Desert Hot Springs City Council holds first in-person meeting at new city hall

For the first time in over a year, the Desert Hot Springs City Council held their meeting in-person. The meeting marked the very first to be held at the new city hall.

Desert Hot Springs' new city hall building actually opened nine months ago. Crews broke ground on the building in April 2019 and construction was nearly finished by April 2020.

The building was officially opened in July and the council held their first-ever meeting at the new building in September, however, in-person meetings remained restricted the whole time due to the pandemic.

With Riverside County's coronavirus positivity rate continuing to slide down, in-person meetings can be held once again.

Desert Hot Springs Mayor Scott Matas made note of the special occasion at the start of the meeting, letting out a small "Wohoo," before roll call.

Before the start of the meeting, former councilmember Robert Griffith was honored with a key to the city for his time serving the city. Councilmembers and city staff spoke highly of Griffith, praising him for his work ethic and knowledge.

Melanie Lyons, manager of Desert Hot Springs' Senior Center, was also honored for her seven years of dedicated service and commitment at the senior center. Lyons is set to leave as she accepted a position in another city.