DATE: 02/05/2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Police Department
2025-48
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE CITY OF INDIO REGARDING
REIMBURSEMENT OF OFF-DUTY POLICE OFFICERS AND EQUIPMENT AT
COACHELLA AND STAGECOACH MUSIC FESTIVALS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to consider adopting and approving a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Indio to use the City of Corona off-duty law enforcement personnel and/or equipment at the Coachella Music Festival and Stagecoach Festival. The festivals are annual large-scale events held in the City of Indio.
Agencies providing services are reimbursed at full overtime rates and for equipment utilized during the event at the flat fee amount noted in the agreement.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council:
a. Approve the Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Indio for reimbursement funding for officer assistance at the Coachella Music Festival and Stagecoach Music Festival occurring in the City of Indio, and authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the Memorandum of Understanding. b. Appropriate $57,646 annually from the unappropriated General Fund Balance to the Police Department’s operating budget and increase estimated revenues by the same amount to be reimbursed from the City of Indio.
c. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to adjust the budget accordingly based on actual costs incurred.
d. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to approve increases to the administrative fee for subsequent Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs).
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (Coachella) is typically held over two consecutive weekends, Friday through Sunday, in April in the City of Indio. This festival features musical artists from many genres of music, including rock, pop, and electronic dance music, as well as art installations and sculptures. The Stagecoach Festival (Stagecoach) is an annual festival usually held the weekend following Coachella.
Stagecoach is seen as a “cousin” of Coachella and is centered on country music.
The Indio Police Department is tasked with providing public safety for these events that can draw over 210,000 attendees over the three weekends. Consequently, the Department seeks assistance from local and State law enforcement agencies throughout the region to provide public safety services. Indio reimburses agencies providing services for the festivals at full overtime rates and for equipment utilized during the event. The City of Corona’s Police Department staff assisted with the Coachella and Stagecoach Festivals in 2019 and 2022-2024 under MOUs outlining service responsibilities for each party. Due to Covid-19, both festivals in 2020 and 2021 were canceled.
ANALYSIS:
The Indio Police Department requested assistance for a fifth year from the City’s Police Department for the 2025 events. Therefor, staff is proposing that the two agencies enter into a new MOU for the upcoming events. The proposed MOU sets the reimbursement rates for personnel and equipment. Additionally, the City of Indio shall pay the City of Corona an administrative fee equal to three percent (3%) of the total amount to be reimbursed. This is an increase from the two percent (2%) administrative fee paid in past years.
The Corona Police Department has available personnel to provide the requested services in the form of one police supervisor and up to six officers without impacting staffing. The personnel assigned will be on regular days off. Any unanticipated staffing vacancies will be filled for the City of Corona prior to authorizing staffing for the concert events.
Personnel assigned to the concert events will adhere to all Corona Police Department Policies.
During the festivals, the City of Corona will assume all risks of injury to its personnel and potential liability for its activities, which is typical when working under mutual aid agreements. Staff believes that such risk is acceptable, given the overall benefits provided when public agencies provide support and assistance to each other.
The MOU between the City of Corona and the City of Indio shall remain in effect unless terminated or modified. Each member has the ability to withdraw from the MOU with a seven-day notice, and all parties may agree to modify or terminate the MOU. The City of Corona City Attorney has reviewed and approved as to form the proposed MOU.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The service will reimburse the General Fund for estimated expenditures as follows:
Police Staffing Expense $ 55,247
Equipment Expense $ 720
Administrative Fee 3% $ 1,679
Total $ 57,646
Approval of the recommended actions will result in an appropriation in the amount of $57,646 to the Police Department’s operating budget and an estimated revenue increase by the same amount. Final budget adjustments, based on actual costs incurred, will be determined after the event, upon reimbursement submittal.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the common sense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action of direct enforcement is minimal and there is no possibility this will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: AMANDA ANDRADE, MANAGEMENT ANALYST II
REVIEWED BY: ROBERT NEWMAN, CHIEF OF POLICE
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Indio and the City of Corona