Indio City Council adjourns to closed session; mayor recuses from property negotiation

The Indio City Council on June 17 adjourned to closed session to discuss a pending real property negotiation, two lawsuits and a performance evaluation for the city attorney.

Council announced Item 3.1 as a conference with real property negotiators under Government Code §54956.8 involving 45151 Oasis Street; the city named Jonathan Nix, city manager, as its negotiating negotiator and identified the negotiating party as 45151 Oasis LLC. The presiding official declared a financial conflict, saying, “For the record, I am conflicted on this due to the fact that I have a financial interest in a property within 500 ft of that, so I will not be part of that conversation.” The mayor’s recusal means the mayor will not participate in the closed-session discussion on the property negotiation.

The council also listed Item 3.2 as a conference with legal counsel on existing litigation: Zende Estate LLC v. Polo Club Maintenance Association, Riverside Superior Court case number CVPS2407985. Item 3.3 was listed as City of Indio v. State Water Resources Control Board, Fresno County Superior Court case number 24 CECG04779. Both were described as conferences with legal counsel pursuant to Government Code §54956.9. Item 3.4 was identified as a public employee performance evaluation under Government Code §54957 for the title City Attorney.

A staff member reported that all council members were present for the record and there were no public comments on the closed-session items before the council recessed. The council then adjourned into closed session; no outcomes or votes were announced in the public remarks recorded in the transcript.

Next steps: the council proceeded into closed session on the listed items; the transcript records no public outcome or follow-up motion in open session.