City Council Meeting 10.05.2026

The City of Merced City Council meeting of October 5, 2026, included several infrastructure and public-safety spending decisions. Council unanimously approved a professional-services agreement with Durken Engineering for Highway 59 widening and Black Rascal Creek bridge project design and related services, with a not-to-exceed amount of $1,223,480. Staff said the work is about 65% designed, requires coordination with railroads and Caltrans, and that funding gaps remain for portions of the overall project. Council also approved on-call building services agreements with multiple firms; a council member recused themself because of a conflict. The council unanimously approved a city-county agreement to share costs for vegetation maintenance along Bear Creek, with county contractors expected to begin work promptly, and declared a local emergency related to the developing 2026–2027 El Niño event to enable expanded creek maintenance and response actions.

Council unanimously accepted a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant providing about $278,000 in federal reimbursement, with a required city match of approximately $27,800, for hazardous-materials technician training for 18 firefighters and associated overtime and backfill costs. Separately, a pulled downtown parking agreement with El Capitan was discussed: the proposal retained 59 spaces at $2,520 per month, the same monthly payment as the 2019 agreement, prompting questions about market rates, location, and possible extensions; the transcript does not clearly capture the final action on that item. No contract award or vote outcome is stated for it.