HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-19-23 - Airport Commssion Minutes
AIRPORT COMMISSION
ACTION SUMMARY MINUTES OF REGULAR ADJOURNED MEETING
April 19, 2023 – 5:30 P.M.
1. CALL TO ORDER:
Chairman Dada called the Airport Commission Meeting to order at 5:30 P.M., and he
invited Commissioner Feltman to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. The meeting was held
in-person and via videoconference.
2. POSTING OF THE AGENDA: Posted on April 13, 2023.
3. ROLL CALL:
Commissioners Present:
Gerald Adams (Palm Springs) Kathleen Hughes (La Quinta)
Patricia Breslin (Palm Springs) Tony Michaelis (Cathedral City)
Paul Budilo (Indian Wells) Scott G. Miller (Palm Springs)
Todd Burke (Palm Springs) John Payne (Palm Springs)
Aftab Dada (Palm Springs) – Chair Jan Pye (Desert Hot Springs)
David Feltman (Palm Springs) Paul Slama (Riverside County)
Ken Hedrick (Palm Springs) Rick Wise (City of Indio)
Commissioners Absent: Kevin Corcoran (Palm Springs) – Vice Chair, M Guillermo Suero (Palm Springs), and Kevin Wiseman (Palm Desert)
Staff Present:
Scott C. Stiles, City Manager
Harry Barrett, Jr., Airport Executive Director
Jeremy Keating, Assistant Airport Director
Daniel Meier, Deputy Director of Aviation, Marketing and Air Service
Victoria Carpenter, Airport Administration Manager
Jeffrey Ballinger, City Attorney
Christina Brown, Executive Administrative Assistant
Others Present:
Alex Garfio, Fuse Connect, LLC
Scott Jacobson, Fuse Connect, LLC
Palm Springs Airport Commission
Action Summary Minutes of Regular Meeting
April 19, 2023
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4. ACCEPTANCE OF THE AGENDA:
Executive Administrative Assistant Brown stated that before a motion was made to
accept the agenda, she needed to notify the Airport Commission that a Commissioner
had brought to staff’s attention that Government Code Section 54957.5 requires that a
roll call vote be taken for all Commission votes. Chairman Dada stated that the Airport
Commission would proceed accordingly.
ACTION: Accept the Agenda as presented. Moved by Commissioner Feltman,
seconded by Commissioner Hedrick and unanimously approved noting the
absence of Vice Chairman Corcoran and Commissioners Suero and Wiseman.
5. PUBLIC COMMENTS: None
6. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES:
ACTION: Approve the minutes of the Airport Commission meeting of January 18, 2023.
Moved by Commissioner Burke, seconded by Commissioner Breslin and
unanimously approved noting the absence of Vice Chairman Corcoran and
Commissioners Suero and Wiseman.
7. INTRODUCTIONS AND PRESENTATIONS:
7.A City Manager Scott C. Stiles
Chairman Dada introduced City Manager Stiles, who has been with the City of Palm
Springs for three weeks. Mr. Stiles noted that his previous 7 ½ years of experience was
in the position of City Manager for the City of Garden Grove, and he said that he had
previously worked for the City of Cincinnati for 27 years.
Mr. Stiles reported that newly appointed Fire Chief Paul Alvarado would be starting on
May 1st and that he would have Fire Chief Alvarado attend a future Commission
meeting to introduce himself to the Commission. He thanked Airport Executive Director
Barrett and the Airport’s Security Manager for an in-depth tour of the Airport, and the
overview of the Airport’s operations and future plans. Mr. Stiles noted that the budget
would be approved on July 1st and that filling the Airport’s vacant positions was a priority,
and he said that a human resources specialist would be hired to specifically focus on
the Airport’s staffing needs. He said that he was aware of the issue of homelessness in
Palm Springs and at the Airport and that his goal was to implement additional resources
to address the issue.
7.B City Clerk Brenda Pree
Due to unforeseen circumstances, City Clerk Pree was not able to attend the meeting.
7.C Airport Commissioner Rick Wise (Indio)
Palm Springs Airport Commission
Action Summary Minutes of Regular Meeting
April 19, 2023
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Commissioner Wise said that he had worked as a Project Manager at Alaska Airlines
for 32 years and that he was glad to be serving on the Airport Commission.
8. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS:
8.A Commissioner Terms
Executive Administrative Assistant Brown stated that she and Airport Executive Director
Barrett had spoken with City Attorney Ballinger and City Clerk Pree, and she said that
she had been instructed that per Municipal Code 2.06.010, Commissioners may serve
on the Airport Commission for a total continuous service of 7 years. For Palm Springs
Commissioners, the extended service must be approved by the City Council, and for
the other 8 cities and Riverside County, the extended service must be approved by the
appointing City/County and the Palm Springs City Council. She noted that there were
four Palm Springs Commissioners and the Riverside County appointee whose terms
would be ending on June 30th, and that she or the City Clerk’s office would be contacting
these Commissioners to instruct them as to if they would be asked to extend their time
on the Commission or if their term would be officially ending on June 30th.
8.B Brown Act Rules on Discussing Agenda Items
City Attorney Ballinger provided an overview of the Brown Act, specifically what could
be discussed by Commissioners when a discussion item is not specifically listed on the
agenda. Mr. Ballinger explained that the premise of the Brown Act is to notify the public
of what items will be discussed or taken action on based on the posted agenda.
Mr. Ballinger said that the Brown Act specifies that each item of business on the agenda
must have a brief general description, members of the public can comment on the item
and that Commissioners are forbidden from discussing or taking action on items not
listed on the agenda with the exemptions that Commissioners can make brief
comments, ask a question for clarity, respond to a question posed by the public, make
a brief announcement, or make a brief statement reporting on the Commissioner’s own
activities. Commissioners can also contact staff or other resources to secure additional
information.
Mr. Ballinger said that the general rule of thumb for items that are not listed as a
Discussion and Action Item is that the Commission should not allow for brief statements
or questions to be turned into extended discussions, and he explained that the
Executive Director Report is meant to provide an update to the Commission and that it
is not meant to be a discussion item, and he said that Commissioners can ask for
clarification on items in the Executive Director Report, as long as it doesn’t turn into a
discussion.
Commissioner Payne asked for clarification on what items could be discussed by the
Commission. Mr. Ballinger explained that all items listed as a Discussion and Action
Palm Springs Airport Commission
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April 19, 2023
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Item could be discussed by the Commission. Commissioner Miller asked for clarification
on what items can be discussed by the Commission. Mr. Ballinger reiterated that all
items listed as a Discussion and Action Item could be discussed by the Commission.
Commissioner Miller asked if a Commissioner could request that a topic that is included
in the Executive Director Report be added as a Discussion and Action Item for a future
Commission meeting. Mr. Ballinger explained that it would be appropriate for a
Commissioner to request that a topic from the Executive Director Report be added as
a Discussion and Action Item for a future Commission meeting if more than two or three
Commissioners were voicing an interest in doing so.
Commissioner Miller inquired about the appropriate procedure for Commissioners to
request that an item be added to the agenda, and he referred to the City Council’s
procedure for adding items to the agenda. Mr. Ballinger explained that it is up to each
legislative body to determine the rules for adding items to the agenda. Airport Executive
Director Barrett noted that while the Airport Commission doesn’t have adopted bylaws,
the Commission does have rules set in place for Commissioners to follow for requesting
agenda items. Commissioner Miller noted that the Airport staff had presented a
memorandum to the Airport Commission with the rules for requesting agenda items, he
said that the Commission did not vote to approve the rules, and he argued that the rules
were not enforceable because the Commission did not vote to approve the rules for
requesting agenda items. Commissioner Miller asked when Commissioners could
request that an agenda item be added to discuss adopting rules for the Commission’s
procedure to request agenda items. Executive Administrative Assistant Brown said that
the request could be made during Commissioners Requests and Reports.
Commissioner Budilo noted that he had observed various Coachella Valley City Council
meetings, and he said that councilmembers were allowed to ask questions about report
items, and he asked why they were allowed to ask questions. Mr. Ballinger asked the
Commission not to mishear him because he did not say that the Commission could not
ask questions, and he said that he had advised the Commission to limit the questions
so that the questions do not turn into a discussion. Mr. Ballinger reiterated that a couple
of Commissioners can ask brief questions or make brief comments during items that
are not a Discussion and Action Items as long as the questions or comments do not
turn into a discussion.
Commissioner Payne argued that there were Commissioners that wouldn’t object to a
23-minute discussion on a report item, if the discussion would help staff understand
what information they needed to bring back to the Commission. Mr. Ballinger explained
that the Brown Act states that a legislative body cannot discuss or take action on an
item that is not listed on the agenda, and he said that the legislation has made it clear
that even if the Commission falls short of taking action on an item, the Commission
cannot have a discussion on an item if the public doesn’t have an idea that the
Commission will be discussing the item at the meeting.
Palm Springs Airport Commission
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April 19, 2023
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Commissioner Miller voiced his concern in regard to the Commissioners being able to
digest and discuss the Airport information that is provided in a report. Commissioner
Feltman interjected that the Commissioner’s purpose as Airport Commissioners was to
engage with the Airport staff on important Airport issues, and he said that he believed
that a simple an elegant solution would be to list some of the items from the Executive
Director Report as Discussion and Action Items. Mr. Ballinger said that although
Commissioner Feltman’s suggestion could be done, items that are listed in the
Executive Director Report aren’t typically also listed in Discussion and Action Items, and
he said that the Commission should keep in mind that the Executive Director Report is
meant to provide important updates to the Commission, and if the Commission wishes
to discuss an item further, the Commission can request to discuss the item at a future
Commission meeting.
Commissioner Payne suggested that the Executive Director Report be listed as a
Discussion and Action Item. Mr. Ballinger said that Commissioner Payne’s suggestion
could be done if Mr. Barrett was aggregable. Mr. Barrett noted that the Executive
Director Report is typically distributed to the Commission after the agenda has been
posted. Commissioner Burke asked for clarification between Commissioner Payne’s
suggestion and the advice that Mr. Ballinger had provided. Commissioner Payne
explained that the Executive Director Report could be provided to the public at the same
time it is distributed to the Commission.
Mr. Ballinger said that the Commissioners were welcome to contact him with any
questions, and he noted that he has an attorney on staff that works with other Airport
Commissions and that he could have that attorney attend the monthly Commission
meetings. Chairman Dada asked City Manager Stiles if he would allow the Airport
Commission to have an attorney attend the monthly Commission meetings. Mr. Stiles
said that he would allow an attorney to attend the monthly Airport Commission meetings.
8.C Airport Commission Meeting Time
Executive Administrative Assistant Brown stated that Commissioner Payne had
requested that the Airport take a vote to determine if the majority of the Commission
was in favor of recommending to City Council that the Airport Commission meetings be
held at an earlier time of day on the third Wednesday of each month excluding August
when the Commission goes dark. Ms. Brown said that if the majority of the Commission
were to agree to meeting at an earlier time of day, she would contact each
Commissioner to determine the time that the majority could agree upon and the
Commissioners would vote on the time at the May Commission meeting, and if there
wasn’t a consensus as to an earlier meeting time, Ms. Brown said she would provide
the top two times for Commissioners to vote on at the May Commission meeting.
Commissioner Adams noted that the reason why the City Council went to the current
time frame was to allow people who worked 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M jobs the opportunity
to serve on Boards and Commissions.
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April 19, 2023
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Commissioner Payne stated that he had been trying to get this item on the agenda for
a while, and his reasoning for this item was to address the length of the meetings being
held now. He said that he could see matters getting more complex and involved, the
number of Airport projects indicated to him that an earlier meeting time would be more
conducive to getting work done and that an earlier meeting time would not infringe on
family and personal time. Commissioner Payne noted that the Commission receives
very little public input and that he believed that a meeting time change would not
inconvenience the public.
Chairman Dada noted that the Commissioners were appointed by the Palm Springs City
Council, he said that the Commission needs to make sure that the City Council is in
support of the Commission discussing a potential meeting time change, and he said
that it was the City Council that directed the Boards and Commissions to hold the
meetings at 5:30 P.M. City Manager Stiles asked if it was statutorily listed in the
ordinance that the meetings had to be held at 5:30 P.M. City Attorney Ballinger said that
in 2020, the Palm Springs City Council adopted the ordinance that set the standard for
all Boards and Commissions meetings to start at 5:30 P.M. unless City Council makes
an exception.
Chairman Dada said that before Ms. Brown proceeds with the roll call vote, he would
prefer for the Airport Commission to receive confirmation that the City Council is in
support of the Airport Commission moving forward on this matter. Mr. Stiles noted that
the City Council would likely ask him to confirm the meeting time that the Commission
is requesting that the meeting time be changed to. Chairman Dada said that Ms. Brown
could provide the meeting time once the time was determined by the Commission.
Ms. Brown stated that the first step would be to verify if the majority of the Commission
was in favor of changing the meeting time, and she confirmed with Mr. Ballinger that a
majority vote would require 8 votes. Commissioner Adams asked Ms. Brown to clarify
the motion that was being voted on by the Commission. Ms. Brown said that the motion
was to confirm that the majority of the Commission does wish to recommend to the City
Council that the Airport Commission meeting time be moved to an early time of the day,
and she said that if the motion passes, she would be contacting the Commissioners to
determine a meeting time that would work best for the majority of the Commission. Mr.
Ballinger advised Ms. Brown that she could not contact the Commissioners individually
either by email or telephone to determine the meeting time and that the meeting time
would need to be determined publicly in an Airport Commission meeting. Mr. Stiles said
that he would prefer for the Commission to vote on a time as well which would allow
him to convey the Commission’s specific request to the City Council.
Commissioner Breslin questioned whether this was the right time to entertain this action
due to the number of Commissioner’s who had terms that would be expiring soon, and
she recommended that the new Commissioners be given the opportunity to have a say
in the matter. Ms. Brown noted to Mr. Ballinger that Commissioner Payne had requested
that the item be put on the agenda, and she said that she believed that the first step
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April 19, 2023
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would be to see if the majority of the Commission was in favor of changing the meeting
time. Mr. Ballinger agreed with Ms. Brown.
ACTION: Recommend to the City Council that the time of the Commission monthly
meeting be moved to an earlier time of the day. Moved by Commissioner Hedrick,
seconded by Commissioner Miller, and denied by the following roll call vote 10
No; 3 Yes; 1 Abstention; and the absence of Vice Chairman Corcoran and
Commissioners Suero and Wiseman.
8.D Agreement with Fuse Connect, LLC
Deputy Director of Aviation, Marketing and Air Service Meier said that Scott Jacobsen
with Fuse Connect, LLC (Fuse) would be giving a presentation to the Commission, and
he mentioned that he would not be presenting the Marketing Update because he was
out of town.
Mr. Jacobsen introduced himself and Alex Garfio as the Fuse Team, he provided the
Fuse Team’s background and experience, and he said that their current clients included
Ontario International Airport, Santa Barbara Airport, and Charles M. Schultz Sonoma
County Airport. Mr. Jacobsen reviewed Fuse’s beliefs, and he said that Fuse offers
relationships, innovation, and local emphasis to promote the cultures and industries of
a region and a sense of pride and place for passengers and the community. Mr.
Jacobsen provided examples of several projects that Fuse had worked on at the Ontario
International Airport that drove up revenue and advertising dollars, and he reviewed
partnerships that Fuse had worked on with Porshe and Good Day LA/Fox 11.
Mr. Jacobsen reviewed Fuse’s roadmap ahead for PSP which most importantly included
complementing the mid-century modern architecture and aesthetics with a unified
message throughout; growing local advertising partners with a mix of national brands;
creating innovative partnerships to bring in revenue and positive public relations for the
Airport, Commission, and the City. Mr. Garfio noted that Fuse’s commitment to the
Airport included investing in the Airport and understanding the goals of the Airport. He
said that Fuse would be investing $400,000 into the Airport’s digital static infrastructure
and that they were focused on decluttering and ensuring alignment with the mid-century
modern motif of the Airport. Mr. Garfio presented an Airport diagram, and he reviewed
the design mock-ups for the concourse, baggage and arrival areas.
Commissioner Miller inquired about the length of time that Fuse had been in business.
Mr. Jacobsen said that Fuse had been in business for a little over three years, and he
noted that Fuse also represents UC Santa Barbara Athletics and Cal State Fullerton
Athletics. Commissioner Adams stated that the whole objective of most airport terminal
passenger waiting areas is to provide a calmer environment and to not bombard
passengers with advertisements, and he asked if Fuse had taken into consideration the
digital volume. Mr. Jacobsen said that he agreed with Commissioner Adams’ feedback,
and he said that their proposal would be fine-tuned.
Palm Springs Airport Commission
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April 19, 2023
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Commissioner Payne asked about the customer demographic metrics that Fuse would
be sharing with the Airport. Mr. Jacobsen said that it really depends on the complexity
of the Airport’s infrastructure to collect certain data and that Fuse would work with the
Airport and local tourism groups, and he said that they wouldn’t necessarily be going
out and surveying passengers to collect demographic information. Commissioner
Payne inquired about Fuse’s plan to navigate the Airport’s infrastructure. Mr. Jacobsen
said that the Fuse team would be working closely with the Airport staff. Mr. Meier stated
the Airport staff would be keeping Fuse abreast of any changes that may come up from
the construction of the baggage claim expansion project and that the Airport staff would
be working with Fuse to ensure that equipment is installed in the correct places.
Commissioner Miller referred to the option to renew the contract, and he asked Mr.
Meier who had the authority to renew the contract. Mr. Meier replied that it is at the sole
discretion of the City which would be the Airport to renew the contract. Commissioner
Miller asked if there was any discussion about the length of the contract versus the
amount of time that this company has been in business. Mr. Meier asked Commissioner
Miller to clarify his question. Commissioner Miller responded that it is unusual to give a
5-year lease to a company that is 3 years old. Mr. Meier said that he wasn’t aware of
any discussions about the contract term, he clarified that the contract had a three-year
term with two one-year options to extend the contract, and he noted that there is
language in all city contracts that give the City the ability to exit a contract with a 30-day
notice.
ACTION: Recommend that the Palm Springs City Council approve an agreement with
Fuse Connect LLC. Moved by Commissioner Hedrick, seconded by Commissioner
Burke and approved by the following roll call vote: 9 Yes; 2 No; 3 Abstentions; and
the absence of Vice Chairman Corcoran and Commissioners Suero and Wiseman.
8.E Marketing Update
Chairman Dada noted that the Commission would not be receiving a Marketing Update.
8.F Budget and Finance Committee Update
Committee Chairman Hedrick stated that on April 5th, the Budget and Finance
Committee met, and he provided the following committee meeting summary:
Airport Executive Director Barrett reported that consideration was being given to raising
the Airport’s parking rates. The parking rate for 20 minute parking would be increased
from $2.00 to $3.00, the hourly rate would be increased from $6.00 to $8.00, and a new
parking rate of $28.00 was being added for oversized vehicles that take up more than
one parking space, such as campers. Mr. Barrett said that the additional revenue would
help fund capital improvement projects, and general maintenance in the parking lots, as
well as other upgrades that are necessary.
Palm Springs Airport Commission
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April 19, 2023
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Commissioner Miller had requested information on the list of projects that would be
funded by the Measure J Fund. Mr. Barrett said that the project list was being
developed by staff and that the list would be shared at a later time, and he also informed
the Committee that the projects would first need to be approved by the Measure J
Commission and the City Council.
Staff provided an initial review of the FY23-24 and FY24-25 proposed budgets, the
Committee had provided their questions to staff, and no action was taken on the draft
budget.
Committee Chairman Hedrick reported that he had met with Airport Administration
Manager Carpenter to review a number of revenue increases and new revenue
streams that would be generated from the new Airport Use and Lease Agreements
which would be presented at the April City Council meeting.
8.G Financial Summary Update
Airport Administration Manager Carpenter said that she had provided the financial
summary ending March 31st in the agenda packet. Commissioner Miller requested
that Ms. Carpenter review the financial summary highlights, any unexpected
expenditures or revenues that have occurred, and the months that were involved. Ms.
Carpenter said that all four funds were doing very well, she noted that the biggest
change was made in Capital Expenditure Fund 416, where there was a net spending
of approximately $1.3 million. The Airport had an increase of approximately $823,000
of expenditure when compared to the prior month because most of the Airport’s
expenditures hit for the FAA funded projects like the Hot Spot study, the Taxiway
Rehabilitation Design, the Wildlife Hazard Assessment, the Runway Sweeper, and
there were additional project expenses for the Common Use Project, Gate striping,
and network switches that had to be installed for IT related matters. Ms. Carpenter
said that the Airport was intending to submit a reimbursement to the FAA in the amount
of $715,000 for Quarter 3, and she was expecting the Airport to receive the
reimbursement by the end of April.
Commissioner Miller asked if the Airport funds were running within Ms. Carpenter’s
expectations. Ms. Carpenter said that the Airport funds were running within her
expectations, and she noted that the Airport’s year-to-date actuals for Airport revenues
was at $44 million and that staff had budgeted $47 million. Commissioner Payne
inquired about the excess projected revenue. Ms. Carpenter said that she wanted to
wait until the next month to address the excess projected revenue so that she could
see how May and June were going to look for the Airport’s revenues.
Commissioner Payne inquired about the Airport receiving revenue from the festivals.
Ms. Carpenter said the festivals don’t bring in as much revenue as everybody probably
thinks they do, and she said that the Airport’s number one revenue generator is the
on-airport car rentals. She also noted that there would be about a $20,000 spike in
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April 19, 2023
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revenues from ground transportation fees.
8.H Airport FY23-24 and FY24-25 Budget Review
Airport Administration Manager Carpenter provided a presentation of the Airport’s
Preliminary Budget for FY23-24 and FY24-25. Commissioner Payne referred to Fund
405, and he asked if the $10.6 million in FY23-24 and the $3 million in FY24-25 would
be combined for land acquisition. Ms. Carpenter clarified that the two amounts that
total $13.6 million would be used for the new car rental counters and the planning and
design of the new consolidated rental car facility. Commissioner Feltman voiced his
concern in regard to it appearing that the Airport staff was implying that the
consolidated rental car facility was being built and that funds were being allocated to
the project which was contradictory to the information that had been recently provided
to the Commission. Airport Executive Director Barrett said that the Airport staff hadn’t
made any decisions and that staff was reserving the funds in order to be prepared for
when the Airport Master Plan is completed.
Commissioner Miller referred to Fund 410, and he asked if the fund is traditionally in
the negative. Ms. Carpenter explained that the Airport collects the Passenger Facility
Charges, the funds are transferred into a trust fund, and the trust fund account funds
the PFC approved projects. Commissioner Miller suggested that the explanation that
Ms. Carpenter had provided to the Commission be included in the budget to help the
City Council and the public understand why there is a negative balance.
Commissioner Miller referred to Fund 415 – Additional & Proposed Staffing, and he
asked if staff believed that the Airport would have a sustainable revenue over the next
10 years to keep the additional positions that were being added. Mr. Barrett said that
staff believed that part of the Master Plan process and the Airport’s strategic planning
process would help support the added positions. Commissioner Miller asked if there
was enough workspace for the 45 employees that would be hired over the next two
years. Mr. Barrett said that staff had been strategizing to identify underutilized areas
at the Airport and that he was confident that there would be enough workspace for the
next two years.
Commissioner Miller asked if the Airport had gone through a class and compensation
study in the last three to four years. Mr. Barrett explained that for many of the older
positions, there had not been a class and compensation study done, he said that there
was an ACI Study that was available for staff to use as a resource to benchmark
against some of the similar positions and in regard to the newer positions, it was
standard procedure to have a cost study done. Commissioner Miller voiced his
concern in regard to the older positions being severely underpaid, and he suggested
that the Commission recommend to the City Council that a comprehensive class and
compensations study be done for all Airport positions.
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April 19, 2023
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Commissioner Payne referred to the funds budgeted for Wi-Fi design and
construction, and he asked if the Airport would have control over the spending of the
Wi-Fi funds or if the funds would be used by the IT Department. Mr. Barrett said that
the Wi-Fi project would be a joint partnership between the Airport and the IT
Department. Commissioner Payne voiced his concern in regard to the use of funds for
each of the different projects. Mr. Barrett explained that an Airport Planner and Project
Manager would be hired to coordinate and strategize how and when the projects get
executed.
Chairman Dada exited the meeting at 7:38 P.M., and Commissioner Hedrick filled in
as the Chairman of the Airport Commission meeting.
ACTION: Recommend that the City Council approve the Airport FY2023-2024 and
FY2024-2025 Budget. Moved by Commissioner Wise, seconded by
Commissioner Miller and approved by the following roll call vote: 11 Yes; 2
Abstentions; and the absence of Chairman Dada, Vice Chairman Corcoran, and
Commissioners Suero and Wiseman.
8.I Operations, Properties and Facilities Committee Update
Committee Chairman Feltman provided a summary of the April 5th Operations,
Properties and Facilities Committee meeting. He said that the Committee had
discussed parking capacity, and he noted that Commissioner Payne had asked staff
for additional parking data. Committee Chairman Feltman reported that there was a
discussion about the baggage handling system, he said that he had raised the issue
of customer experience measurement and that he had been informed that Deputy
Director of Aviation, Marketing and Air Service Meier was spearheading the customer
service measurement effort, and he requested that a customer experience
measurement discussion item be added to the June Airport Commission meeting
agenda.
Committee Chairman Feltman thanked staff for dedicating a significant amount of
funds towards fixing the Airport’s Wi-Fi issues, and he noted that the Landscape
Committee had been combined into the Operations, Properties and Facilities
Committee, and the Committee would be reviewing all future artwork proposals from
the Public Arts Commission.
Commissioner Payne requested that the ACI’s ASQ survey process be included with
the customer experience measurement agenda item that Committee Chairman
Feltman had requested be added to the June Commission meeting agenda. Ms.
Brown asked Committee Chairman Feltman if he was asking for a customer
experience measurement update to be presented to the Committee or the
Commission. Committee Chairman Feltman said that he was requesting that the
update be given to the Commission.
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April 19, 2023
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Commissioner Feltman exited the meeting at 7:38 P.M.
8.J Concessions Update
Assistant Airport Director Keating said that a brief summary was provided in the Airport
Commission agenda packet, and he said that staff was having regularly scheduled
meeting with Paradies and The Marshall Retail Group (MRG) and that staff was
ensuring that the concessionaires stay on schedule. Commissioner Payne requested
a Master Schedule be provided to the Commission.
8.K Ad Hoc Master Plan Review Committee / Working Group
Airport Administrative Assistant Brown noted that City Attorney Ballinger advised Ms.
Brown and Airport Executive Director Barrett that because there would be City staff
participating in the Airport Master Plan process, staff should have not had the
Commission vote to create the Ad Hoc Master Plan Review Committee and that the
Master Plan consultant Mead & Hunt had also advised Mr. Barrett and Ms. Brown that
a working group would be the best way to proceed with the Master Plan meetings. Ms.
Brown said they would like to have the Commission vote to discharge the Ad Hoc
Master Plan Review Committee and to create a Master Plan Working Group with the
same Commissioners who were assigned to the Ad Hoc Master Plan Review
Committee. Ms. Brown said that the first working group meeting would be held the first
week of May, and baring any delays, an update would be provided to the Commission
in November 2024.
ACTION: Approve the Discharge of the Ad Hoc Master Plan Review Committee and
create a Master Plan working group. Moved by Commissioner Payne, seconded
by Commissioner Burke, and unanimously approved, noting the absence of
Chairman Dada, Vice Chairman Corcoran, and Commissioners Feltman, Suero,
and Wiseman.
8.L AULA Update
Airport Executive Director Barrett reported that Southwest Airlines and Delta Airlines
had signed the AULA, staff was expecting American Airlines and Air Canada to sign
their AULA’s soon, and he said that the AULA would be presented to the City Council
on April 27th. Commissioner Budilo asked if the approval from the City Council would
allow him to sign on future airlines. Mr. Barrett confirmed that that the current AULA
and the proposed AULA both have in the agreement that the Airport Executive Director
can sign on future airlines.
ACTION: Recommend that the Palm Springs City Council approve the new AULA and
Non-Signatory Airline Operating Permit. Moved by Commissioner Payne,
seconded by Commissioner Budilo and unanimously approved, noting the
absence of Chairman Dada, Vice Chairman Corcoran, and Commissioners
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April 19, 2023
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Feltman, Suero, and Wiseman.
8.M Projects and Airport Capital Improvement Program Update
Airport Executive Director Barrett noted that he had provided the update in the agenda
packet.
8.N Wi-Fi Update
Commissioner Payne said that when he came into the Airport that evening, he did a
check on the Wi-Fi and it was less than 50K in the public area, and he asked if there
was an immediate fix available for that kind of problem. Airport Executive Director
Barrett said there wasn’t an immediate fix available, he said that IT was working on
fixing the issue, and he said that the City would be bringing in a consultant to assess
where the Airport needs additional service and how to add the additional service to
the Airport. Mr. Barrett said the Airport has budgeted funds for a Wi-Fi project and that
the project would have to go through the City’s procurement process and that it could
take up to a year to start the project. Commissioner Payne asked if Mr. Barrett would
be open to using a cooperative agreement to get the project started faster. Mr. Barrett
said that it would up to the IT Director to enter into a cooperative agreement.
8.O Airport Technology Update
Commissioner Payne voiced his concern in regard to the Airport staff making sure that
everything flows together and that staff was taking advantage of opportunities. Airport
Executive Director Barrett stated that staff analyses all areas of the Airport when
initiating a project to confirm that all services can be provided.
9. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT
Airport Executive Director Barrett noted that the report had been provided in the
agenda packet.
10. COMMISSIONERS REQUESTS AND REPORTS
Commissioner Pye referred to Agenda Item 8.C – Airport Commission Meeting Time,
she noted that the Airport Commission is an advisory Commission, and she
recommended that any time that a City Council has an ordinance in place, it may be
better to present the reasons for wanting to change a City ordinance to see first if the
City Council would be open to the Commission’s reasons for wanting to change an
ordinance, otherwise it could look like cynicism. Commissioner Pye voiced her support
for having rules in place for adding agenda items, and she suggested that the rule
should be that the Airport Commission Chair and the Airport Executive Director
determine which items will be added to the next meeting agenda and which items can
be postponed to a later meeting agenda which could help reduce the length of the
Palm Springs Airport Commission
Action Summary Minutes of Regular Meeting
April 19, 2023
Page 14 of 14
Commission meetings.
Commissioner Miller requested that a class and compensation agenda item be added
to the June Commission meeting.
11. REPORT OF CITY COUNCIL ACTIONS:
11.A Past City Council Actions
11.B Future City Council Actions
12. RECEIVE AND FILE:
12.A Airline Activity Report March 2023
12.B Airline Activity Report Fiscal Year Comparison
13. COMMITTEES:
13.A Updated Committee Roster
13.B Future Committee Meetings
14. ADJOURNMENT:
ACTION: Recommend to adjourn. Moved by Commissioner Burke seconded by
Commissioner Miller and unanimously approved, noting the absence of
Chairman Dada, Vice Chairman Corcoran, and Commissioners Feltman, Suero,
and Wiseman.
The Airport Commission adjourned at 8:02 P.M. to a Regular Meeting on May 17, 2023,
at 5:30 P.M.
Christina Brown
Executive Administrative Assistant