Focus and efficiency: How Palm Springs leaders turned 2024 into a landmark year ⋆ The Palm Springs Post

*City Manager Scott Stiles at his seat in Council Chambers prior to a City Council meeting earlier this month.*

Palm Springs experienced an unprecedented year of forward progress in 2024, with numerous projects completed or initiated and many issues weighing down the community finally resolved. City Manager Scott Stiles attributed the success to focused teamwork and improved efficiency in city operations.

When asked to choose a theme for 2024 this time last year, Stiles chose “focus.” It appears city staff and elected and appointed officials did just that.

The list of accomplishments includes opening of a navigation center with housing and wraparound services for the unhoused, settling lawsuits involving placement of the Marilyn Monroe statue and transparency by College of the Desert (COD) officials, opening of the first phase of the Thompson Hotel, and the story our readers chose as the biggest of the year — settlement of a claim brought by members of the Section 14 Survivors group.

Master plans for the airport and parks were also completed with public input, removal of the sunset clause for the Measure J sales tax was approved by voters, and progress was made on library renovations. City officials also helped plans for the Prescott Preserve move ahead and paved the way for a revitalized Plaza Theatre downtown.

Along the way, a pair of affordable housing projects – The Monarch Apartments and Vista Sunrise 2 – opened their doors, shade was installed over playgrounds, more concessions opened at the airport, and the city was made safer by an effort at clearing brush along nearby hillsides.

Stiles emphasized the importance of focus in accomplishing these tasks.

“You have to get your team in place first,” he said, reflecting on his first full calendar year in the role. “I didn’t do any of this myself. This is all of our people on our team. It was all about how do I get my team together and how do we get focused on what we need to do and not get too distracted with a million different things?”

Stiles also highlighted improvements in efficiency, such as changing the hours of the permit center so that it opens at 7:30 a.m. for contractors. This change, while simple, had a large impact.

*The Palm Springs Navigation Center under construction off McCarthy Road.*

“We eliminated a backlog of 700 building permits,” Stiles said. “When you clear the deck on that, now your building department can start to think a little more proactively about, ‘OK, what other things can we do that will help us?’”

Progress continues at the navigation center, which includes 55 beds and more than 80 housing units. Stiles reported that about 30 people are now permanently housed there, with more moving in regularly.

“It’s slowly ramping up,” Stiles said, explaining that the process of getting a person from living on the streets to being housed at the facility takes time.

Giving credit to active and engaged Palm Springs residents, Stiles noted several examples of successful community input that resulted in positive outcomes during the past year.

One example he pointed to was a recent post-election community conversation meeting held by Police Chief Andy Mills, which drew about 250 attendees. He described the event as “almost like a cathartic” experience for residents.

“People didn’t necessarily want to tell us to do anything. They just wanted to share what their feelings were, what their fears were, what their hopes were,” Stiles explained. “It felt like a little bit of a release. I thought it was just a tremendously positive meeting.”

Residents line up to speak at a recent community conversation on post-election fears. City Manager Scott Stiles said the meeting was an example of how city officials pro-actively listened to the community.

Another example Stiles cited was the ongoing development of the airport master plan. After initial proposals for large-scale expansion, including new car rental facilities, the city conducted extensive listening sessions throughout the Coachella Valley.

“When we listen to all that, there started to evolve some thought about maybe there’s sort of a hybrid system that starts to pay attention to what people have said about unbridled growth or how we can phase things in and understand how that growth happens,” Stiles said.

He noted that this approach led to a significant evolution from the original designs.

Stiles also mentioned recent efforts to address wildfire concerns, particularly along the city’s western and southern edges. The fire department and code compliance teams worked with property owners to clear brush on both private and public land.

“The public responded really well to that,” Stiles said, adding that such preemptive measures can help protect the community from potential disasters like the recent Malibu fires.

He emphasized that Palm Springs’ level of community engagement sets it apart from many other municipalities.

“I know that being in government all these years, the public tends to think that we’re in this shell here at City Hall and that we don’t pay attention or listen to anybody or do anything, but it really isn’t the case,” Stiles said. “And it really is the case in Palm Springs compared to a lot of cities that we have a very engaged community.”