OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Finance and Economic Development Subcommittee Meeting - September 2, 2026

City Council & CommissionsWednesday, September 2, 2026
BodyMerced, California
SessionCity Council & Commissions
DateWednesday, September 2, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:09:03

Transcript — Verbatim
33:48

We'll go ahead and start the finance and economic development subcommittee meeting.

33:52

Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.gov.

35:00

Submit a request to speak online by visiting publiccomment.city of Merced.gov.

35:06

Individuals participating virtually by phone must provide a valid phone number so staff can identify the caller during the meeting.

35:14

Please be patient as this is a new process and there may be some disruptions or issues.

35:19

Staff will do their best to ensure everyone gets an opportunity to speak.

35:23

Additionally, citizens can submit public comment to the subcommittee electronically, no later than 10 a.m.

35:29

on the day of the meeting.

35:30

Comments received before the deadline will be sent to the subcommittee and will be part of the record and will be mentioned as part of the public comment portion of the agenda and will be posted on the city's website.

35:41

Material may be emailed to economic development at City of Merced.gov.

35:46

Any correspondence received after 10 a.m.

35:48

will be distributed to the subcommittee and retained for the official record.

35:53

Also, for audience members who wish to have Spanish or Mong translation services, please let our interpreters know.

36:15

Yes, yes.

36:34

Agenda item C public comments.

36:37

Members of the public who wish to speak on any matter not listed on the agenda may speak during this portion of the meeting and will be allotted three minutes.

36:45

The subcommittee may propose a further limit to the time available for all speakers at their discretion in order to accommodate as many speakers as possible.

36:53

State law prohibits the subcommittee from acting at this meeting on any matter raised during the public comment period.

36:59

Members of the public who wish to speak on a matter that is listed on the agenda will be called upon to speak during discussion of the item.

37:08

We have received no emails before the 10 a.m.

37:11

deadline.

37:11

Any emails received after the 10 a.m.

37:13

deadline will be sent to the subcommittee.

37:17

Subcommittee members, we currently have no registered speakers.

37:24

Should I close public comment?

37:40

Agenda item D, action items.

37:45

Agenda item D1, discussion on the roles and duties and setting reoccurring meeting dates and time for the finance and economic development subcommittee.

37:56

There are no registered speakers.

37:59

Would you like me to close the public comment?

38:09

Active, there you go.

38:11

So then we can get discussion now.

38:15

Okay, and we're available for discussion now.

38:17

Um is is this the polls meeting this one?

38:24

Okay, council members.

38:25

I'll I'm gonna start this one off if you don't mind.

38:28

Uh obviously, this is a very new process for us.

38:32

Uh I want to thank the staff that have been uh working so diligently to be able to get to the point where we are today to have this meeting.

38:41

Uh as you know, there are other subcommittees made up by the city council members.

38:46

We do have a goal to have um all five meet before early October.

38:50

So I don't know that might be a little ambitious, but it's kind of the plan that we have.

38:54

And so um the group, the departments that are gonna be clerking, staffing and working on these all have to get training in the whole process.

39:02

And so um you're gonna see Amanda and even uh Venus here, they're not normally clerks, they don't normally staff meetings.

39:09

So they've had to go through uh the clerking training and the AB 707 training, which is normally just for clerk clerk team.

39:17

But not only that, before you get today, there's also um the formatting of the agenda, uh publishing it, all the steps that have to be gone through.

39:26

Uh essentially this is just like your council meetings with that in mind.

39:29

We can only have the meetings here in this in this one room.

39:32

Uh that's where the technology is.

39:35

Um you see Jeff in the back.

39:37

Uh we're also being televised and pushed through social media, I'm sorry, through our our uh uh internet channel, so to speak.

39:45

So again, it's just like your normal council meetings.

39:48

And having said that, you're gonna have meeting minutes like you do for your council meetings.

39:52

You have to take action on in future meetings.

39:55

So uh those things won't change.

39:56

And of course, the public participation is there both in person and virtually.

40:01

Uh one of the things that was not discussed when we created the subcommittees with the resolution is some of the responsibilities, some of the specific uh areas.

40:11

I know Jennifer has some things that she wants to bring up, and so I'll defer to her, but um one of the one of the first order of businesses that we have is really setting reoccurring times and dates.

40:23

Uh, because all five have to meet in the same room because we've got other competition for this room, and we need to arrange um interpreters and other staff.

40:33

We we do need to come up with a schedule, and it's gonna be blessed by the city council before it becomes effective.

40:39

But I know there's other things that Jennifer wants to get through, so I'll kind of curtail my remarks for the time being.

40:45

So good afternoon.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Economic Development█████████████████████████████████████████████56%
Procedural███████████████████████28%
Budget Equity Analysis█████6%
Arts And Culture███4%
Parks and Recreation██3%
Transportation Safety██3%
Summary of Proceedings

Finance and Economic Development Subcommittee Meeting - September 2, 2026

The Finance and Economic Development Subcommittee of the Merced City Council met on September 2, 2026, at 2:30 PM in the City Council Chamber. The subcommittee discussed its roles and duties, established a recurring meeting schedule (quarterly in April, August, and December at 5:30 PM), and selected a development proposal to recommend to the full City Council for the sale of city-owned property at 626 West Main Street.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public registered to speak, and no emails were received before the 10:00 AM deadline. The subcommittee closed the public comment period without any testimony.

Discussion Items

  • Item D1 – Roles, Duties, and Recurring Meeting Schedule: The subcommittee discussed the scope of its responsibilities, including city budget review, retail and commercial business outreach, job creation and retention, community development, parking, and airport industrial park matters. After deliberation, the subcommittee agreed to meet three times per year (quarterly) on standing dates in April, August, and December at 5:30 PM. Meetings may be canceled if no items require discussion.
  • Item D2 – Proposal Selection for 626 West Main Street: Staff presented three proposals received in response to the City's Request for Proposals (RFP) for the approximately 2,500-square-foot, city-owned parcel (APN 031-134-025, appraised at $55,000):
    • Porch on Main (Hopeton Properties LLC) – Purchase price $25,000; proposed a family-friendly community plaza with flexible seating, a stage, mobile vendor zone for 8–10 vendors, recreation area (bocce ball, fire pits), and capacity for 1,000–1,500 people. Estimated capital investment $450,000–$550,000; 23–55 jobs; developer has local experience.
    • Merced Commons Plaza (626 West Main St LLC) – Purchase price $65,000; proposed a landscaped open space with stage, pergola, and shaded areas. No capital or job estimates provided; developer has local experience (El Capitan Hotel, Main Street Theater, Tioga Apartments).
    • Main Street Valet Lane and Parking Improvement Project (ERE Construction) – Purchase price $25,000; proposed a utilitarian parking lot for El Capitan Hotel (7–10 spaces). Estimated capital $175,000–$250,000; 5–9 jobs; no references or site plan submitted. Staff recommended Porch on Main for its comprehensive activation, job creation, business incubation opportunities, and family-friendly design. The subcommittee discussed the proposals and moved to recommend Porch on Main to the City Council.

Key Outcomes

  • Recommendation to City Council: The subcommittee unanimously agreed to recommend selecting the Porch on Main proposal submitted by Hopeton Properties LLC for the purchase and development of 626 West Main Street.
  • Meeting Schedule: The subcommittee will meet quarterly on standing dates in April, August, and December at 5:30 PM, with the next meeting anticipated in early December 2026.
  • Roles and Duties: The subcommittee affirmed its focus areas as outlined in city policy, including budget review, economic development (retail, job creation, parking, airport industrial park), and coordination with other commissions. A formal resolution will be prepared for City Council approval.

Meeting Transcript

We'll go ahead and start the finance and economic development subcommittee meeting. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.gov. Submit a request to speak online by visiting publiccomment.city of Merced.gov. Individuals participating virtually by phone must provide a valid phone number so staff can identify the caller during the meeting. Please be patient as this is a new process and there may be some disruptions or issues. Staff will do their best to ensure everyone gets an opportunity to speak. Additionally, citizens can submit public comment to the subcommittee electronically, no later than 10 a.m. on the day of the meeting. Comments received before the deadline will be sent to the subcommittee and will be part of the record and will be mentioned as part of the public comment portion of the agenda and will be posted on the city's website. Material may be emailed to economic development at City of Merced.gov. Any correspondence received after 10 a.m. will be distributed to the subcommittee and retained for the official record. Also, for audience members who wish to have Spanish or Mong translation services, please let our interpreters know. Yes, yes. Agenda item C public comments. Members of the public who wish to speak on any matter not listed on the agenda may speak during this portion of the meeting and will be allotted three minutes. The subcommittee may propose a further limit to the time available for all speakers at their discretion in order to accommodate as many speakers as possible. State law prohibits the subcommittee from acting at this meeting on any matter raised during the public comment period. Members of the public who wish to speak on a matter that is listed on the agenda will be called upon to speak during discussion of the item. We have received no emails before the 10 a.m. deadline. Any emails received after the 10 a.m. deadline will be sent to the subcommittee. Subcommittee members, we currently have no registered speakers. Should I close public comment? Agenda item D, action items. Agenda item D1, discussion on the roles and duties and setting reoccurring meeting dates and time for the finance and economic development subcommittee. There are no registered speakers. Would you like me to close the public comment? Active, there you go. So then we can get discussion now. Okay, and we're available for discussion now. Um is is this the polls meeting this one? Okay, council members. I'll I'm gonna start this one off if you don't mind. Uh obviously, this is a very new process for us. Uh I want to thank the staff that have been uh working so diligently to be able to get to the point where we are today to have this meeting. Uh as you know, there are other subcommittees made up by the city council members. We do have a goal to have um all five meet before early October. So I don't know that might be a little ambitious, but it's kind of the plan that we have. And so um the group, the departments that are gonna be clerking, staffing and working on these all have to get training in the whole process. And so um you're gonna see Amanda and even uh Venus here, they're not normally clerks, they don't normally staff meetings. So they've had to go through uh the clerking training and the AB 707 training, which is normally just for clerk clerk team. But not only that, before you get today, there's also um the formatting of the agenda, uh publishing it, all the steps that have to be gone through. Uh essentially this is just like your council meetings with that in mind. We can only have the meetings here in this in this one room. Uh that's where the technology is. Um you see Jeff in the back. Uh we're also being televised and pushed through social media, I'm sorry, through our our uh uh internet channel, so to speak. So again, it's just like your normal council meetings.

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