The Merced City Council held a regular meeting on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, beginning at 6:00 PM in the City Council Chamber. The meeting included a closed session at 5:00 PM (no report out), ceremonial proclamations, public comments, unanimous approval of the consent calendar, and action on several items including committee assignments, fire truck purchases, grant evaluation agreements, environmental document approvals, a sewer project change order, and direction to draft a gaming ordinance.
All right, ladies and gentlemen, welcome. Call our meeting uh to order. Again, want to welcome everybody uh tonight to the meeting of the Merced City Council, where we begin with an invitation from Pastor Joel Dorman of the Summit Church here in Merced, and Pastor Dorman, if you'd also be so kind as her to lead us in the pledge when you're conclude when you conclude the prayer. Would you stand and bow your heads? Our Father, we thank you for this day that you have made. We simultaneously pray for those who are negatively affected by this rain, and thank you that you give us the chance to be merciful and gracious to our neighbors who might not be doing so well with it. We thank you for our form of government where we can elect people to represent us to carry on the business of our city and our state and our country. We pray your wisdom for them. We pray that while we may err our grievances and may do so even passionately, that we would do so with great respect, recognizing that the people we're addressing are those made in your image as well as we are. We thank you for tonight. We thank you for the chance to be able to engage in this format. And I pray this in the name of my Savior Jesus. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Okay, agenda item D roll call. Councilmember DuPont. Present. Tao. President. Harris. Present. Smith. Present. Zhang? Here. Mayor Pro Tem Boyle. Here. And Mayor Serato. Here. 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 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 will 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 or Hmong, please let our interpreters know. Good evening. Hola buenas noches, miamumir Nasarate, say interpret in espanhol. Muchas gracias. In accordance with government code 54952.3. It is hereby announced that the City Council sits either simultaneously or serially as a 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, $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. Okay, agenda item F, ceremonial matters, F1, proclamation, Ramadan recognition. Thank you, Jennifer. Two ceremonial items tonight. The first of which is honoring uh the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Uh, we have uh members uh Shaheed Sohail from our local uh Islamic community invite you up, sir, and we also have folks from the Central Valley uh Council of American Islamic relations.