- CSCDA bond plan for Palm Villas at Millennium (Phase 1): motion to approve; motion passed 4 to 1 with Council member Quintanilla voting no.

Council members present at the meeting included Council member Nastandi; Council member Perdeta; Council member Quintanilla; Mayor Pro Tem Truby; and Mayor Harnick. Staff present for the items included Ivan Tenorio, homeless and supportive services manager, who presented the CDBG item. The transcript shows a Palm Communities representative participated by Zoom for the bond item.

Council materials and staff reports cited HUD requirements on CDBG substantial amendments and CSCDA requirements for local jurisdictional consent. The meeting record does not provide final budgets, detailed contract terms, or a full roll-call vote breakdown for every council member on each item; when the transcript did not list member-level votes, the article reports the vote tallies as recorded.