Joining a list of six other Coachella Valley cities, Cathedral City council members have agreed to contribute startup and operational funds to Roy's Desert Resource Center.

On Oct. 14, the City Council voted 3-2 to give $51,000 to the Coachella Valley homeless shelter, which is slated to open in December at Indian Canyon Drive and Interstate 10 near North Palm Springs.

Mayor Kathy DeRosa and Mayor Pro Tem Bud England dissented.

The Riverside County Board of Supervisors recently voted to rename the center “Roy's Desert Resource Center” in honor of the late Supervisor Roy Wilson, who died in August.

Cathedral City's financial contribution will come from its general fund, which had a $2.5 million deficit this year.

DeRosa said that although she helped the Coachella Valley Association of Governments apply for grants toward the center and will continue to seek funding sources, her city is not in a position to contribute.

“I don't feel this is an opportunity that Cathedral City should (or) needs to take advantage of at this time, especially with all the budget cuts and all the things we are looking at,” she said.

Plans for the center include 150 emergency beds, kitchen and dining facility, and a clinic. The projected first-year operating cost will be $1.8million, according to city documents.

CVAG is spearheading the project and had asked every jurisdiction to contribute $102,380 toward the shelter's first-year operating costs. So far, $1.3 million has been committed to the center by valley cities, Riverside County and various entities, according to city documents.

In other business:

• A proposed bridge over the Whitewater River Wash at Cathedral Canyon Drive got a boost.

The City Council voted 5-0 to commit as much as $1.4 million in federal grant money toward engineering studies.

The city would like to build the bridge near a dip in Cathedral Canyon Drive as an alternative, all-weather north-south crossing. A bridge is currently in place at the Whitewater River Wash at Date Palm Drive.

The total cost of the bridge construction may exceed $18million, according to city documents.

City officials said they will seek more federal and state funding to build it.

• City Council OK'd speed limit changes for segments of seven Cathedral City streets.

The council voted 5-0 for 5 mph decreases in some areas and a 5- to 10-mph increase in others.

Cathedral City Transportation Manager Robert Mohler said the study is required of municipalities and recommended every five years in order to adhere to a state code that requires municipalities to conduct speed surveys.