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Desert Hot Springs council opts into national opioid settlements, approves contracts for pool, police cameras and senior art program
Summary
At its Sept. 2 meeting, the Desert Hot Springs City Council voted 4–0 in closed session to opt into national opioid settlement agreements and approved a set of contracts including a $1.72 million award for the Furby Aquatic Center, a $620,524.91 five‑year Axon technology contract for the police department, and a $23,040 senior‑center art contract.
The Desert Hot Springs City Council on Sept. 2 voted to opt into the national opioid settlement agreements and approved several municipal contracts as part of its administrative agenda.
The city attorney reported a reportable closed‑session action: "the city voted 4 0 to opt into all the settlement agreements for the national opioid settlements, including that of Purdue," and the council also "voted 4 0 to authorize the city manager to execute" any subsequent settlement documents that must be acted on quickly, the attorney said. The council said it will notify the public when the city executes any settlement agreements.
On the administrative calendar, the council awarded the construction contract for the John H. Furby Aquatic Center improvements (Project No. 2013) to the lowest responsive bidder, California Waters Development Inc. Deputy City Manager Porras told the council the base bid was $1,723,100 and staff recommended a total project budget of $1,920,410, which includes construction management, inspections and materials. The council adopted staff's recommendation and the motion passed.
Police Chief Shaw urged approval of a bundled five‑year agreement with Axon Enterprises Inc. for body‑worn cameras, in‑car video and Taser 10 devices, calling the package an integrated approach that "provid[es] the most advanced technology" and noting warranties and cloud storage included in the proposal. Chief Shaw said the total five‑year cost is $620,524.91 (Year 1: $122,245.56; Years 2–5: $124,569.85 per year). Council authorized the city manager to negotiate and execute the contract.
The council also approved a professional services agreement with Sally Kirby to reinstate and expand an "Art for All" senior‑center program (48 weeks, one two‑hour session per week) at a cost not to exceed $23,040. The motion passed unanimously.
On intergovernmental business, the council designated Councilmember Voss as the city’s voting delegate to the League of California Cities annual conference; the motion passed with Councilmember Pai recorded as voting against.
Deputy City Manager Porras said the council also approved a contract to perform a study of a downtown infill tax‑increment financing approach (an EIFD/TIF study) to evaluate infrastructure needs and potential funding mechanisms; staff expects the consultant‑led study to conclude per the schedule included in the report and return to council for next steps.
What happens next: the city said it will post details about any opioid settlement opt‑ins and any executed settlements for public review; contract documents and the online budget book remain available on the city website for procurement and budget details.
Notes: Where the record gave vote counts, those are reported above (closed session opt‑in recorded 4–0). Several motions on the administrative calendar were recorded in the meeting as passing unanimously by voice vote.
