The Merced City Council met on Monday, December 1, 2025, at 6:00 PM in the City Council Chamber. The meeting included a closed session at 5:00 PM on labor negotiations and city manager performance evaluation, with no report out. The regular session covered special presentations, consent calendar items, public hearings, action items, and business discussions. Key outcomes included approval of building and fire code updates, granting of private patrol certificates, authorization for Fire Station 56 planning, acceptance of state homeland security grants, and direction on a special meeting to fill a council vacancy.
Start in one minute, ladies and gentlemen, one minute. Good evening, everyone. Welcome, welcome to the December first, two thousand twenty five meeting of the Merced City Council. We hope everybody had a great uh Thanksgiving holiday weekend. We're going to begin our meeting today with an invitation from Pastor Maggie from the United Methodist Church of Merced. And then after that, uh Councilmember DuPont will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Greetings, members of the City Council of Merced of the City of Merced, greetings, presenters and attendees of the meeting. My name is Madeline Maggie Gagazgan, and I serve as the pastor of the United Methodist Church of Merced. I regard it as a privilege to open this meeting with a prayer in the Christian tradition. So whether you consider yourself to be someone who finds spiritual home in the Christian faith or who finds spiritual home elsewhere, I invite you to join me in an attitude of prayer and contemplation. May your grace and mercy in its wideness and transcendence of human divisions enter into the hearts of the policymakers and presenter gather presenters gathered here, that they may perceive the needs of the common people of the city of Merced. The one which feels especially present for followers of Jesus in the advent season. Present. Harris. Mayor Pro Tem Boyle? Here. And Mayor Serato. Present. And Mayor, I'd like to remind the audience that if they wish to address the City Council, they must submit a green request of speak form located at the podium in the back of the chamber. Additionally, citizens can submit public comment to the count to the city council electronically no later than 1 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Comments received before the deadline will be sent to the city council and will be part of the record and will be mentioned as part of the written petitions and communications portion of the agenda, and they will also be posted on the city's website. Material may be emailed to City Clerk at City of Merced.gov and any correspondence received after 1 p.m. will be distributed to the city council and retained for the official record. Also, for those audience members who wish to hear the council meeting translated into Spanish Hamong, please let our interpreters know. Hello. Good evening. In accordance with government code 54952.3, it is hereby announced that the city council sits either simultaneously or serially as the public financing and economic development authority, parking authority, and or successor agency to the redevelopment agency. City Council members receive a monthly stipend of $500 by charter for sitting as a city council, and the mayor receives an additional $100 each month as part of the adopted budget and resolution 2024-78. The public financing and economic development authority, parking authority, and successor agency to the redevelopment agency receive no compensation. Agenda item E report out of closed session. There is no report out of closed session. Agenda item F special presentations. F1 presentation on the youth jobs training program. Thank you, Jennifer. All right, we'll invite uh Mr. Eric Serrado and his team. Be so kind to uh give us the update on our youth jobs training program. Good evening, Mr. Mayor, City Manager, and City Council members. My name is Valente withdrawal from the WorkNet Department of Workforce Investment. Uh today we'll report on Merced Youth Jobs, and to keep with the spirit of this program being youth advocated, youth developed, and youth run. We have Leonardo Gaona Vasquez, who is was a Merced Youth Jobs participant. He'll speak on behalf of WorkNet and then the Workforce Development Board. After his presentation, if you do have some questions, I'll make myself available along with uh Director Serratto and members of the board. Thanks, sir. Welcome. Good evening. Uh my name is Leonardo Gauna Vasquez. I'm a first generation student at Merced College, and as Valente mentioned, I'm a former participant of MYJ.