Indio City meeting moves to closed session on downtown bookstore negotiations; presiding clerk announces recusal

At the start of the Indio City council meeting, the presiding clerk proposed adjourning to a closed session to discuss real property negotiations under Government Code section 54956.8 involving two parcels on Miles Avenue and negotiations with a downtown bookstore. The clerk identified City of Indio negotiator Bridal h Montgomery, city manager, and said, “I have a financial interest in a property within 500 feet, so I will recuse myself.”

The request to move into closed session was made as Item 3.1 on the agenda and cited Government Code section 54956.8, the statute that permits closed-session conferences with real property negotiators. The clerk said the parcels involved were read in the record as 82713 and 82719 Miles Avenue and named the negotiating party as a downtown bookstore; no further details about price or terms were provided in the transcript.

The transcript records the clerk announcing the recusal but does not document a formal motion vote, who moved or seconded any motion, or the result of the proposed adjournment to closed session. After brief informal remarks the meeting prepared to proceed; the transcript ends without a recorded outcome for the closed-session proposal.

There were no other speakers identified in the available transcript. The council’s city manager was named as the negotiator for the city, but the transcript does not include any remarks from that official or additional staff about the negotiations. No timeline or follow-up date for reporting back to the council was recorded in the segment provided.

What happened next: the transcript does not show whether the council completed the closed session or took any subsequent action on the parcels or bookstore negotiations. Any further public steps, disclosures or votes were not included in the provided segment.