Twentynine Palms council adopts revised fee‑waiver policy after public concerns over fiscal sponsorships

The Twentynine Palms City Council on Jan. 13 adopted a revised policy governing fee waivers for city facility rentals, striking language that had barred organizations engaged in litigation against the city and clarifying treatment of fiscally sponsored nonprofits.

Supporters of fiscal sponsorships told the council the earlier draft would unfairly exclude temporary volunteer groups and small community projects. "I am concerned about fiscally sponsored nonprofits being disallowed from having two free rentals," said a public commenter who identified herself as Anna and said her projects rely on fiscal sponsors. Another commenter representing Indian Cove Neighbors read excerpts from an attorneys' letter saying a categorical ban could raise First Amendment and viewpoint‑discrimination concerns.

City staff said the city attorney revised the policy after public concerns. "That sentence has been struck from the new policy," staff said, explaining the amended draft no longer prohibits organizations from applying for a waiver simply because they are suing the city; organizations may still pay to use facilities if they prefer. Staff also said the change aims to prevent for‑profit events from using nonprofit partners simply to secure free rentals.

Councilmember motioned to adopt the revised policy as "ordinance policy number 1"; the council approved the measure 5–0. The adopted policy will be posted on the city website with a staff recommendation to clarify procedures for appealing staff decisions to the council without cost to the nonprofit.

Why it matters: The policy determines which local groups can receive fee waivers for public venues such as Freedom Plaza. Critics said the earlier language risked penalizing speech and community projects organized through fiscal sponsorship; supporters of the change said the council preserved a route for appeal and clarified limits on opportunistic for‑profit partnerships.

Next steps: City staff will implement the revised policy language and make the updated policy available for public review; staff indicated the council may hear administrative clarifications in a future meeting.