Merced Tax Transparency Commission Meeting - November 20, 2025
Merced Tax Transparency Commission Meeting - November 20, 2025
On November 20, 2025, the Merced Tax Transparency Commission held a regular meeting. Two new commissioners, Felipe Rojas Flores (District 2) and Harpreet Takar, were welcomed. Staff noted that board clerk Alejandra was leaving for another public agency. The meeting included financial reports on Measure C and Measure Y revenues and expenses, and a discussion on selecting a new chair.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes of August 12, 2025 (motion by Commissioner Murphy, second by Commissioner Chu; vote passed unanimously).
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were submitted electronically or spoken from the audience.
Discussion Items
- Measure C Revenue and Expense Report (September 30, 2025): Venus Rodriguez, Finance Officer, presented the quarterly report. Fiscal year 2024-25 Measure C sales tax revenue closed at $9 million, slightly below the budgeted $9.1 million. Quarter-over-quarter, the second quarter of 2025 showed a positive increase of about $26,000 compared to the same period in 2024, but the full year was down about $50,000 (0.56%) from the previous year. Increases were seen in general consumer goods, restaurants, hotels, autos and transportation; decreases occurred in fuel and service stations, business and industry, food and drugs, and building and construction.
- Measure Y Revenue and Expense Report (September 30, 2025): Venus Rodriguez reported that fiscal year 2024-25 Measure Y revenue closed at just over $1.6 million, significantly less than the prior year. Quarter-over-quarter continued declines were observed, with a $30,000 decrease in the last quarter compared to the same quarter in 2024. Cumulative decline from the prior year was about $172,000.
- Selection of New Chair: The commission discussed choosing a new chair following the departure of the previous chair. Since several members were absent and Vice Chair Kastecki was not present, the commission voted unanimously (motion by Commissioner Johnson, second by Commissioner Murphy) to postpone the selection to the next meeting.
- Future Agenda Requests: Commissioners requested information on administration reimbursement line items (clarified as internal administrative costs) and on investment earnings falling below projections. Staff agreed to provide a report at the February 2026 meeting. One commissioner noted the busy road work by PG&E and Race projects affecting city traffic.
Key Outcomes
- Approved Measure C and Measure Y revenue and expense reports (both passed unanimously).
- Postponed selection of a new chair to the next meeting (scheduled for February 2026).
- Directed staff to provide detailed answers on investment earnings and administration costs at the next meeting.
- Adjourned the meeting (motion by Commissioner Chu, second by Commissioner Murphy; vote passed unanimously).
Meeting Transcript
Yes, to call this meeting to order. The City of Merced Tax Transparency Commission. November 20th, Thursday, 2000, 2025. We'll now do the Pledge of Allegiance. Next we have roll call. Okay, agenda item C, roll call. Commissioners Chu. Garcia. Johnson? Here. Murphy. Here. Flores? Here. I'm so sorry if I butchered this, but Takar? Present. Perfect. And then Vice Chair Kastecki. Okay. We do have two new members. Um I wanted to uh take a moment if you guys would like to introduce yourselves. And then we also are going to have staff members introduce themselves as well. Um so please go ahead. And do you need us to make the mic? Okay. Okay, yeah. Uh good evening, everyone. My name is Felipe Rojas Flores on District 2 Commissioner. Um just meeting here. Excited to be here to work with everyone here. Good evening. Oh, I feel like I hear it louder than it is. Good evening, everyone. My name is Harpreet Takar, and excited to be here on the commission as well. Thank you. Commission members, good evening. I'm Frank Quintero. I'm the deputy city manager. And uh welcome aboard to our two new commission members. Uh and I'm also going to share with you this evening that uh our board clerk, this will be her last meeting with us. Uh Alejandra will be taking a job with another public agency, and we will miss her. And we're here to say thank you for all your years of service and being what keeps us together here at the Tax Transparency Commission meeting. And now I'm gonna ask uh our staff members in the back if they would please come up and introduce themselves. Good evening, Commissioner Casey Wilson, fire chief of the fire department. Uh thank you so much for being here this evening and willing to participate in the commission. And uh Alejandro will miss you. Hello, I'm Steve Stanfield. I'm the chief of police, and uh I also serve as the uh contract chief for Merced City College, too. So we have a dual role in my role, and uh we will miss you. But I know you have my number, so you can call any time.
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