Agenda — Indian Wells City Council, September 17, 2026

CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA
Thursday, September 17, 2026
1:30 PM
City Hall Council Chamber
44950 Eldorado Drive, Indian Wells, CA 92210
Teleconference Location: For Mayor Taylor:
201 Presidents Circle, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112

Welcome to a meeting of the Indian Wells City Council.

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Live Zoom: Access via https://zoom.us/join and enter Webinar ID 864 4980 2242 Passcode 387826. OPTION 4: LIVE VIA TELEPHONE 1. Call (669) 444 9171 and enter Meeting ID 864 4980 2242 Passcode 387826.

Public Comments: Members of the Public who wish to speak should fill out a blue slip and submit it to the City Clerk; comments are limited to three (3) minutes. In accordance with State Law, remarks during public comments are to be limited to subjects within the City's jurisdiction. If you are unable to provide comments during meeting, written comments on agenda or non-agenda items or both, may be submitted at [email protected].

Notification: If you are an individual with a disability and need a reasonable modification or accommodation pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) please contact the City Clerk at 760-346-2489, 48 hours prior to the meeting.

Please turn off all communication devices (phones) or put them on non-audible mode (vibrate) during Council proceedings. All documents for public review are available for public inspection at City Hall reception, 44-950 Eldorado Drive, Indian Wells during normal business hours.

1 Council Meeting Agenda- September 17, 2026
A.CONVENE THE INDIAN WELLS CITY COUNCIL, PLEDGE OF

ALLEGIANCE AND ROLL CALL

MAYOR TOPER TAYLOR

MAYOR PRO TEM BRIAN PENNA

COUNCIL MEMBER GREG SANDERS

COUNCIL MEMBER DANA REED

COUNCIL MEMBER BRUCE WHITMAN
B.APPROVAL OF THE FINAL AGENDA
C.PUBLIC COMMENTS
Members of the public wishing to address the City Council on items listed on the agenda or non-agenda items may do so at this time.

Comments are limited to three (3) minutes per speaker. Speakers will be notified when their allotted time has expired and will be asked to conclude their remarks.

While the City Council welcomes and values public input, it may not take action or engage in substantive discussion on matters that are not listed on the Special Meeting agenda. Matters raised during public comment may, however, be referred to staff for review, follow-up, or placement on a future agenda, as appropriate.

D.COUNCIL MEMBER'S REPORTS
Council Members may ask a question for clarification, make a referral to staff, or take action to have staff place a matter of business on a future agenda. The Council may take action on items listed on the Agenda.

D.1 Mayor Toper Taylor Request for Consideration of a Motion to Add a Discussion Item to the October 15 Agenda re an Amendment to the City Council Policy Relating to Mayoral Communications During an Election
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:

Council DISCUSSES and PROVIDES direction on Mayor Toper Taylor's motion to add a discussion item to the October 15 Council agenda regarding an amendment to the City Council Policy Manual relating to mayoral communications during an election period; and
FINDS the project to be exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15378.
2 Council Meeting Agenda- September 17, 2026
D.2 Council Member Whitman Request for Consideration of Motions to Add Discussion Items to the October 15 Agenda re Amendments to the City Council Policy Relating to (1) Expectations of the Mayor and (2)Council Member Communications
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:

Council DISCUSSES and PROVIDES direction on Council Member Whitman motions to add discussion items to the October 15 Council agenda regarding amendments to the City Council Policy Manual relating to (1) Expectations of the Mayor and (2) Council Member Communications; and
FINDS the project to be exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15378.

E.ADJOURNMENT
To a regularly scheduled meeting of the City Council is to be held at 1:30 p.m. on October 15, 2026, in the City Hall Council Chamber.

Affidavit of Posting,
I, Angelica Avila, certify that on September 14, 2026, I caused a notice to be posted of a City Council Meeting to be held on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber.

Notices were posted at Indian Wells Civic Center and City's Website [ www.cityofindianwells.org]
Angelica Avila, MMC, City Clerk
3 City Council Meeting:

September17, 2026 - Public Comments
Non -Agenda Item
Angelica Avila
From:

Sent:

To:

Subject:

Mike Stewart
Sunday, September 13, 2026 8:18 AM
City Clerk
Flock
CAUTION: This email originated outside our organization. Be cautious with any links or attachments.

How come the residents in Our Community have not been advised of Flock now being used on our streets such as Highway 111 ?
How did this become approved and which individuals approved this and the casts involved Appreciate if this can be discussed at the next Meeting so all of our citizens can be updated Please confirm receipt
Thank you
Mike Stewart
1 26529.00000\45434110.3

INDIAN WELLS CITY COUNCIL
September 17, 2026
To: City Council
From: City Manager Department
Prepared by: City Attorney
Subject: Mayor Toper Taylor Request for Consideration of a Motion to Add a Discussion Item to the October 15 Agenda re an
Amendment to the City Council Policy Relating to Mayoral Communications During an Election
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:

DISCUSSION:

In accordance with Section 3.01.030, "Placing Items on the Agenda," of the City Council Policy Manual, Mayor Toper Taylor previously requested that the City Council discuss adding an item to the October 15 Council agenda for the Council to consider potential amendments to Section 2.05.040, Election Communications, regarding Mayoral communications during an election period.

Procedure, Under the Policy
This meeting on September 17 is the next regularly scheduled council meeting following Mayor Taylor’s request. It is therefore consistent with the Policy Manual for the Council to discuss a motion by the Mayor to add the item to a future agenda for deliberation and possible action.

The Policy Manual states that in response to the Mayor’s motion, the Council may, by majority vote:

1.Approve it for a future agenda

2.Refer it to an existing or new ad hoc committee or to a subcommittee 4 26529.00000\45434110.3

3.Or decline to take action.

If the Council approves the motion, the subject will be placed on a future agenda for Council deliberation and possible action.

The Subject to Be Discussed at a Future Meeting (If Approved) Timing. The current Council Policy Manual generally prohibits City-issued newsletters, letters from the Mayor, and similar communications requested by elected officials during the 60 days immediately preceding a municipal election, whether or not the requesting elected official is on the ballot.

Mayor Taylor is not up for reelection on the November 2026 ballot. He has requested that — at a future meeting — the Council consider whether revisions or clarification to the Policy are warranted regarding official Mayoral communications during election periods when the Mayor is not a candidate for re-election. If the Council approves this for a future agenda, the purpose of that discussion will be to determine whether the restrictions contained in the current Policy should continue to apply to elected officials who are not candidates in the upcoming election or whether amendments to the policy are needed (Attachment No. 1).

Candidate Information. Mayor Taylor also requested that the Council consider a future discussion about a Policy amendment to allow the Mayor’s Note to identify Council candidates as far as the law allows.

The law prohibits the use of a city-issued communication for any campaigning. Purely informational reference to the election and candidates is allowed. The candidates should be identified exactly as they will appear on the ballot, the exact same name, title (if any), and order. Preliminary No commentary may be made about the candidates. No reference or link to campaign materials or websites should be included.

OPTIONS:

Today, City Council has the following options:

1.Approve a motion to add this as a discussion item on a future Council agenda.

2.Refer it to an existing or new ad hoc committee or to a subcommittee.

3.Decline to take action.

CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA):
“The action is not a project within the meaning of Section 15378 of the State of California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) Guidelines, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change in the environment, directly or indirectly; and that the action is nonetheless exempt from the requirements of CEQA in that the activity is covered by the 5 26529.00000\45434110.3
general rule that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. (15061(b)(3).) “ ATTACHMENTS:

1.Council Policy Section 2.05.040
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colleagues as direct or “CC” recipients, the sender may follow up with a brief email, by “BCC” to the recipient members, acknowledging the mistake and warning them not to “Reply to All.” Council Members are encouraged to contact the Fair Political Practices Commissions in the event of serious violations.

Personal Views: Using a City email account to express personal views without identifying them as such can cause confusion. To avoid potential confusion that that might cause, Members of the Council should include the following disclaimer when using a City email account to send communications that express personal views:
•The views expressed in this email are those of the sender alone, acting and communicating individually. They do not necessarily represent the official views of the City of Indian Wells.

2.05.030 EX-PARTE COMMUNICATIONS
An ex-parte communication is a written or oral communication between a Council Member and an interested individual concerning any issue in a formal proceeding other than procedural matters that do not occur in a public forum. It is the duty of each Council Member to publicly disclose ex-parte communications that are relevant to a matter under consideration by the Council.

2.05.040 ELECTION COMMUNICATIONS
If the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, or Council member are seeking re-election, and are engaged in their City Council roles, they should not be placing photos or likenesses in City buildings during the election period, which is sixty (60) days prior to Election Day. An unfair advantage over the other candidates may be perceived.

The City of Indian Wells is committed to open, honest communication with residents, businesses, City employees, and visitors. The City’s communication procedures provide best practice guidance to City staff about communication activities during an election.

Within the sixty (60) calendar days preceding a general or special municipal election scheduled to occur in the City, no written newsletter or similar communication request made by the Council, any individual Council Member, or any candidate for City Council at the upcoming election, shall be issued by the City staff to City residents, in either physical or electronic form . Examples of said communication include letters from the Mayor.

Notwithstanding the above, communications related to emergency notifications, development and planning of programs, and services necessary for the successful completion and implementation of these activities are a priority to the City and shall continue during the election period. To that end, during the sixty (60) calendar day pre -election period, the City Manager, or his or her designee, may issue the following to City residents:
1)Any communication issued by the City to a City resident in the normal course of City business; including bills or charges for City services, reservations of City facilities, monthly ATTACHMENT #1
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police activity reports, notifications of special events or other promotional programs (e.g., Coffee with a Cop, Shred Event, Resident Celebrations, etc.), calls for City services, agendas and legal notices, provided that no content is included within the communication at the request of the City Council, any individual Council Member or any candidate for City Council at the upcoming election; or
2)An edition of the City’s quarterly newsletter, provided it is published in accordance with the City’s regular publication schedule and procedure and no content is included within the newsletter at the request of the City Council, any individual Council Mem ber, or any candidate for City Council at the upcoming election; or 3)A communication to inform City residents about an emergency or time -sensitive matter if, in the City Manager’s judgment:
a)Because of the emergency or time sensitivity, issuance of the communication cannot be delayed until after the election; and
b)The emergency/time sensitive communication is not being issued, in whole or in part, at the request of the City Council, any individual Council member or any candidate for City Council at the upcoming election.

This policy does not prohibit the City from issuing any written communication to City residents outside of the sixty (60) calendar day pre-election period, provided the communication otherwise complies with applicable law.

This policy does not apply to any written communication issued by public agencies outside of the City, campaign committees, private individuals or by private organizations. However, privately funded communication issued during a pending election may be regulated by the California Political Reform Act and authors are directed to consult the Act for more information. 8 26529.00000\45435793.3

INDIAN WELLS CITY COUNCIL
September 17, 2026
To: City Council
From: City Manager Department
Prepared by: City Attorney
Subject: Council Member Whitman Request for Consideration of Motions to Add Discussion Items to the October 15 Agenda re Amendments to the City Council Policy Relating to
(1)Expectations of the Mayor and (2) Council Member
Communications
RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:

DISCUSSION:

In accordance with Section 3.01.030, "Placing Items on the Agenda," of the City Council Policy Manual, Council Member Bruce Whitman has requested that the City Council consider adding two items to a future agenda to review and discuss potential amendments to certain provisions of the City Council Policy Manual to clarify existing policy language and consider revisions relating to mayoral responsibilities relating to appointments of Ad Hoc committees and to Council Member communications.

If the Council approves adding the items to a future agenda, the Council will consider potential amendments to the following sections of the Policy Manual:

Section 2.04.030 – Expectations of the Mayor
Council Member Whitman requested consideration of potential amendments to the section describing the expectations and responsibilities of the Mayor, to clarify the Mayor's role in recommending Ad Hoc Committee appointments and to establish a process for Council Ad Hoc Committee assignments to be made using best efforts to ensure equitable representation among Council Members.
9 26529.00000\45435793.3

Section 2.08.040 – Council Member Communications

Council Member Whitman requested consideration of amendments to clarify circumstances under which Council Members speak or write in their individual capacity rather than on behalf of the City Council or the City. Specifically, would like the Council to consider language to provisions relating to speaking and writing by individual Council Members, such as the following:

"When speaking or writing on their own behalf and not as representatives of the City Council, Council Members should clearly indicate that the views expressed are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the City Council or the City."

OPTIONS:

Today, City Council has the following options:

1. Approve a motion to add this as a discussion item on a future Council agenda.

2. Refer it to an existing or new ad hoc committee or to a subcommittee.

3. Decline to take action.

CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA):

“The action is not a project within the meaning of Section 15378 of the State of California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) Guidelines, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change in the environment, directly or indirectly; and that the action is nonetheless exempt from the requirements of CEQA in that the activity is covered by the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. (15061(b)(3).) “

ATTACHMENTS:

1. Council Policy Section 2.04.030 and 2.08.040
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Newly elected Council Members will also be encouraged to attend various conferences to assist newly elected Council Members be more successful in their new role (e.g., League of California Cities).

2.04.030 EXPECTATIONS OF THE MAYOR.

Council Members expectations of the Mayor are as follows:
▪As presiding officer, maintains order, decorum, and the fair and equitable treatment of all speakers in front of the Council.
▪Keeps discussion and questions focused on the specific agenda item under consideration. ▪Makes parliamentary ruling with advice from the City Attorney. Chair rulings may be overturned if a Council Member makes a motion as an individual and the majority of the Council votes to overrule the chair.
▪Leads the Council into an effective, cohesive working team. ▪Determines theme and venue for annual State of the City event. ▪Recommend Council ad-hoc committees and Members, as appropriate, for formal Council approval at a City Council meeting.
▪Serves as the liaison between the Council and the City Manager and City Attorney regarding employee relations.
▪Serves as the official City delegate to the League of Cities annual conference. ▪The Council may designate the Mayor to administer counseling, verbal reprimands and written warning to commission, committee or board members, and call for investigations of commission, committee, or board member conduct.

2.04.040 COUNCIL LEADERSHIP EXPECTATIONS.

In the absence of the Mayor, the Mayor Pro Tem is authorized to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the Mayor. As such, the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem serve leadership roles on the City Council. This includes presiding over City Council meetings, attending community events as a representative of the City, and receiving status reports and updates on City Council directed goals. Information shared with the Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem is to be shared equally with all Council Members.

ATTACHMENT #1
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CHAPTER 2.08

PRESS RELATIONS
Sections:

2.08.010 Official Position of the City.

2.08.020 Press Releases.

2.08.030 Dealing with the Media.

2.08.040 Council Members Speaking on Their Own Behalf.

2.08.010 OFFICIAL POSITION OF THE CITY.

In responding to inquiries from the media, the Council shall represent the official position of the City and shall limit their comments to stating the facts and circumstances, without personal opinions or conclusions.

2.08.020 PRESS RELEASES.

All press releases pertaining to the City, or the Council, shall be issued on City letterhead on behalf of the entire Council. Press releases pertaining to the City or the Council can be released by the Mayor with prior authorization from the Council acting at a City Council meeting. The City Manager, or designee, is authorized to make press releases pertaining to City activities and events of public importance as he determines necessary and appropriate to keep the public informed. When the City issues a press release, the Mayor is consulted in terms of any Council Member quotes or references. All press releases shall immediately be distributed to the Council.

2.08.030 DEALING WITH THE MEDIA.

When dealing with members of the media, it is usually the Mayor who represents the position and interest of the Council. When the City Manager or department heads are contacted, they will express the position of the Council. Council Members, the City Manager and department heads are authorized to respond to the media.

2.08.040 COUNCIL MEMBERS SPEAKING ON THEIR OWN BEHALF.

The Council maintains open lines of communication with the media providing any Council Member the ability to speak with the media on issues. When speaking to the media, the Council Member will clarify whether they are speaking on behalf of the Council or themselves. No member shall hold themselves out as representing or speaking on behalf of the Council on any matter unless, prior thereto, the Council by majority vote taken during a duly noticed Council meeting, has authorized said member to act and/or speak on behalf of the entire Council. If a Council Member does not feel knowledgeable about an issue when questioned by the media, they should direct the member of the media to the City Manager or designee. It is recommended that Council Members advise the City Manager when media contact occurs. 12

Indian Wells City CouncilSeptember 17, 2026

Indian Wells City Council
September 17, 2026