Cathedral City Page 1 of 3 Printed on 8/17/2023
Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 3.E
Meeting Date: August 23, 2023
From: John Corella, Director of Engineering/Public Works Title: Ratification of Traffic Signal Agreement with the City of Desert Hot Springs 2023
City Council
RECOMMENDATION:
For the City Council to approve an Agreement for Maintenance of Shared Traffic Signals and Safety Lighting between the Cities of Cathedral City and Desert Hot Springs; and authorize the Mayor of Cathedral City to execute the Agreement.
BACKGROUND:
The City of Cathedral City and the City of Desert Hot Springs share common City boundary limits in the northwestern portion of Cathedral City. As a result, both Cities have facilities that need to be maintained in cooperation with each other, especially evident along the Cities boundary limits on Palm Drive corridor north of Interstate 10, as shown in the attached Exhibit for the Northwest City Boundary. Roadways, medians, traffic signals and landscaping are the significant items typically addressed in mutual cooperative agreements for areas such as this.
The City of Cathedral City boundary limits north of Interstate 10, are the eastern half of Palm Drive up to Varner Road, where the Cathedral City boundary limits continue easterly along the center of Varner Road.
The shared intersections between Cathedral City and Desert Hot Springs are the intersection of Palm Drive and Varner Road, and the intersection of Palm Drive and Paul Road. An exhibit showing both intersections is attached to this report.
At the intersection of Palm Drive and Varner Road, the City of Cathedral City has a 25% share of responsibility for maintenance (the southwest corner of the intersection), and at the intersection of Palm Drive and Paul Road, the City of Cathedral City has a 50% share of the responsibility for maintenance (the easterly side of the intersection).
At a past Study Session on April 23, 2014, the City Council approved an agreement between the City of Cathedral City and the City of Desert Hot Springs for the maintenance of shared traffic signal and safety lighting installations at the intersection of
Cathedral City Page 2 of 3 Printed on 8/17/2023
Palm Drive and Paul Road and at the intersection of Palm Drive and Varner Road (Minute Order 6232).
Neither the City of Cathedral City nor the City of Desert Hot Springs have records of the fully executed agreement. Therefore, the transfer of maintenance responsibility for the traffic signals at the intersections with shared jurisdictions never came into effect. An updated version of the 2014 agreement is now being brought back to the City Council to be fully executed by both Cities.
DISCUSSION:
The attached Agreement for Maintenance of Shared Signals and Safety Lighting (Agreement) provides a new starting date on August 23, 2023, and supersedes any and all other agreements, either oral or in writing, between the parties with respect to the subject matter.
Under this Agreement, the lead agency to maintain the intersection of Palm Drive and Paul Road is the City of Cathedral City, and Desert Hot Springs is the lead agency for the maintenance at the intersection of Palm Drive and Varner Road that also includes an agreement with Riverside County.
The attached Agreement provides the City of Cathedral City will reimburse Desert Hot Springs for 25% of the cost of maintaining the Palm Drive and Varner Road signals, and the City of Desert Hot Springs will reimburse the City of Cathedral City 50% of the cost of maintaining the signals at Palm Drive and Paul Road, as depicted in Exhibit "A" to the Agreement.
The work and services to be provided by the Lead Agency under this Agreement includes routine maintenance services, emergency call-out services and electrical costs.
Extra Work beyond the scope of services shall be approved by the Secondary Agency before performing such extra work. Both Cities contract with the same company (Yunex Traffic Inc.) for their traffic signals routine maintenance. The contractor rate and fee schedules for routine maintenance, labor, equipment, and extraordinary maintenance are attached as Exhibit “B” to the Agreement for each City, respectively.
City Staff has been working with Desert Hot Springs and agreed no retroactive compensation or indemnification for the maintenance of traffic signals and safety lighting, from the period between May 30, 2014, to August 23, 2023, will be imposed from one City to another.
Staff recommends the City Council approve the Agreement for Maintenance of Shared Traffic Signals and Safety Lighting between the Cities of Cathedral City and Desert Hot Springs and authorize the Mayor of Cathedral City to execute the Agreement.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Funding for the traffic signal maintenance and operations are budgeted in the FY 2023- 2024 and FY 2024-2025 Biennial Budget under Measure A Funds - Operations in Cathedral City Page 3 of 3 Printed on 8/17/2023
account number 243-400-460-461-8300-8301 for routine maintenance and in account number 243-400-460-461-8300-8302 for traffic safety repairs and maintenance.
On a quarterly basis, the City of Desert Hot Springs will reimburse the City of Cathedral City 50% of the cost of maintaining the signals at Palm Drive and Paul Road and the City of Cathedral City will reimburse Desert Hot Springs for 25% of the cost of maintaining the Palm Drive and Varner Road signals.
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
GOAL B: COMMUNITY INVESTMENT
Objective: Cathedral City roads, gateways, public spaces, and other city infrastructure are well maintained.
ATTACHMENTS:
Shared Intersections between jurisdictions
08-23-2023 Traffic Signal Maintenance Agreement Cathedral City and Desert Hot Springs