City Council Meeting 09.08.2026

The City of Merced City Council meeting was held September 8, 2026. Council adopted the city investment policy (Resolution 2026-55), with Councilmember Jeong voting no. It unanimously approved the $30,000 FY 2026–27 community funding recommendations: Boys & Girls Club ($6,000), Community Initiatives for Collective Impact ($3,000), Merced Lao Family Community ($5,000), Merced Perennial Players ($3,500), Merced Seniors ($3,000), Merced Symphony Association ($5,000), and Playhouse Merced ($4,500). Staff will contract with the recipients and reimburse eligible expenses after review of supporting documentation. Council discussed concerns that the current mural RFPs offer insufficient compensation (about $10,000 per project); it did not pause the RFPs, and members favored allowing the process to proceed. A request was made for a future report on city art spending since 2022.

Council approved a $238,199.99 California Highway Patrol Cannabis Tax Fund grant for cannabis-related DUI checkpoints, saturation patrols, and equipment, including a truck and motorcycle; Councilmember Xiong voted no. It also approved budget adjustments and use of up to $98,900 in pooled cash for operations and purchases under an already-awarded California Office of Traffic Safety grant; Councilmember Jeong voted no. Other unanimous approvals included an appropriation of $213,669 from Park and Community Services Fund 5000 and a $263,668.37 services agreement with Park Planet, associated with insurance reimbursement for two vandalized playgrounds, and a correction to appropriate State Water Resources Control Board financing for Merced wastewater treatment facility improvements. Separately, staff reported that permanent repairs along roughly six miles of Bear Creek are in design, with construction anticipated to begin in May 2027; no project cost was stated.