Merced City Council Regular Meeting - October 5, 2026

The Merced City Council met on Monday, October 5, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the City Council Chamber. The meeting included ceremonial proclamations, public comments, consent calendar approval (with one item pulled for separate discussion), two public hearings on street vacations, several action items on professional services and infrastructure projects, a resolution declaring a threatened local emergency due to the upcoming El Niño event, acceptance of a FEMA grant for hazardous materials training, and a planning commission appointment. Key discussion centered on a parking agreement with El Capitan Hotel, which was continued to the first meeting in November for further review.

Consent Calendar

• The consent calendar (items F.1–F.5 and F.7–F.10) was approved unanimously with one motion. Item F.6 (El Capitan Hotel parking agreement) was pulled for separate consideration.
• Approved items included: reading by title of ordinances and resolutions; information-only contracts for September 2026; a second amendment to the City Manager employment agreement adding a three-year term; a fifth amendment to legal services with Richards, Watson & Gershon ($80,000); a five-year lease with the Merced County Arts Council; procurement of a cardiac monitor for the Fire Department ($60,000 via Sourcewell); a hay brokerage agreement with McLaughlin Hay Service; an amendment to the Samsara fleet telematics agreement expanding coverage to 469 units (total contract $298,925.79); and a 10-year agreement with Badger Meter for advanced metering analytics.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Norma Carbona (downtown resident) spoke during Public Comments to recognize Hispanic Heritage Month, highlighting that Latinos make up 58.5% of Merced’s population and contribute significantly to the workforce and economy. She urged the city to celebrate the community’s growth.
• Colton Dennis (Merced County Arts Council) invited council to the “MAC at 30” exhibition opening at the Courthouse Museum, thanking the city for its partnership.
• Marcus Ariano (Treehouse Tutoring) announced the nonprofit’s full transition and an October 17 open house/ribbon cutting, thanking the city for an RFP that launched the LOF literacy program.
• Aggie Freeman (Merced Police Department Canine Association) invited the community to “Paws on Patrol” on October 17 at Lake Yosemite, a run/walk to support police K9 teams.
• Chris Jensen (Parks and Community Services Director) reported on the fourth annual Gateway to Yosemite 5K/10K, which raised over $14,000 for a tortoise exhibit at Applegate Zoo.
• Angela Matthews (Faith in the Valley) invited council to an October 7 press conference on voter turnout, noting only 40,000 voters in the county primary and Merced’s low ranking.
• Mark Wynum (Merced resident) proposed three solutions: forming a think tank of UC Merced/Merced College students to address homelessness with portable sanitation units, implementing a fireworks tax, and improving homeless services. He was cut off at three minutes but offered to follow up.

Discussion Items

• F.6 – El Capitan Hotel Parking Agreement (Pulled from Consent): Mayor Pro Tem Boyle raised concerns about the proposed five-year lease of 59 parking spaces in the Ralph Shannon Parcade at $2,520/month—the same rate as the 2019 agreement for 60 spaces. She questioned whether a current market rate analysis had been done, noted CPI increases since 2019, and suggested evaluating moving valet operations to the West American Bank Garage to free up public parking. Councilmember DuPont supported revisiting the rate and location. Councilmember Smith noted the hotel’s economic value and the garage’s poor condition (elevator broken for two years) but agreed the price should be reviewed. City Manager Bratt recommended continuing the item. The council voted unanimously to continue the agreement to the first meeting in November for further staff analysis.
• G.1 – Vacation of Canal Street Easement: Director Keene presented the vacation of a 55-foot-wide, 14,328-square-foot portion of Canal Street between Main 17th and West 16th, part of the Bob Hart Square expansion. The easement is now under concrete and the vacation removes city liability. Approved unanimously (Resolution 2026-66).
• G.2 – Vacation of K Street Easement at 400 West 7th Street: Vacation of a 20-foot-wide, 1,145-square-foot public utility easement on K Street south of 7th Street. The property owner’s representative, Alfred Alvarez, stated the easement is no longer needed and vacating it will allow single-family and ADU development. Approved unanimously (Resolution 2026-65).
• H.1 – Professional Services Agreements for Building Services: Chief Building Official Denise Frazier presented three two-year contracts (with one-year extension option) with Interwest Consulting, CSG Consultants, and Bureau Veritas for on-call plan checking and inspection services. Councilmember Smith recused himself because one firm is a client of his firm. Approved unanimously (4-0).
• H.2 – Dokken Engineering for Highway 59 Widening and Black Rascal Creek Bridge: City Surveyor Joe Cardozo and Dokken’s Jacqueline Lockhart presented the project status. The contract, originally awarded in 2020, had expired; the new agreement for $1,223,480.80 covers remaining design work, including railroad coordination. The project is at 65% design; funding shortfalls remain ($18M for Highway 59 widening, $2.3M for the bridge). Council approved the agreement unanimously, with staff clarifying the scope increase (BNSF/Union Pacific negotiations) and that Dokken will not perform construction.
• H.3 – MOU with County for Bear Creek Vegetation Maintenance: City Manager McBride explained that the MOU allows the city to participate in the county’s vegetation maintenance project along Bear Creek from Crocker Dam to Campus Parkway, leveraging state emergency declarations. The city will reimburse 50% of costs, not to exceed $250,000. Public Works Director Almost confirmed work on other creeks (Cottonwood, Fahrens) has begun. Approved unanimously.
• H.4 – Resolution Proclaiming Local Emergency for 2026-2027 El Niño: City Attorney Cornwell presented Resolution 2026-64, aligning with the governor’s proclamation. Public commenter Norma Carbona expressed concern that the resolution lacked specifics on prevention, vulnerable populations (seniors, disabled, homeless), multilingual communications, and coordination with the county. She requested amendments. City Manager McBride responded that staff is leading preparedness, noting an unhoused audit along creeks and coordination with Cal OES and the county. The council adopted the resolution unanimously.
• H.5 – FEMA AFG Grant for Hazmat Training: Fire Chief Wilson presented acceptance of a $278,182 grant (plus $27,819 city match) for Hazardous Material Technician training for 18 firefighters. The grant covers tuition and backfill; ongoing costs for hazmat pay incentives (~$72,000/year) will follow. FEMA approved only 1,800 of 8,426 applications nationwide. Approved unanimously.
• I.1 – Planning Commission Appointment (District 2): Councilmember Tapp nominated Amy Moore. Approved unanimously.
• I.2 – Request to Add Items to Future Agenda: Councilmember Jones requested a progress report on creek maintenance for the second meeting in November. Councilmember Harris requested an item on downtown parking (including diagonal parking, metering, enforcement) for the November 2 meeting. Both requests were approved unanimously.
• I.3 – Council Comments: Mayor Serrato mentioned a meeting with Livingston’s mayor and a visiting mayor from Michoacán, Mexico, exploring a sister city relationship with Merced.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Calendar (except F.6): Approved unanimously.
• F.6 – El Capitan Parking Agreement: Continued to the first meeting in November (November 2) for staff to re-evaluate pricing, market rate, valet location options, and contract renewal terms.
• Public Hearings: Both street/easement vacations approved unanimously (Resolutions 2026-66 and 2026-65).
• Professional Services Agreements: Building services contracts approved (4-0, Smith recused).
• Dokken Engineering Agreement: Approved unanimously.
• Bear Creek MOU with County: Approved unanimously.
• El Niño Emergency Resolution (2026-64): Adopted unanimously.
• FEMA Hazmat Grant: Accepted and appropriated (total project $306,001) unanimously.
• Planning Commission Appointment: Amy Moore appointed unanimously.
• Future Agenda Items: Creek maintenance progress report scheduled for second meeting in November; downtown parking discussion scheduled for November 2.