Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 3.G
Meeting Date: July 9, 2025
From: John A. Corella, Director of Public Works
Title: Approval of Amendment No. 1 to the Intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding with the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Regarding the Ramon Road Bridge Widening Project
RECOMMENDATION:
To authorize the Mayor to execute Amendment No. 1 to the Intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding with the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians to extend the termination date for the Ramon Road Bridge Widening Project to September 30, 2030.
BACKGROUND:
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians (ACBCI) has a longstanding history of supporting roadway improvement projects within Cathedral City. In 2017, ACBCI contributed $1.0 million toward the Vista Chino Roadway Resurfacing Improvements Project.
Prior to the project’s commencement in December 2015, the City and ACBCI entered into an Intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining contributions for both the Vista Chino Roadway Resurfacing and Ramon Road Bridge Widening projects. The MOU committed up to $1.15 million for the Ramon Road Bridge Widening and $1.0 million for Vista Chino, totaling $2.15 million. The agreement was set to expire on September 30, 2019, or upon project completion, whichever came first.
While the Vista Chino project was completed in 2017, the Ramon Road Bridge Widening project remained active, with $1.15 million in unused funding under the original MOU.
To continue support for the bridge project, a new Intergovernmental MOU was executed on February 25, 2020, allocating $1.15 million in Tribal Transportation Program (TTP) funding exclusively to the Ramon Road Bridge Widening Project. This agreement superseded the previous MOU and remains in effect until the project is completed or until September 30, 2025, whichever occurs first.
As of the date of this report, the Ramon Road Bridge Widening project has not yet entered the construction phase and remains in progress.
DISCUSSION:
The Ramon Road Bridge Widening project is currently in the right-of-way acquisition phase, with construction now projected to begin in 2026. Due to this revised timeline, both the city and the ACBCI have determined that an extension of the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is necessary to ensure adequate time for the completion of the project.
Amendment No. 1 to the MOU proposes to extend the agreement’s termination date from September 30, 2025, to September 30, 2030. This extension will maintain the availability of ACBCI’s funding commitment throughout the anticipated construction period.
All other provisions of the original MOU will remain unchanged.
City staff recommend that the City Council authorize the Mayor to execute Amendment No. 1 to the Intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding with the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians to extend the termination date for the Ramon Road Bridge Widening project to September 30, 2030.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP) currently allocates $35,998,000 toward the Ramon Road Bridge Widening project. The city’s local funding obligation remains unchanged at $1,695,239.46, of which $1,555,537 has already been programmed for construction in Fiscal Years 2025–26 through 2027–28 under Capital Improvement Project (CIP) No. 2500.
The amended MOU preserves the commitment of $1.15 million in Tribal Transportation Program funding from the ACBCI, which will continue to offset the city’s share of the project cost. Staff will return to the City Council with updated financial information and funding details as the project approaches construction and construction bids are secured.
DESCRIPTION GENERAL
LEDGER
ACCOUNT
CODES
PROJECT
CODE
AMOUNT ONE TIME or
ONGOING
2024-2025 Capital
Improvement
331-100-150-
156-8800-8802
C02500 –
ACBCI
1,150,000 One-time
2024-2025 N/A 331-100-150-
156-8800-8802
C02500 –
Flood Control
405,537 One-time
2024-2025 Total $1,555,537
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
Goal B: Community Investment
Objective: Cathedral City roads, gateways, public spaces, and other city infrastructure are well planned, designed, constructed, and maintained.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Amendment No. 1 to Intergovernmental MOU – Final
2. Original MOU (Executed February 25, 2020)