Council approves $6 million ceiling for airport on-call consulting after lengthy debate over oversight

After extensive debate on Jan. 28, Palm Springs City Council approved an on‑call, task-order consulting arrangement to support execution of the airport master plan and a large set of capital projects, with staff explaining the ceiling is intended to give the airport flexibility to respond quickly as multiple large projects run concurrently.

Airport staff described a suite of forthcoming projects — a $93 million baggage-handling upgrade already under way, anticipated rental-car facility work (estimated at $15–$20 million), runway work and other capital items — and said Accenture (the recommended program-management consultant) would provide program-level oversight, financial advice and staffing flex when needed. Council members pressed for a clearer breakdown of how the $6 million ceiling was derived and for stronger fiscal controls.

Chair Kevin Corcoran and airport staff said the Accenture contract is task‑order based and that staff would return regular, quarterly dashboards showing actual spending, forecasts and project schedules; the airport commission also endorsed the contract. Councilmembers requested quarterly public reports and a mechanism to flag and bring any high-value task orders to council for review. The motion carried following a roll-call vote.